Getting started – Timus Networks

🎥 Explainer Videos

Discover Timus features and configurations through quick and easy-to-follow video tutorials. Perfect for a visual walkthrough of our capabilities.

Welcome to the Timus Explainer Videos page!

Explore our comprehensive library of video guides that simplify the essential features and configurations of Timus Networks. Designed for both beginners and advanced users, these quick and engaging tutorials will help you:

Optimize your setup
Enhance security
Leverage advanced tools—all at your own pace.

Setting up Zero Trust Access, The Timus Way

Learn how to configure Zero Trust policies with context-aware access control to protect your network and ensure only the right users have access to the right resources.

Configuring Firewall Rules

Master the creation and management of firewall rules to secure your network, prevent threats, and streamline network traffic.

Web Filtering and Content Blocking

Learn how to block unwanted content and enforce web filtering policies, ensuring a safe and productive network environment.

Segmenting Traffic With Split Tunneling

Explore how to segment network traffic effectively, optimizing performance while maintaining security and control.

Timus Connect Installation Walk Through

Follow this step-by-step installation guide for Timus Connect to get your network running securely and efficiently in no time.

🔐 Setting up Zero Trust Access, The Timus Way

As security threats grow increasingly sophisticated, adopting a Zero Trust framework has become a necessity. Built on the principle of “Never trust, always verify”, Zero Trust ensures that every access request is meticulously validated, protecting your network and confirming user identities.

What Is Zero Trust Access? 🔒

Zero Trust Access is a cutting-edge security approach designed to:

Authenticate and authorize every access request, whether it's from inside or outside your network.
Continuously monitor user behavior and device posture during active sessions.
Protect against unauthorized access, regardless of the user's location or the device they use.

By implementing Zero Trust, organizations reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen their defenses against breaches.

🎬 Learn the Timus Way

Timus Networks Conditional Access the Timus Way

In this video you'll learn:

How Timus continuously monitors and verifies user behavior.
The step-by-step process to configure and enforce Zero Trust Access policies.
Real-life use cases demonstrating how Zero Trust prevents potential security breaches.

🌐 Configuring an IPsec Tunnel

The Timus Gateway is more than just a security measure; it’s the key to seamless connectivity. By hosting a cloud firewall, it enables secure communication between your network environments. With IPsec tunneling, you can connect your Timus Gateway to an on-premise firewall, ensuring secure and reliable access to data—no matter where it resides.

🎬 Learn the Timus Way

Timus Networks Connecting Branch Offices with IPSec

In this video you'll explore:

How to set up an IPsec tunnel on your Timus Gateway.
Configuring secure communication with your on-premise firewall.
Real-world benefits of IPsec tunneling for hybrid network environments.

🛡️Configuring Firewall Rules

Timus Adaptive Cloud Firewall: Securing Users Anywhere

In today’s dynamic work environment, where users can connect from virtually anywhere, static security rules are no longer sufficient. The Timus Adaptive Cloud Firewall ensures your security perimeter moves with the user—aligning with their identity rather than just their device or location. This innovative approach enables true secure access at the edge, providing robust protection and seamless connectivity.

Why Choose Adaptive Cloud Firewall Rules?

User-Centric Security: Policies follow the user, adapting dynamically to their behavior and identity.
Device and Location Independence: Protect access regardless of the user’s device or connection location.
Edge Security: Enable secure resource access with real-time, context-aware rules.

🎬 Learn the Timus Way

Timus Networks Granularity within the Timus Firewall

In this video you'll discover:

How to create user-centric firewall rules.
Real-world examples of adaptive firewall configurations.
The benefits of aligning security policies with user identity.

🌍 Static IP Address: Unlocking Full Network Control

A static IP address is more than just a number—it’s the foundation of complete network control. Every Timus Gateway is equipped with a private, static IP address, providing unparalleled visibility, enhanced security, and total control over your network.

🎬 Learn the Timus Way

Timus Networks Locking Down Saas with Static IP

In this video you'll explore:

The key advantages of using a static IP address.
How it enhances network visibility and strengthens security.
Real-life use cases for SaaS app management and conditional access.

Real-World Applications

Secure SaaS Access
- Scenario: Your team relies on critical SaaS tools like CRM or ERP systems.
- Solution: Whitelist your static IP to ensure only authorized users on your network can access these tools, reducing unauthorized logins.
Remote Workforce Management
- Scenario: Employees need to connect remotely to access corporate resources.
- Solution: Use the static IP as the single point of entry to enforce conditional access policies, ensuring secure and monitored connectivity.
Improved Threat Detection
- Scenario: You require better visibility into network traffic to identify potential risks.
- Solution: Route all incoming traffic through your static IP, enabling streamlined analytics, faster threat detection, and efficient mitigation.

🖥️ Web Filtering and Content Blocking

The Timus Secure Web Gateway provides your organization with cutting-edge tools to manage web access, block harmful content, and bolster network security. By utilizing robust web filtering, content blocking, and anti-virus protection at the network layer, you can ensure that users only access safe applications and websites—whether working in the office or remotely.

🎬 Learn the Timus Way

Timus Networks Conent and Category Blocking

In this video you'll learn:

How Timus filters malicious websites and risky applications.
Step-by-step guidance to block inappropriate or harmful content.
How anti-virus protection safeguards browsing experiences.

Core Features of Timus Web Filtering

🔍 Web Filtering

Benefit: Protect users from accessing malicious or non-work-related websites.
How It Works: Apply access policies for specific domains or categories like "Social Media," "Adult Content," or "Phishing Sites."

🚫 Content Blocking

Benefit: Restrict harmful or distracting content with customizable rules.
How It Works: Block specific URLs to prevent unauthorized content from entering or leaving the network.

Why Choose Timus Secure Web Gateway?

Enhanced Productivity: Ensure users stay focused on work-related activities.
Advanced Protection: Safeguard the network from cyber threats like phishing and malware.
Centralized Management: Simplify policy management and monitoring through a single interface.

🔀 Segmenting Traffic With Split Tunneling

Split Tunneling in Timus empowers your network to segment traffic intelligently, ensuring a balance between performance and security. This feature allows users to route specific traffic through a VPN while accessing local subnets or direct web connections, optimizing connectivity for hybrid and remote workforces.

🎬 Learn the Timus Way

Timus Networks Segmenting Traffic with Split Tunneling

In this video you'll explore:

How to set up split tunneling for efficient traffic segmentation.
The advantages of routing traffic via local subnets, VPN, or direct web access.
Real-world scenarios where split tunneling enhances performance and security.

Key Benefits of Split Tunneling

🔒 Enhanced Security

Protect sensitive data by ensuring critical traffic routes through the VPN, while non-critical traffic bypasses it for direct internet access.

⚡ Improved Performance

Reduce VPN congestion and improve speed by routing only essential traffic through secure tunnels.

🌐 Local Resource Accessibility

Maintain seamless access to local devices like shared printers or local storage without compromising security policies.

Timus Connect Installation Walk Through

Whether Mac, Window, IOS or Android , Timus keeps users connected and protected at the edge. The below videos detail installing the agent in a step by step fashion.

Installing Mac

Installing Windows

Installing iOS

Timus Technical FAQ

What does Timus do?
How can we start with Timus?
What services could potentially Timus replace in my security stack?
How does the high-level Timus architecture for a Client look like?
How does Timus help us against ransomware & phishing attacks?
What intelligence services are utilized by Timus for better protection?
How does Timus ZTNA improve security?
What is the maximum number of firewall rules we can create on your platform?
How many site-to-site tunnels can we create?
Does Timus provide shared or dedicated gateways?
Is there a limit on the amount of traffic passing through Timus gateway?
Is there a limit on the bandwidth of traffic passing through Timus gateway?
Can we create custom web categories and use them in firewall rules?
How long do you retain logs?
Do we still need to have an EDR solution if we use the Timus platform?
How do we download Timus Connect agent?
Which tunneling protocols are supported by the Timus Connect agent?
How does split tunneling work?
Can we manage Timus Connect agent settings centrally?
How is the Timus Connect app updated?
I have to periodically send out reports to my CTO regarding network traffic and utilization. Can I use your platform for this?
I work with healthcare providers and credit card companies. Are you HIPAA or PCI DSS compliant?
How many users are supported comfortably on your platform?
How can we reduce latency and have redundancy for gateway connections
How are ZTNA policies prioritized?
I only want to be alerted of mission-critical sign-ins. How can I limit what is blowing up my inbox?
Which MFA methods are supported?
How do we set MFA policies for users or administrators?
I want to create a global rule to block all users from accessing certain websites. What should be selected as the source?
If I am using my identity provider to sync users into Timus, will new users created within Timus also backwards sync into my IdP?
I have several on-prem file shares and web servers that I need to have access to. Can I use your platform to enable remote access to them?
Are there any integrations available?

Q: What does Timus do?

Timus is a cloud-based network security platform developed to protect your MSP's and your clients’ local & cloud resources with zero trust policies.Timus helps companies orchestrate secure access regardless of location and device while protecting the network against cyberattacks. It also provides deep visibility into network activities and helps with compliance.Timus provides a Software Defined Perimeter with the following key building blocks:

Adaptive Cloud Firewall that tracks users everywhere
Dedicated Private Client Gateway with a Static IP
Secure Web Gateway with web and category filtering
Zero Trust Network Access with a rich set of behavior-based policies
Always-on, OS-agnostic agent (Timus Connect App)
DNS filter, and Dark Web Monitoring
Productivity Tracker
A multi-tenant Partner Portal to onboard and manage clients from a centralized single pane of glass

Q. How can we start with Timus?

See the Timus Quick Setup Guide

Q. What services could potentially Timus replace in my security stack?

VPN, Dark Web Monitoring, Activity/Productivity Tracker, DNS filtering, network level malware and category & content filtering via SWG. Timus also provides a cloud-based firewall that can be used in conjunction with or in lieu of an on-premise FW.

Q. How does the high-level Timus architecture for a Client look like?

Q. How does Timus help us against ransomware & phishing attacks?

Timus uses zero-trust secure remote access and least privilege principles before granting any access to the network and data to protect against hackers, criminals, and ransomware. Additionally, Timus uses a best-of-breed DNS filter (at the network level) protecting users from zero-day threats and malicious sites from wherever they may encounter it (any device, application, protocol or port). A user is protected against all of the below:

Malicious software including drop servers and compromised websites, including drive by downloads and adware
Fraudulent phishing websites that aim to trick users into handing over personal or financial information
Command and Control botnet hosts
Sites which serve files or host applications that force the web browser to mine cryptocurrency
Domains which have been registered in the last 30 days and in the last 24 hours
Parked sites & domains that may no longer be controlled by the original owner

Q. What intelligence services are utilized by Timus for better protection?

Timus uses best-in-class intelligence services for better protection. Intelligence data is used in firewall rules, ZTNA policies and logs. Some examples include:

IP address intelligence for users’ public IP addresses to see if they are part of abusive activities, a proxy or TOR network, a botnet, etc.
Geo-location intelligence for users’ location
Malware, ransomware, phishing and many other suspicious domains
Dark web monitoring for users’ and administrators’ email addresses daily to see if they are breached

Q. How does Timus ZTNA improve security?

The Timus solution is superior to traditional VPNs for secure remote access. User verification is hardened with behavioral and contextual analysis. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) can be deployed adaptively (ie. when signing in from a new device, new country, etc), improving user experience. Timus ZTNA can work with another IAM solution or standalone. Timus has one of the richest behavioral checks in the industry for Zero Trust Verification.

Q. What is the maximum number of firewall rules we can create on your platform?

There is no limit on the number of firewall rules that can be created.

Q. How many site-to-site tunnels can we create?

The number of gateways that you can create are dependent on your Timus plan, but the number of tunnels associated with the gateways are unlimited. You can build tunnels to as many sites as needed.

Q. Does Timus provide shared or dedicated gateways?

Timus provides dedicated gateways with static IP addresses. An MSP can whitelist the Static IP in SaaS applications for controlled access and security.

Q. Is there a limit on the amount of traffic passing through Timus gateway?

No, traffic passing through the gateway is not limited.

Q. Is there a limit on the bandwidth of traffic passing through Timus gateway?

Bandwidth through the gateway depends on your Timus plan. There are 500 mbps and 1000 mbps options.

Q. Can we create custom web categories and use them in firewall rules?

Yes. Timus has 30 pre-defined web categories with frequent website list updates that can be used in firewall rules to allow/deny access. You can also create custom categories with your own website lists and keywords. Timus also provides detailed web access logs at the user level.

Q. How long do you retain logs?

Depending on the pricing plan, we will retain logs for either 15 or 30 days.

Q. Do we still need to have an EDR solution if we use the Timus platform?

While Timus provides a suite of security services attached to our gateways, our domain is primarily in network security, with a very light-weight, OS agnostic agent installed on the device. Timus recommends that you maintain endpoint security in your stack in unison with our network security to provide a holistic protection of your customers’ devices and resources.

Q. How do we download Timus Connect agent?

Download links to Timus Connect application are available in the following places:

Inside Timus management portal manage.timusnetworks.com, Manager->Settings-> Downloads page. Admins can access here.
Inside my.timusnetworks.com user portal Downloads page. Users can access here with their Timus credentials
Inside Timus Networks web site timusnetworks.com, Resources page Documents & Downloads section.

Q. Which tunneling protocols are supported by the Timus Connect agent?

WireGuard and OpenVPN tunneling protocols are supported.

Q. How does split tunneling work?

The tunnel for secure connections can be configured to pass all user traffic, or just part of it, through the tunnel. Split tunnel configurations can be created in Manager->Settings-Tunnel Configuration page. Default configuration is all traffic passes through the tunnel. Timus Connect agent gets the tunnel configuration valid for the user and context, and passes traffic through the tunnel accordingly. This feature is currently available only for Windows and macOS releases of Timus Connect app.

Q. Can we manage Timus Connect agent settings centrally?

Yes. Agent profiles can be created in Timus Manager. Settings can be configured as only the admin can edit, or users can edit as well.

Q. How is the Timus Connect app updated?

When a new update is available, the Timus Connect application will automatically notify you that there is an update, along with a button to start the update wizard.

Q. I have to periodically send out reports to my CTO regarding network traffic and utilization. Can I use your platform for this?

We allow organizations to send out automated reports on a scheduled basis. These reports can be shared to whomever is required to view this information. All you need to do is provide their email address and the reports will automatically be sent out at a time of your choice.

Q. I work with healthcare providers and credit card companies. Are you HIPAA or PCI DSS compliant?

We are SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 compliant today, but, because we are not storing patient or consumer data, we do not need to be compliant as such. However, our platform can be used to enable compliance for our customers with our granular access and zero-trust controls.

Q. How many users are supported comfortably on your platform?

We can support about 100 users per gateway, depending on the traffic of the users. Of course, adding more than one gateway will optimize the experience and allow for more users. This will also further facilitate remote work as more gateways in more regions will minimize latency and increase available bandwidth.

Q. How can we reduce latency and have redundancy for gateway connections?

To reduce latency, you should have gateways close to your users as much as possible. Thus select the datacenter region accordingly while creating a site in Timus Manager.

You can have multiple gateways for redundancy. Users can be allowed to access all or some of the sites. Timus Connect agent can be configured to connect to the gateway that has the fastest round-trip time, which means the fastest gateway connection to the user.

Q. How are ZTNA policies prioritized?

Only one policy will be valid for each sign-in attempt, and that will be the most specific policy with respect to the source items selected.

Policies within Timus' Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) security framework are automatically prioritized from specific to general. More specific policies take precedence over general policies. The most specific policy with respect to the source items has the highest priority. For example, if there is a specific policy that denies access to a specific user and a general policy that allows access to all users, the specific policy will take precedence, and the specific user will be denied access.

Q. I only want to be alerted of mission-critical sign-ins. How can I limit what is blowing up my inbox?

When creating a user sign-in policy, select the Alerts and Notifications tab and select Notifications. You can select a higher severity for notifications, so that you are only notified when something our system has determined to be high-risk has occurred.

Q. Which MFA methods are supported?

MFA with an authenticator app like Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, Duo Mobile.
MFA with email. A one-time code is sent to the user's email address.

Q. How do we set MFA policies for users or administrators?

MFA policies are set within ZTNA policies, both for users and admins. MFA can be configured adaptively based on certain behaviors like new devices, new country, etc. If no behavior is selected, MFA is applied to all sign-in attempts.

Q. I want to create a global rule to block all users from accessing certain websites. What should be selected as the source?

Our dynamic firewall can be used in a couple of ways to create global rules.

The source can be set to IP: Wireguard Client Subnet or IP: OpenVPN Client Subnet.
A team can be created that includes all users within Timus and it can be used as the source.

Q. If I am using my identity provider to sync users into Timus, will new users created within Timus also backwards sync into my IdP?

Identity integrations use your chosen IdP as a single source of truth. For this reason, two-way syncing can become messy, especially if more than one IdP is added to the SDN. If you need to add a new user into your IdP, it is required that the user be added from the IdP. From there, the user will be synced to Timus.

Q. I have several on-prem file shares and web servers that I need to have access to. Can I use your platform to enable remote access to them?

By utilizing the firewall functionality with IPSec site-to-site tunneling to on-prem environments, you can enable granular remote access to your resources by connecting the edges of the two networks and forwarding RDP or SSH traffic to the relevant devices.

Q. Are there any integrations available?

User synchronization & SSO

Communications

Timus Quick Setup Guide

Timus is designed to be easy-to-deploy, easy-to-manage, and easy-to-consume. This guide explains how to quickly set up the system for a new customer and start using it.

Key Components for Setup

There are three key components for configuring the system for a customer.

Timus Partner Portal: Timus Partner Portal enables Timus partners to manage their customer accounts, customer subscriptions, and billing transactions easily. This multi-tenant and self-service portal is a single pane of glass for partners to onboard and manage their customers in a centralized fashion.
Timus Manager: Timus Manager is a cloud-based management console that allows you to configure and monitor the whole customer system in one place. This is where the configurations like end user accounts, firewall rules, zero-trust network access policies, gateway settings, and IPsec tunneling connectors are done. This management console also offers deep visibility into network activities and suspicious events through automated reports, effectively reducing human errors. With its intuitive user interface, Timus Manager is designed to be easy to use, even for non-experts.
Timus Connect Application: Timus Connect Application is a cross-platform client application that must be installed on end-user devices for zero-trust network access. The app takes all or part of the user traffic to the Timus gateway(s) dedicated to the customer through an encrypted tunnel. The app can intelligently select the fastest available gateway for connection. The end user does not need to make any configurations as the app settings and the software updates are automatically downloaded from the Timus servers.

A Timus Partner Portal account is created for a Timus partner after the required agreements are signed.

A Timus Manager account is created for a customer automatically after the partner creates a customer account in their partner portal.

For the end users to be able to use the Timus Connect application, their accounts must have been created inside the Timus Manager. When their accounts are created, end users get an email to activate their Timus accounts. When they activate their accounts, they get instructions on how to download the app.

Initial Steps Before the Setup

The following steps must be completed before configuring a new customer’s Timus system:

Timus partner creates a new customer account in their Timus partner portal account.
The customer’s contact person receives an email containing instructions on how to activate their Timus Manager administrator account and set a password. This is the Timus Manager account to which the customer’s contact person can log in as a super administrator.
After the customer activates their Timus Manager account, the partner assigns desired Timus subscriptions to the customer’s account from their partner portal account.
Once the steps above are completed as described it is time to go into Timus Manager and start configuring the system for the customer. There are two ways to log in to Timus Manager for the new customer:
1. With the customer’s super admin account that they activated and set a password.
2. With the single sign-on feature through the partner portal.

Configuring the System in Timus Manager

When you log in to Timus Manager for the first time, you will be greeted with a welcome screen. Simply click the "Let's Get Started" button to continue, and you will see the dashboard screen with the quick setup guide pop-up window activated.

If you encounter a red warning text at the top of the screen that starts with "You have no active subscriptions..." after logging in, this indicates that a Subscription has not been added to your account and has not been activated by your managed service provider.

Please contact your managed service provider for assistance.

Steps of A Typical Setup in Manager

Step 1: Invite Users

Timus is a user and identity-oriented security platform. Inviting users is the initial step of the setup. Create users to let them start using Timus.

Step 2: Create Sites for Secure Connections

Create sites to screen user traffic and securely connect users to the internet.

An internet-connected gateway is created for the customer in the selected data center region. Timus Connect application will take all or part of the user traffic to this gateway through an encrypted tunnel.

The number of sites that can be created depends on the subscriptions, so you will get a warning if your subscription must be extended to create a new site.

Step 3: Add Firewall Rules

Create firewall rules to grant least privileged access to your company resources. You can restrict access to certain resources or websites through firewall rules.

Step 4: Define Zero Trust Sign-In Policies

Timus ZTNA policies allow you to remove implicit trust, and restrict access to your network based on user and device context and behaviors. Verify users with adaptive multi-factor authentication and behavior-based risk analysis according to Zero Trust Security policies.

Step 5: Enable Integrations

You can create efficient business processes by using the integrations of Timus platform. For example, to integrate an Identity Provider with Timus, go to the Settings > Integrations page on the left menu.

Click on the below link to get a list of Identity Providers, Endpoint Protection Platforms, Notifications, Data Synchronization and Billing Integration system you can integrate with your Timus network using Timus Manager:

TIMUS SASE INTEGRATIONS

Step 6: Create Roles and Admins

Create new administrators and define their roles to have least privileged access to your system’s management console.

Monitor the Audit Logs of your Timus Manager administrators on the Settings>Administrators>Audit Logs page.

Step 7: Create Automated Reports

Create automated reports to gain comprehensive insight and analysis. These reports can be accessed on-demand or can be scheduled and sent to any desired recipients through email.

Note that in order to make the configurations mentioned above, your Timus Manager admin account must have the required permissions for those tasks. You can check administrator roles in Settings > Administrators > Roles & Permissions page.

While completing the steps for the initial setup, please also refer to our Technical FAQ for more details.

Common MSP Use Cases

Timus Networks addresses the security needs while adding value for MSPs via our best in class ZTNA platform.