We’re really glad you found us! Getting started with Kolide is easy and this guide will walk you through some configuration options and best practices.

The most successful teams implement Kolide with their company culture in mind. Why does this matter? Because, if we’re being honest, changing workplace culture can be the most challenging part of rolling out any tool.

Kolide is an endpoint security solution that messages personalized security recommendations to end-users via Slack. As of today, Kolide is the only endpoint solution that takes the protection of individual employee privacy in mind.

Kolide believes that Honest Security, transparency, and trust are the best (and really, the only effective) way of building true security into a company’s infrastructure. Kolide does this by interfacing directly with end-users, surfacing in the Privacy Center precisely what and how device data is collected, and who has access to it.

We’re so glad you asked. A quick summary is that Honest Security is a guide to endpoint security and device management that doesn't erode a company's values. It was written by Kolide’s founder, Jason Meller, and serves as the guiding principles that we aspire to follow in our product. You can read more about Honest Security and why it matters here: https://honest.security/

As you start to think through implementing Kolide, this guide can assist in ensuring that your Kolide rollout is successful for the long term. As every project manager will tell you: spending a few extra minutes planning at the beginning of a project will save you time later.

When rolling out an initiative like Kolide, it’s best to approach implementation like a project manager (just what you needed - one more hat!). As project manager, your number one job is communication; and, to communicate effectively, you must plan how to manage and execute change.

The five stages of project management are:

Each stage is characterized by specific actions or milestones that the project manager needs to accomplish in order to move into the next stage.

While this guide won’t walk you through each stage, we have provided a planning worksheet to help you in building an effective plan.

What does success look like right now? What about next year?

Are you working toward a security event? If yes, what’s the timeline?

What is your company culture like today?

How does your team use Slack?

How is company culture changing or evolving?

Are there aspects of your company’s current approach to security that you would like to see handled differently?

What would be required to move the team from where you are to where you’d like to get?

How are new tools usually introduced and rolled out across the company?

What resources do you have available to you in the communication and implementation processes for a new tool?

What are people going to want to know about Kolide before getting started?

What does your implementation timeline look like?

Are there other projects happening that may impact this timeline? If so, what can you do to mitigate the potential impact on resources and attention?

What’s your “Why” in choosing Kolide?

Create an implementation timeline using the following important moments – but be sure to add or subtract steps as needed based on your team and company:

Lastly, use this information to build the plan that will take you from where your organization is today to where you need to get in order to accomplish your objectives.

Now that you have a plan, take a moment to identify potential risks to a successful rollout. In this case, a risk is defined as anything that could result in your project being slowed down or halted indefinitely. Write each one down, score them based on how likely they are to occur, and then ask a trusted colleague to help you brainstorm any other potential risks that you may have missed. When you’re finished, your list will probably include around 20 - 30 items and might read something like:

Disclaimer: all of the above bullets were randomly generated. Your risks will be different!

Once you have finished creating a comprehensive list of risks, rank them in order of likelihood. Lastly, take a few minutes to identify potential solutions to the risks you’ve outlined. You don’t need to identify a potential solution to every risk – instead, determine your cutoff and stop when you reach it. We recommend focusing on risks scored at or more than 70% likely or, more likely than unlikely.

Before you begin the execution stage of the project timeline, however, you need to first review your Kolide configuration and ensure that the current settings meet the needs of your organization.

Step One: Planning Your Initiative http://help.kolide.com/en/articles/6672609-getting-started-guide-planning-your-initiative

Step Two: Configuring Kolide http://help.kolide.com/en/articles/6672642-getting-started-guide-configuring-kolide

Step Three: Rolling Out Kolide http://help.kolide.com/en/articles/6672665-getting-started-guide-rolling-out-kolide

Bonus: Admin FAQ http://help.kolide.com/en/articles/2981407-kolide-faq