Moving your Network Security to the next level

Introduction

The traditional network security architecture is no longer adequate in the face of today's digital challenges. Enterprises must move to a more modern approach that considers the distributed nature of the workforce and the cloud. Let's examine four challenges confronting CISOs today and what strategies to adopt to take your network security to the next level.

Adopt a defence-in-depth approach

Security is a critical concern for any organisation. With the hybrid workforce needing unhindered access to the web, the cloud, and the data centre, it is more important than ever to adopt a defence-in-depth approach that can protect against different threat vectors, irrespective of their origin. Security coverage across different layers makes it much more difficult for attackers to access sensitive data or systems. In addition, defence in depth can help organisations reduce the impact of any successful attack and provide a better chance of recovering from an incident.

Move security to the cloud and closer to the edge

Moving security to the cloud is crucial to providing a good user experience. Backhauling security data to the data centre for inspection slows down network performance and results in a poor user experience. Employees may try bypassing security controls to avoid this, putting themselves and their company at significant risk. To have a secure network and happy employees, it is essential to move security capabilities to the cloud closer to the end user. 

By inspecting data at the edge, cloud-native security provides the same level of protection as traditional systems without requiring time-consuming data transfers for inspection. This way, enterprises can create an effortless experience for their workers while maintaining a high level of security. Cloud-native security solutions offer several other advantages over traditional security solutions. First, they can be deployed more quickly and easily. And second, they can scale more rapidly to meet the needs of a growing organisation.

Also read: What is Cloud Security (and how to secure your data on the cloud)

Integrate network security controls

When it comes to protecting an organisation's network from threats, an integrated approach is essential. Integrating different network security tools into the IT environment can help protect an organisation from the edge of the network to the core. Consolidating security functions into a single platform simplifies management and reduces costs. In addition, integrated network security provides better visibility and control over the entire network, making identifying and mitigating threats easier.

Think zero trust

Organisations should consider adopting a zero-trust approach to their network security. Adopting zero-trust can block attackers at every point in the attack chain. For example, if the attackers have found a way around user authentication, their devices won't be allowed access because they also need to be verified separately. Zero Trust also ensures that bad actors wouldn't get unfettered access to an organisation's IT systems, so they cannot move laterally. Furthermore, if a breach occurs, unpermitted access would be confined to the permissions scope of the hacked user, device, or network with the Zero Trust security architecture in place.

Conclusion

There are many benefits to moving security to the cloud and adopting a zero-trust approach. These include simplified management, reduced costs, better visibility and control, and improved user experience. The ideal next-generation network security solution should be able to safeguard both on-premises and remote users and data in hybrid environments. It should also be easy to deploy and manage, with a single pane of glass for visibility and control. Lastly, it should be scalable to meet the needs of today's businesses.

Read our whitepaper – Delivering Integrated Network Security from the Edge, to know more.