Security Articles

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More and more companies are allowing ever-increasing amounts of data to traverse the edge of their corporate network as they increase integration, accept mobile, allow IoT and end-user devices, create flexible, responsive WAN and cloud connections, and support distributed processing. But as they allow additional devices access to their networks, add applications, and increase cloud computing, more data is routing through the edge and security becomes increasingly important because numerous endpoints also increase vulnerability to malicious attack.

Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly common, and companies of all sizes and across all industries can no longer think “it will never happen to us.” Traditional security products are no longer adequate and will not provide protection in this rapidly changing environment, so it is important to use solutions that continually evolve to address the latest threats. To battle today’s risks and protect your edge, you need more comprehensive managed service solutions.

Firewalls can stop some attacks from penetrating the edge, but a layer 3 firewall no longer offers enough protection. Deep packet inspection to layer 7 is needed and censoring the network with a layered defense is vital to overall security. Solutions must be implemented that address multiple types of threats and provide insight into the payload of the packet with controls that can identify, manage, and mitigate the risks. They must also be able to report on the health of your network continually.

Protection begins at the edge. The combination of a larger attack surface, and the access to multiple connected end-devices advances the need to provide protection, detection, reporting, and recoverability. To battle today’s risks and protect your edge, you need more comprehensive managed service solutions:

A visible layered security model. Physical and cloud-based security that can be managed, and has secured connections that allow applications and data the ability to be inspected.

Advanced malware protection that has access to a database of continually updated known threats. As packets come into the edge, it compares the data with known bad data from a library of regularly updated issues.

Intrusion protection system that lives on the edge device and looks at all packets and passes or blocks them based on their behavior. This control can throttle to be looser or tighter based on risk tolerance.

URL filtering blocks suspected traffic to unwanted Internet sites. Controls can be specific, or by categories of certain websites (i.e., gambling sites) that you don't want people to access.

VPN tunnels encrypt data as it leaves your network and doesn’t decrypt it until it reaches its destination. These tunnels between sites (or between your site and an employee’s remote computer) help to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of data as it moves across the Internet.

Visibility & reporting enable you to go to a portal and see how your edge device is performing, bandwidth utilization, top users, and other relevant statistics. You can also have periodic reports created and automatically sent to you so that you stay current on your network’s performance, sites accessed, etc.

Cloud Computing, distributed computing, and the Internet of Things will continue to evolve and push your edge devices to their limits. Likewise, hackers will continue to develop new and innovative methods to infiltrate networks and computers. So, businesses of all sizes and in all industries must understand the limits of legacy equipment and the insufficiency of a one-size-fits-all security model to protect their business in the evolving security environment.

Today’s networks need to have multiple layers of correctly designed security, and a robust edge-security solution is one of the most critical components of any company’s network. Just like the moat and drawbridge have been surpassed by advanced technology, basic firewalls no longer provide the requisite level of protection. To maintain a successful security profile, companies must implement advanced edge-security solutions, and Lightpath is ready to help.