Mission critical, high availability, high performance security. There is a constant pressure especially in a high transactional system to be always up and always fast. This is especially true of organizations undergoing a rapid expansion, particularly as companies find themselves operating with multiple locations all around the globe. While having a lightning fast network is critical to run operations it also has a number of serious implications regarding security. It's important to remember some very basic rules: a network that is available 100% of the time is potentially vulnerable 100% of the time.

 

Rule #1:  Set Policy

Understanding usage procedures and setting forth policy regarding security measures is critical to success.  Your security team needs to be on the same page to set and enforce security practices that will protect your network. Begin by creating usage policy statements that outline users' roles and responsibilities including a general security policy that covers all network systems and data within your company. Partner and administrator acceptable use statements should be created to explain the procedures for user account administration, policy enforcement, and privilege review.

Rule #2: Encryption

Encryption is a method that essentially "scrambles" data as it moves back and forth from one network destination to another. Even if someone with malicious intentions were to tap into a particular network to access data, it would largely be worthless without the appropriate encryption keys which are used to "decode" that data and make it readable again. It important to note that encryption is a necessary layer of security but encryption alone is not enough to protect your data.  Encryption is only as strong as the encryption algorithms, hash functions, and authentication methods used. If the data is valuable enough, smart hackers will find a way to break the code. 

Rule # 3:  Govern Removable Media

Even if your network is deemed secure, some of the devices that are connected to it may not be. You can take countless steps to make sure that nobody can access your network without the proper credentials. What happens, though, if an employee connects a USB flash drive with malware on it to a computer that is already connected to that network? The answer is that you have the potential for a massive data breach on your hands.  As a result, you need to implement a removable media policy at your organization across the board. Completely disband the use of USB flash drives, external hard drives, writable CDs and DVDs and more. Doing so will help make sure that even employees with the best of intentions can't accidentally compromise your business integrity in any way, shape or form.

Rule #4 Defense in Depth

Protecting and defending your network requires a defense in depth strategy.  No one security product will protect the entire network.  Begin with a risk analysis to determine priorities as to which areas are low, medium or high risk.  Once you've assigned a risk level, identify the types of users of that system and what level of privileges should be assigned.  Next, determine what level of protections are needed and select security products to implement according to those priority areas.  Upgrading to a Next Generation Firewall, establishing monitoring of systems and evaluating endpoint security should all be under consideration.

Work with a Trusted Partner

It's important to work with a trusted partner that you can depend on and who understands your unique high performance security requirements. Resilient is a systems integrator who works with best in class technology like Fortinet and provides the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you are working with the most knowledgeable experts in network security.