Technology is supposed to make things simpler. Changing IT solutions and a terrifying threat landscape have created a rush of new products and services. The complexity of Network security has increased 10-fold over the past few years. IT professionals are hurrying to keep up, understand what’s relevant and implement needed solutions with the moving target of network security.
Honestly, it’s getting hard to keep track. The list of solutions needed to protect clients with various needs keeps growing. The needs are still evolving. Business owners need to work to keep up, or they could be hit with costly breaches and downtime.
Firewalls – Perimeter Protection is Changing
Firewalls historically have given perimeter protection to business networks, and everyone inside the network benefited. One of the huge challenges that IT providers have faced over the last few years is the migration of computers outside the network.
Remote work is the norm for many organizations. Firewalls that they invested time and money into have been rendered largely useless as users have taken their laptops home. Where the focus used to be on protecting network perimeter, IT must now change focus and think more deeply about how to protect the endpoint.
Many organizations that have adopted a hybrid model are forced to look at solutions for not only the business network and resources there, but also protections for endpoints outside the network and cloud solutions.
Where is the Perimeter Now?
With users moving out of the office and many connecting back to the corporate network to access resources that are still on premise, where is today’s perimeter? IT must abandon this way of thinking about IT security in favor of something that can secure data where it lives today. This means examining how to better secure endpoints themselves, and the cloud solutions data is being migrated to.
Endpoints
With added emphasis on securing the endpoints themselves IT has been looking for new solutions. EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) of various flavors has been introduced. This is the next big thing in antivirus and malware protection, and offers better protection than most traditional AV.
MFA (Multi Factor Authentication) has become a big thing as well. IT departments all over the world are leveraging it to secure both endpoints, and the connections back to any data that is still on premise. Many cloud based applications have built MFA in as a feature as well which allows for better security for that data as well.
DNS Web filtering is another solution many IT departments have been using to enhance endpoint protection. This lives on the device and offers protection whether inside or outside the office.
Conclusion
IT must change the way it thinks about security and align their efforts with modern organizational style. The days of perimeter protection alone are gone. This can increase the complexity of your security needs as a business, however if you don’t evolve, you’re likely at risk.
The experts at i.t.NOW are ready to help make the complex simple. We have all the solutions your business needs to stay safe no matter where your data lives in today’s world. We can consult on your specific situation and design a security solution that is well suited to keep you safe. Call us today.
