How Covid Overbuild Left You Vulnerable
Due to the pandemic, companies had to adapt to many changes in different ways. At first, many workers moved from the company office to a home office. These put additional strain on the network, so some changes were needed. Some companies chose to add links for better remote access to corporate servers. Another option could have been to move some applications to cloud resources.
Just when the pandemic seemed to rush without warning, the "go home and stay home" measure was immediately put in place to protect the rest of the population. Therefore, over the past year, networks have evolved in many ways to accommodate the expanded requirements of work from home that have brought new challenges to network security strategies.
Post-Vaccine World
Broad vaccinations allowed the beginning of a return to more normal business activity, demanding another change on the network links. As workers return to the office, a portion of the newly added network capacity is now under-utilized. This under-utilized capacity might be thought of now as future capacity. Just leave it alone and we will soon grow into it. This strategy makes some sense as many companies are seeing demand surges and robust post-shut-down growth. However, the question that needs to be asked, is, “Are these under-utilized links and resources getting the same attention as the high traffic links?”
By attention, we mean budget, tools, monitoring, and visibility. Are the same security tools protecting remote links such as inter-branch or specialty cloud links as primary links? Are traffic monitoring reports being generated throughout the network at the same frequency for all links? Are all links given the same attention? This all begs the critical question of why pay such attention to the hinterlands of the network particularly when they are now seldom utilized?
A Hidden Path to HQ
Government diplomats have a saying, “Trust but Verify”. It makes sense on the surface but actually means “do not trust”. So, more accurately, “Zero Trust” is the strategy. Under-utilized links may provide a clear track to corporate resources for hackers. Neglected segments of the network, where security updates may not be current, are critical targets for cybercrime.
For example, in July, a Russian-backed ransomware group, REvil, targeted a vulnerability in a Kaseya remote computer management tool to launch an attack on over 2000 organizations around the world. These attacks are profitable and will continue into 2022. Organizations need to invest in cybersecurity tools and training throughout their network. According to the US National Security Alliance, 60% of small businesses go out of business within six months of a cyber attack.
New Security Ideas for the New Year
Network Critical, global visibility and security innovator, has recently introduced some unique innovations that can help companies secure all network links without breaking the bank. Below are two interesting concepts to help with your cybersecurity and your budget.
INVIKTUS - Hackers can not access what they can not see. INVIKTUS is invisible to the network. There is no MAC or IP address. It is suitable for any network operating at speeds up to 400Gbps. You can set access policies for each protocol through easily customizable filters. Once rules and policies are confirmed, the device can be locked and left to run with little ongoing maintenance saving both CAPEX and OPEX. INVIKTUS is scalable and adds zero latency to the network.
GRE - Specialized cybersecurity tools can be very expensive. Deploying all the necessary tools directly on every link can easily break the budget. However, businesses that are not deploying the necessary protection on every link can suffer consequences that may threaten the very sustainability of the organization. GRE is not a product. Rather, it is a tunneling feature of the SmartNA-XL Hybrid TAP/PacketBroker. Connecting security tools with the SmartNA-XL, allows businesses to provide multiple link protection from a single tool connected to a central location. This deployment can allow up to 4:1 link to tool utilization throughout the network, even at geographically remote sites, providing dramatic CAPEX and OPEX savings.
As we bid farewell to 2021 and the many challenges we have endured throughout the year, we can look forward to 2022 with hope and optimism. New vaccines are saving lives and protecting our health. New cybersecurity innovations are helping protect our businesses and networks from the international scourge of cybercrime.
For more information on these and other monitoring and cyber security tools, go to www.networkcritical.com/contact-us. Finally, to our many loyal customers, our new customers and our prospective customers…HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022!
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