The proliferation of devices requesting access to the network, driven largely by the adoption of BYOD policies and utilization of IoT devices, has forced network security teams to be more diligent about setting and enforcing effective access control policies.
Despite best efforts, attempts to address this evolving problem are akin to putting a finger in the dike — rogue devices inevitably slip through the cracks, leaving corporate networks vulnerable to ransomware and countless other cyber threats.
What’s more, network complexity complicates the issue. Today, networks consist of an ever-increasing number of WANs, LANs, VLANS, SD-WANs, MPLS, VPNs, employees’ homes, coffee shops, hotels, airports — wherever authorized devices can connect to gain access to company resources. As if the industry needed another acronym — some are calling it Bring Your Own Network (BYON). Regardless of how we define the trend, access to everything (from everywhere) has changed the security dynamic.
The impact on corporate bottom lines is tangible. The risks and costs associated with network breaches are growing larger by the year. It seems as if every day a new Fortune 500 company is reporting a costly cyber attack. Data breaches from January through September 30, 2021 (9 months), exceeded the total number of events in the entire year of 2020 by 17 percent (1,291 breaches in 2021 compared to 1,108 breaches in 2020). Adding to the challenge, threat actors are becoming more sophisticated and prevalent, leaving organizations on their heels fighting to catch-up.
To make matters worse, most of the available security solutions and toolkits to combat these interconnected problems are insufficient. Legacy on-premise network security software is often too complex to deploy and maintain, especially as IT teams struggle with staffing shortages,skillset gaps and budget constraints. This is especially true for mid-size companies that are particularly time- and budget conscious and resource constrained.
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Rethinking Network Security
