FEATURE : NETWORK SECURITY
– an effective strategy with every organisation across multiple industries . Pasha said when building a cyber resilient strategy , it is important to build trust with customers , partners and the whole supply chain . “ The integrity of any organisation ’ s cyber posture serves as a competitive advantage and ensures that the company involved is not just protecting the business but empowering it ,” he said Emad Fahmy , Systems Engineering Manager , Middle East , NETSCOUT , said network security and integrity have become key topics within the enterprise segment as companies would instead safeguard their networks against potential risks rather than clean up the damage afterward .
Maher Jadallah , Senior Director MENA , Tenable
“ CIOs and their IT teams must emphasise robust cybersecurity best practices to design a secure network . The best practices include educating users on proper cybersecurity hygiene and employing network and endpoint cybersecurity protection solutions to detect malware , anomalous activity or indicators of compromise ,” he said . “ These solutions and cyber hygiene practices must not be limited to the office space only . The new normal is inclusive of hybrid and remote working policies , thus leaving the network at more significant risk .”
According to Fahmy , companies must also prioritise the use of reliable DDoS mitigation methods . “ Given that network security is an umbrella term that includes various subsections , there are four common challenges that CIOs run into when designing their network security , including the increasing sophistication of cyberthreat tools and the gap in knowledge faced by IT teams of the looming threats and needed solutions ,” he said . “ This is combined with a second challenge ; the complexity of network security technology , as there is a need for an increasing number of tools to fight off the different threats . Another challenge is the expanding attack surface . The increase in Internet of Things ( IoT ) devices connecting to unsafe networks and cloud applications have led to a more vulnerable environment to protect . Finally , poorly designed network security has been attributed to the ongoing cybersecurity skills shortage as the scope and complexity of the required measures overwhelms the understaffed department .”
For CIOs to select the best tools in the market , they must keep in mind a few key factors affecting their decision , including the optimisation of the security solution , its efficiency , the level of visibility provided , and the professional services assistance offered by the service provider .
Maher Jadallah , Senior Director Middle East and North Africa ( MENA ), Tenable , said the pandemic opened the door for multiple forms of attack as organisations ’ attack surfaces expanded far beyond office walls , to home office networks , personal devices , the cloud and third-party partners . The result said Jadallah is that shared corporate networks are more vulnerable than ever and can be accessed easily with only one connected device being compromised .
“ Now , companies need to make foundational investments to ensure long-term protection from bad actors . Shortcuts and addressing individual problems will not stand a chance against growing and evolving cyberthreats , but businesses can stay ahead of the cyberattack curve by investing and sustaining cyber solutions ,” he said .
He explained that organisations need to be able to determine what vulnerabilities exist within their entire infrastructure – both IT and OT , affecting which assets . “ In addition , they need to be able to prioritise the vulnerabilities that pose a real , versus theoretical risk – so those that are being actively exploited . This intelligence allows them to focus efforts on those vulnerabilities that matter and fix these first . When we think of traditional network security , the premise is to fortify the perimeter . The aim is to prevent threats outside of the network from getting in . The downside is that , once users or bad actors clear the perimeter , they
CIOS WHEN DESIGNING THEIR NETWORK SECURITY
AT TIMES DO NOT FOLLOW BEST PRACTICE
STANDARD TO SECURE THE ENVIRONMENT
SUCH AS NIST , CIS , ISO AMONGST MANY .
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