When it comes to enterprise security, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Most likely, it’s the trusty old firewall. However, the truth of the matter is that your firewall isn’t pulling its weight. A firewall alone simply isn’t enough protection against today’s cyber-threats.
That doesn’t mean you should ditch your firewall, though – it’s part of a larger plan. Read on to learn how to develop a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy.
What Is Your Firewall Doing, Anyway?
Many network administrators put a firewall in place because they believe it’s important to have an appliance at a network gateway so that it can block threats. They assume that the firewall will do that job.
In reality, firewalls face some shortcomings. Firewalls operate on the basis of predetermined rules. That isn’t a problem until you realize that it’s not that difficult to outsmart a firewall. Once you figure out what the rules are, you can circumvent them; in fact, phishing, ransomware, and botnets are just three examples of threats developed to get around firewalls.
Moreover, your firewall can’t predict what threats are coming down the pipeline. It’s a reactive system, not a proactive system. And if you haven’t set the right rules, your firewall can’t block the latest threats because it doesn’t know to defend against them.
How Can You Really Protect Your Systems, Then?
A firewall alone isn’t the answer. It needs to work in concert with other solutions to provide comprehensive protection for your systems.
Additionally, the firewalls of yesteryear aren’t doing enough to defend against threats. Next-generation firewalls allow you to block applications that run over the same port and may try to bypass the firewall. For example, Palo Alto Networks’ next-generation firewalls give you total visibility into your endpoints for advanced protection.
Network administrators need tools to help them determine which traffic is dangerous and which isn’t. Having analytics capabilities give administrators insight into what risks might be lurking on your networks. Arista’s Software-Driven Cloud Networking leverages real-time network state data and analytics to automate the provisioning of security policy and the auditing of operational compliance.
Additionally, industry experts recommend incorporating AI technologies into your digital security strategy. AI uses previously gathered information to make choices about what to do next. Aruba ClearPass utilizes AI to manage and control access for mobile and IoT, on any vendors’ wired or wireless network.
The ability to detect zero-day threats, that is to say, threats that have just emerged is also crucial. Legacy firewalls don’t have that capacity. Tools from Check Point can prevent zero-day attacks through threat emulation and threat extraction.
Every year, the threat landscape grows more and more complex. The digital risks we faced ten years ago almost seem like fond memories when you contemplate what can bring down systems today. As such, the enterprise must improve its approach to defending itself; that means using up-to-date tools and methods.
Aquila is ready to secure your systems. Please contact us for more details on how we can help.
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