Do you really have eyes on all your endpoints?
The move towards Hybrid Cloud infrastructures - with on-premise solutions systems connected to Public and Private Clouds to maximise the benefits of each solution - has been in progress for a number of years now. Indeed, in 2019 it was reported that 69% of organisations were already utilising some form of Hybrid Cloud solution1. Since then, the move towards a distributed workforce in response to COVID-19 has accelerated this process, with 82% of organisations reporting that they have accelerated their Cloud adoption strategies as a result of the pandemic2.
Preparing for a post-COVID world
However, just as organisations are now establishing how to best manage a distributed workforce, they are also learning how to optimise and secure an increasingly dispersed infrastructure. One of the longstanding arguments for on-premise infrastructure is that it provides organisations with maximum control over their physical and virtual security perimeters. The Cloud as a whole has evolved exponentially in response to these concerns, offering improved standards of security, compliance, reversibility and cost control, that are suitable for enterprise-level organisations.
However, visibility remains an ongoing concern. It's essential that organisations not only have visibility of all their endpoints - both on premise and in the Cloud - but that they can also translate the data they generate into actionable insights that streamline effectively, to enhance security and compliance. This becomes more challenging when endpoints are split between physical and Cloud-based infrastructure, to the extent internal IT teams may not even be aware of all the endpoints that must be monitored. This challenge is compounded by the move towards the widespread application of Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) in order to combat the current rise in fraud and identity theft triggered by the increase in online transactions caused by COVID-193.
A new approach to monitoring for a new way of working
When considering any tools to monitor your infrastructure, there are several elements to consider…
- Make sure you are monitoring your whole infrastructure. It is essential to get a clear picture of where the potential weaknesses are in your network. A full risk assessment carried out by a credible cybersecurity professional is ideal for this, as it will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of your network's security posture, that will then help to develop a clear plan of action.
- Make security part of your company culture. Once a robust cyber security policy is in place, all employees must play their part in enforcing it, both in the office and when remote working. This means good security practices must be part of their working routine, supported by a secure, consistent connection into the corporate network.
- Secure user authentication across all channels. An omnichannel user authentication solution is essential for both customer and remote workers. Too many legacy authentication systems are limited in terms of the channels they cover and are frequently difficult to update. The boost in customer trust and data security will more than justify the initial investment.
- All threat intelligence must be logged. This is a compliance requirement, but it will also provide numerous opportunities to anticipate future threats and ensure any vulnerabilities can be swiftly identified and resolved. If the process can be automated and supported with effective analytics tools, so much the better.
- Reconsider the way you look at your security perimeter. As we touched on above, the concept of a physical security perimeter is becoming increasingly redundant for many organisations, which means all endpoints should be monitored through a single, centralised interface, allowing you to keep your eyes on the Cloud, as well as your physical infrastructure.
Exponential-e's Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) was created with these principles in mind, combining continuous threat intelligence and cutting-edge AI with a toolbox of carefully selected analytics tools to ensure the data generated by your endpoints is automatically captured, securely stored and correctly translated into tailored reporting to help strengthen your overall security posture. Working with our security experts, your internal IT teams can enjoy complete visibility of your entire infrastructure, with minimal demands on their time. In our next webinar, on 29th September 2020 our cyber security experts will be delving into these challenges in greater depth, whilst considering the processes and technology needed to achieve optimal network security, and explaining the different ways in which our CSOC helps you put them into practice. Find out more.
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