(Or, why the network matters for security).
Without brakes, how good your engine is doesn’t matter. I remember having this explained to me once and it was like a lightbulb moment. Of course it makes sense because if you can’t stop safely you’re going to race out of control and crash. Or fall off a cliff – off the edge if you like.
It’s an analogy that really can be translated to digital transformation. You can do the most amazing things, but if you don’t have the right security in place then the potential for disaster is high. Like putting the brakes from a Mini on an F1 car – they just won’t do the job well enough. That’s why when a petrol-head uprates his engine, he uprates the brakes at the same time.
It’s exactly the same for businesses and organisations that are digitally transforming. You need the right brakes, or security. So that all the amazing things that you are making possible, have the right checks and balances to ensure a security breach doesn’t screw it all up.
I saw a recent quote that on average companies have 32 different security technologies deployed to keep their network and data secure. And it’s growing.
Quite a lot those security products that we all use, and which do a great job, focus on the perimeter. On stopping a security threat getting to door. And all that security at the perimeter, that is important. But what is the backup plan if that fails? Do you have one?
The next line of defence is the network. And that’s where Cisco Digital Network Architecture (DNA) offers you a value add that, in my opinion, is possibly the most valuable of all. It makes the network part of your security, so you don’t just rely on the perimeter. Hopefully you’ll never need it. But that one time – you’ll be really glad it was there as part of your defences.
How does it work?
Your network has deep and broad visibility into devices, traffic patterns, and behaviour. But unharnessed that’s just a mass of big data. But what if you could tap into that? Then you can start to see the unexpected. And the unexpected could be a security breach. Once your network has seen that potential threat, well imagine if the network could also apply the brakes for you by deploying policies quickly and effectively that will stop that unexpected activity in its tracks. So even when attackers get in, their access is limited and blocked before it causes more, and potentially business-threatening damage.
It doesn’t stop there. All the information gathered during that thwarted attack. It can be used to improve the first line of defence. Neat.
The network has the potential to do this, but not every network can do it. By choosing Cisco for your network you can harness this potential to use the network as a sensor, enforcer and mitigation accelerator. It’s one of the key pillars of the Cisco DNA. The foundation to future-proof your network for the digital transformation that’s happening now.
So you’re not just buying an access point. Use it to its full potential and you’re buying an extra layer of your security defence at the same time.
Cool huh?
Curious to know more?
Then why not check out Justin Woolens Network as an Enforcer Podcast, where he’s joined by security gurus Mark Jackson and Oli Wong to talk about how network security policy enforcement can be a fundamental part of an overall IT security strategy. Or if you want to explore how you could harness the power of network security for your organisation get in touch here.
There’s never been a better time to put security at the heart of your network.
With Cisco you can.
Authors
