IT Security Solutions
In extremely simple terms, IT security solutions keep cyber attackers out of your network, thus preventing access to sensitive data.
We keep hearing about large scale data breaches and how these breaches have compromised critical Personally Identifiable Information (PII), which in turn has led to companies impacted with data breaches scrambling to identify how it happened, ascertaining the nature of data stolen and the extent of the data breach (number of impacted customers), working out their civil and legal liabilities and the costs incurred.
IT security solutions prevent cyber attackers get unauthorized access to an organization’s computers, network and data. The core purpose of IT security solutions is to maintain the confidentiality, integrity and availability of an organization’s IT systems and data. An organization must protect its networks and end user devices from various cyber threats including malware, advanced malware like ransomware, phishing attacks, identity thefts and more. IT Security solutions, help reinforce the cyber security infrastructure of an organization irrespective of their size, scale or scope.
Cyber Security vs. Information Security
These two terms are used synonymously but there is a thin line of difference between the two. Information basically means data that has meaning and which is critical for an organization; this can include sensitive company information and PII. Information security, as the name suggests, involves protecting this information and keeping it confidential.
Cyber security on the other hand involves protecting all systems, frameworks and processes that come under Information Communication Technology (ICT). This means, it protects also those systems that handle critical data, which by extension means they can also protect information.
Network Security Solutions such as Firewall and UTM
Network Security protects the integrity and usability of your network and data thereby facilitating business continuity and increasing employee productivity. Network security makes sure that threats used by cyber attackers do not enter or spread on your network. It also manages and controls access to an organization’s network.
There are two security solutions that help business’s protect their network:
Next Generation Firewalls: This can either be hardware, software or a cloud-based network security system that brings together the capabilities of traditional firewalls and also goes many steps ahead to offer newer and more advanced capabilities. These capabilities include, packet filtering, URL Blocking, VPNs, Quality of Service (QoS), Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), Deep-Packet Inspection, Application Control and more. Its job is to enforce security policies at the network that identify and block sophisticated cyber-attacks, thus preventing threats from exploiting any network vulnerability.
UTM: UTM stands for Unified Threat Management and it combines multiple features to protect users and networks. It protects an organization’s network from malware, viruses and more and prevents attacks by stopping them at the network gateway. It stops access to malicious websites and offers a range of security functions that protect an organization from threats leveled at the network.
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
This is not just one security tool but a collection of tools and security solutions that together are used to detect, investigate and mitigate suspicious activities and/or issues (with the potential to result in a cyber-attack) on the organization’s end user devices. One can either pick from the wide array of EDR tools available or those whose core focus area is endpoint detection and response.
So why should organizations deploy EDR? The reason is the rise of advanced persistent threats and customized targeted malware and the inability of traditional signature-based antivirus solutions to detect these threats and malware. EDR solutions can add an extra layer of security over and above the signature based-technologies deployed by organizations, and offer granular visibility into endpoint data. This helps detect and mitigate advanced threats, limit data loss, and reduce the risk of data breaches that happens because of cyber attackers exploiting vulnerabilities on the endpoint.
Managed Detection and Response Services (MDR)
If you are an organization that doesn’t have the resources to invest in security solutions that improve your ability to detect and respond to threats, Managed Detection and Response Services or MDR will help you out. Irrespective of the provider you choose to work with for MDR, you will get the following benefits:
- Ability to detect sophisticated threats.
- You will work with a provider who deploys a set of tools and technologies (typically host and network-based solutions) on your premises and it is the provider who will manage and monitor these tools for you.
- MDR protects internet gateways and is able to detect those threats that would otherwise be undetected by traditional perimeter security tools.
- Organizations also get the benefit of Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) as this an integral component of MDR.
- Another benefit you get is incident validation and remote response, which is performed by the provider.
Gartner recommends organizations must use MDR services when their Managed Security Services (MSS) haven’t met their expectations and proven to be inadequate when it comes to threat detection and incident response capabilities.
