Hackers are infinitely clever at finding ways to circumvent company defenses. Many traditional methods of data security can fail to protect mission-critical information. For example, SecurityMetrics found that in 2018, 57% of companies had firewalls in place at the time of a data breach.
Some companies take a reactive approach to data security, identifying anomalous network traffic and mitigating a breach once it has occurred. Organizations must also take a more proactive and end-to-end approach to network and data security.
Companies also need to adapt their security approaches to the current ways they’re conducting business. Businesses are becoming more geographically diverse and use more endpoints than ever before. Due to these changes, companies should implement comprehensive security strategies that protect data both at rest and in flight.
Here is a closer look at 3 things companies can do to raise their security game:
1) Using encrypted waves
Data is at risk of being stolen or compromised before it ever reaches a firewall or security information and event management (SIEM) solution. Hackers can target data in transit as it moves from endpoints, such as mobile and Internet of things (IoT) devices, to the data center. Data is also vulnerable to cybercriminals as it travels from worksites or branch offices to the main office.
Most companies use encryption to protect sensitive data. According to the Ponemon 2019 Global Encryption Trends Study, 45% of enterprises use an encryption strategy across the business. Unfortunately, some forms of encryption can negatively impact performance speed.
Encrypted waves at layer 1 protect data being transmitted over high-speed fiber optic networks without increasing latency or increasing overhead. With encrypted waves, companies leverage Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256, the gold standard for encryption. Encrypted wave solutions operate at speeds up to 100 gigabits per second (100 Gbps) for seamless performance.
2) Moving to a cloud data center
Migrating your data center to the cloud is a great way to gain enterprise-level security at an affordable pay-as-you-go rate.
Monitoring an on-premises data center can be overwhelming, leaving your IT team unable to focus on the core business. Having a trusted cloud provider focus on security frees your staff to do what they do best: innovate. The ideal cloud provider will offer state-of-the-art virtual and physical security with 24/7 monitoring. Some cloud data centers even provide military-grade security.
Companies that move to a cloud data center also benefit from application and infrastructure upgrades that can help keep your organization’s infrastructure more secure. Receiving automatic patches and upgrades protects your company against the vulnerabilities that hackers use to stage exploit attacks.
3) Enlisting managed edge security
Technology trends such as multi-cloud and IoT have made protecting the edge of the network a crucial part of any security strategy. Edge computing presents a unique set of risks. Cloud applications may leak data. Users may fail to change default passwords.
Protecting the edge of your network is yet another drain on your IT team’s time and energy. With managed edge solutions, your company gains access to a variety of security tools needed to protect endpoints, routers, and cloud applications.
The right managed edge security provider should offer intrusion detection and prevention, firewall, malware, and content filtering tools. A suite of security tools will protect your company’s edge against a wide variety of attack vectors.
Rethink Your Data Security Strategy
No doubt securing your company’s digital assets isis a priority for your business. However, revamping your security strategy shouldn’t monopolize your IT team. By taking advantage of a cloud data center and managed edge security, organizations can benefit from end-to-end data security by outsourcing monitoring activities. Encrypted wavelength solutions allow companies to leverage use high-speed networks while to distribute data across the wide area networks without sacrificing security or performance.
For companies in the Northeast that want to rethink the way they handle data security, FirstLight is the ideal partner. We are experts in proving secure and reliable cloud and high-speed fiber optic network services.
Our cloud data centers feature 24/7 monitoring and multiple layers of security. We offer a comprehensive solution to your security needs so that your company can avoid the vulnerabilities hackers target. Download our “C-Level Guide to Managing Technology Risk”.
We are proud to offer managed edge security for customers that use our extensive fiber optic network. Our managed edge security offering delivers intrusion detection and prevention, malware, and identity-based firewall, along with other security tools that allow your users to enjoy optimum network and application performance without risk.
Learn more about new approaches to data and network security. Reach out to the experts at FirstLight.
