Network security management cannot be implemented as a standard project with a defined start and end. Network security provision is related to continuous processes that need to be maintained to minimize the risks associated with partial or complete business shutdown.
In this article, we will introduce you to the key elements of an effective corporate network security management strategy. We hope that the recommendations, based on our extensive practical experience, will be useful to you and enhance your company's protection level.
NETWORK SECURITY MANAGEMENT IN AN ORGANIZATION IS NOT A PROJECT, IT IS A CONTINUOUS PROCESS!
Establish a Framework for Network Security Management
Organizations often solve spontaneous network security management tasks, leading to vulnerabilities and, consequently, business process shutdowns.
Recommendation: Avoid this. Set a clear network security management mechanism – from roles to resources. Ensure consistency with other strategy elements. Create a coherent, integrated, and comprehensive approach.
Know All Your Network Assets
To ensure a network security management strategy, it is necessary to consider absolutely all elements in the corporate network.
Recommendation: Maintain a complete inventory of network resources and regularly update it, including new devices, applications, and services. Conduct such accounting at least once a quarter.
Analyze the Vulnerabilities
After identifying and accounting for assets, define the infrastructure risks. Highlight the problematic segments that could disrupt the network's integrity.
Recommendation: Apply threat modeling methods to identify and assess infrastructure risks. Prioritize based on areas and scenarios with a high level of impact.
Develop and Implement Network Security Policies
Proper network security policies can significantly improve the protection level of an organization's IT infrastructure.
Recommendation: Create policies that reduce or eliminate specific risks associated with your organization's assets, such as servers, endpoints, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Also, ensure that the network security policies comply with the current regulatory requirements.
Conduct periodic reviews of policies to check compliance with the latest standards and manufacturer recommendations.
Implement Additional Authentication and Authorization Methods
Advanced identification mechanisms hinder unauthorized access by malicious actors. In 2024, advanced authentication has become a necessity.
Recommendation: Enhance corporate security with multi-factor authentication (MFA), role-based access control, and a zero-trust model.
Regularly Audit the Corporate Network
Network audit can reveal incorrect configurations, compliance gaps, and general vulnerabilities. It provides data on the state of network security and helps avoid significant potential problems early on.
Recommendation: Establish a recurring audit schedule to assess network components. Use automated tools during the assessment. After completing the audit, document the results, plan corrective actions, and track changes.
Security Gateways Are Very Important
Your organization's security gateways must operate at maximum efficiency.
Recommendation: Evaluate your security gateways to see if they match current cyber threats. Choose high-performance firewalls that provide threat prevention using advanced technologies.
Ensure that your organization can block both known and unknown threats.
Implement Centralized Network Management Tools
Centralized network management provides effective threat detection in your ecosystem.
Whether you are in the cloud, in a data center, or using both, centralized management also allows for comprehensive threat detection and simplified compliance with regulatory requirements.
Recommendation: Centralized network management ensures superior protection (compared to a set of separate solutions) and guarantees a higher level of security. Find a reliable provider and implement a centralized network management solution.
Plan Network Redundancy and Failover in Advance
Cybersecurity and IT executives should design networks with redundancy and failover mechanisms at all levels.
Recommendation: Define the requirements for your network, design the necessary systems, and ensure 99.9% availability.
Also, keep in mind that security breaches will occur – update your incident response plans to minimize impact and accelerate recovery time.
We Are Ready to Assist You
If you want to conduct an audit of your corporate network's security measures, technical experts at LWCOM are ready to engage in this task promptly.
- You will receive an independent assessment of your network resources' security level and compliance with potential cyber threats for each of the solutions used
- We will identify critical vulnerabilities in the protection means configurations and help you promptly rectify them
Contact us in any way that suits you!