Improving network security with cloud

BANGALORE, INDIA: It’s a brave new working world. Organisations are dealing with a workforce that is increasingly mobile, connected and demanding — they are using their own devices and want access to corporate data at any time, from any location.

In this new era, organisations need a new approach for web security that can extend their current security perimeters and deliver security that is always on.

With more than 4 million threats per day recorded at the Blue Coat Security Labs, plus businesses facing up to 5,000 unique threats per day, it is vital that businesses take control and implement proper protection.

Businesses, and their workers, today have never been more connected or exposed. They are connected to one another, to customers, to suppliers, to the outside world. No matter where employees and customers are located, no matter what devices they are using, businesses have entered an era of 'always be connected' and there is no going back.

Some key issues include:

Organisations must be able to extend the boundaries of their corporate network to provide consistent web security protection, policies and reporting for all users on any device.

Companies must reduce the growing risk of data loss of important business data by remote and mobile users/devices that are not adequately protected.

IT and security professionals must be able to manage and enforce consistent policies throughout the entire work force, not only for office workers. Consistent policy enforcement across ALL users is vital for safely enabling user mobility and flexibility.

Organisations have to be more agile and vigilant in identifying and reacting to threats as well as blocking inappropriate content. Companies have to be able to identify and quickly respond to threats wherever they are.

In the Blue Coat 2012 Web Security Report, a 240 per cent increase in malicious sites was found.

Organisations of all sizes have no choice but to support and encourage this way of doing business. If an organisation doesn’t provide support and security for the devices that users want to use, it opens itself up to even bigger risks as users will not stop using their own devices. If their activities are not properly managed and monitored, the damage could be severe.

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A rethink of traditional security approaches is thus needed, as workers no longer work in traditional ways. The first step in addressing the security needs of this mobile workforce is to understand the ways in which workers are now working and the additional threats inherent in this new environment.

The world has shifted from a static, centralised model where a fortress is built around the network, to a highly dynamic, user-driven model. Today’s reality is that the perimeter of the network is infinitely more fluid, extending to whatever device is in the hands of the users, wherever those users happen to be and on whatever network they are using — from DSL, to 3G to Wi-Fi.

Businesses need to deliver user security with no boundaries. This security must be able to address every single user — from stationary users in corporate headquarters, to remote workers in branch offices, to mobile workers who take their devices wherever they go.

The best way to address this growing challenge of securing a fluid and mobile perimeter is with a solution that allows your security policy to follow users across networks and devices. Since users are always on, businesses need to have an 'always on' security.

Cloud-based services are particularly effective for extending protection and policies to remote or branch offices and mobile workers. In an integrated, unified web security environment, cloud-based solutions can extend security to users and offices that are not traditionally protected by appliances.

The biggest advantage of cloud-based solutions for these locations is that they can be easily deployed and scaled.

For some organisations, particularly mid-sized and small businesses, a cloud-based approach may be sufficient to address the needs of the enterprise. For many other businesses, particularly larger enterprises, deploying a web security cloud solution is most effective when it is a part of a unified approach to security where the cloud service can be deployed with web security appliances.

This enables the organisation to provide security solutions that follow the user from corporate locations, with on-premises appliances, to branch office, to remote location and to mobile devices, providing the same levels of policy and protection from one location to the next.

In order to provide all workers with comprehensive protection wherever they are, it is important not just to choose a unified approach, but to choose a unified approach that offers the benefits, performance and features that will actually deliver on the promise of increased ROI, reduced complexity, increased scalability and enhanced agility.

It is also important to choose a solution that delivers global threat protection, consistent policies and unified reporting. With these functions unified, the organisation can centrally manage all users, regardless of their device and location.

Given the new threats inherent in an increasingly mobile workforce and the perpetual blurring of lines between business and personal use of devices, it is clear that conventional methods of securing the perimeter are no longer up to the task. For a mobile workforce, organisations can most effectively maximise their security efforts by incorporating a cloud-based solution as part of a unified approach.

This way they can deliver always on security to their always on users, protecting their organisations from threats that are always on the web.