Network Security – How do I protect my network infrastructure (in 2022)?

In an increasingly interconnected world, network security has become an indispensable part of businesses, organizations and governments. The impact of cyberattacks and data loss can be devastating, from financial damage and loss of customer trust to litigation and reputational damage.

To counter these threats, IT professionals have developed numerous technologies and methods to secure and protect networks. In this article, we will provide insight into the topic of network security and highlight the most important aspects of this technology.

What does network security stand for?

As soon as a company or an individual moves on the Internet, it comes into contact with networks. These can be public or private networks. The purpose of a network is to ensure secure and seamless networking between people in a household or a company. Due to the trend, towards the cloud, the IT landscape is changing a lot and therefore also the security requirements for networks.

The term also includes methods that deal with the recovery of attacked systems and infected networks.

How does network security work?

Network security refers to all the measures taken to ensure the secure availability, exchange and processing of data and processes within a network. Network security is of crucial importance for the security of data and IT systems.

A secure and functional network is existential for organizations and companies in today’s world.

What are the risks and threats to a network?

In general, any hardware or software used in the company can represent a potential security gap for the network. In addition to many different components or elements in the network, negligence in particular can become a problem.

The following components play a role in the course of network security.

In order to protect a network, several components need to be considered that help protect the network in different ways. Here are some of the most important components that play a role in network security:

• Firewalls: a firewall is a software or hardware component that monitors network traffic and blocks unwanted access. It serves as the first line of defense against threats and prevents access to unauthorized content.
• Email security: Email security plays an important role in network security, as emails are often used to spread malware or carry out phishing attacks.
• Antivirus / Antimalware: Antivirus software detects, isolates and removes malicious programs, viruses and malware before they can infect the network.
• Network Segmentation: Network segmentation is a method of dividing the network into different parts to restrict and control access to sensitive data and resources.
• Access Control: Network segmentation is a method of dividing the network into different parts to restrict and control access to sensitive data and resources.
• Encryption: Encryption is used to protect data during transmission over the network to ensure that it cannot be intercepted or read by third parties.
• Data loss prevention
• Intrusion Prevention Detection: Intrusion prevention is an important network security technology that detects unauthorized access and activity and automatically takes action to prevent attacks and protect the network.
• Wireless Security: Wireless security is an important component because wireless networks are more vulnerable to attack and pose a higher risk of data loss and theft.
• Web Security
• VPN

The trend toward the cloud is changing the threat landscape

The trend toward cloud usage has changed the way organizations store and use data and applications. Cloud-based solutions offer many benefits, including greater flexibility, scalability and availability of resources. At the same time, the use of cloud services is also changing the threat landscape in terms of network security.

Companies need to be aware that their data is now stored not only on their own servers, but potentially also on third-party servers. This requires a high level of trust in the cloud provider’s security measures and a clear understanding of who has access to the data and how it will be protected. User rights and access management also becomes more complex with the use of cloud solutions and requires careful planning and implementation.

As part of the trend to move applications, processes and data to the cloud, the complexity of networks is constantly increasing. Added to this are new working models. Employees work from different locations and from public networks. This makes it much harder to ensure security for the network. This is where the Zero Trust model comes into play.

Zero Trust as a basic principle for secure networks

Many attacks on networks occur because access was previously gained through a user or client, and attackers thereby

The Zero Trust principle means “never trust, always check”. Now it is no longer just access to a network that is controlled. The user identity is queried for all services and accesses. Each client only gets exactly the access it needs to work optimally and smoothly. This makes it possible to better regulate data traffic in the network.

Detection of anomalies through behavioral analysis

Anomaly detection through behavioral analysis is a method of monitoring systems and networks to detect abnormal behavior. It involves analyzing the normal behavior of the system or network and creating models that serve as references for future analysis. These models can then be used to identify anomalies by detecting deviations from normal behavior.

Behavioral analytics can be used in various areas, such as cybersecurity, where it is used to detect cyber threats such as malware, phishing or ransomware. By monitoring the behavior of users or systems, unusual activities such as unauthorized access, unusual data access or suspicious network connections can be detected.

In industry, behavioral analysis is also used to detect anomalies in machines or processes. By monitoring sensors and machine data, deviations from normal operating behavior can be identified at an early stage and failures or damage can be avoided.

The detection of anomalies through behavioral analyses can thus help to identify threats at an early stage and minimize damage.

How do I successfully implement network security in the company?

A successful network security concept requires capable IT professionals. Most small companies are not in a position to meet this requirement. Therefore, an external service provider often comes into play. To ensure a permanently secure network in the company, people turn to a cybersecurity-as-a-service (CaaS) platform. Large cloud providers such as SOPHOS have specialized in the topic. However, cybersecurity software is so complex and impossible to use for untrained personnel.

Mit anderen Worten: Die Cybersecurity im Unternehmen wird inzwischen meist outgesourced. Externe IT-Dienstleister haben die Ressourcen um die Software so zu bedienen und nahtlos in bestehende Systeme zu integrieren und ihr Unternehmensnetzwerk vor Angriffen und Datenverlust zu schützen.

In other words, corporate cybersecurity is now mostly outsourced. External IT service providers have the resources to operate the software in this way and integrate it seamlessly into existing systems to protect their corporate network from attacks and data loss.