What cybercriminals do each day is shocking. It is estimated that daily, more than 300,000 new pieces of malware are created, and more than 23,000 distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks are launched. More than half a million ransomware attacks are launched daily as well.
Keeping network infrastructure operating securely has never been more critical for companies of every size. It takes vigilance, commitment, and the right tools to address common network and SD-WAN security issues and challenges and protect your company.
Common Network and SD-WAN Security Challenges
IT infrastructure has grown more complex over time, creating a more challenging environment for IT teams to secure. As more devices are connected, and more resources are deployed in the cloud, it has become increasingly challenging to manage everything efficiently.
Endpoints
The growing number of endpoints represents an increasing security concern. The average company’s digital footprint has expanded so quickly that a third of organizations report they do not even know how many endpoints are connected to their networks.
Nearly half of companies surveyed as part of a Ponemon Institute study said they lacked visibility into their endpoints, and two-thirds of companies said they were only equipped to stop cyber attacks at just half of their endpoints.
Cloud Resources
Today’s private, public, hybrid, and multi-cloud options have greatly benefited organizations but have also increased exposure to threats. As the amount of work done in the cloud increases, providing the best possible security across cloud applications, service providers, and third-party connectivity has become a key challenge for IT teams.
The average organization uses 110 Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, and more than half are “shadow IT,” which means they are owned and managed externally.
Remote Connectivity
Remote connectivity presents another big challenge. Organizations are more venerable to cyber-attacks because more employees are working remotely and connecting from mobile devices. Solutions such as a virtual private network (VPN) can encrypt traffic but do not provide adequate security protection once users gain access to the network.
Security Tools
As organizations have built their infrastructures over time, they have added an increasing number of security tools to their tech stack. While these provide protection, they also add complexity in many cases. Some enterprises uses more than 75 different security tools. Balancing workloads and managing alerts from all these tools can be a significant challenge.
Network Performance
These security tools can introduce significant latency into your network, slowing down traffic and impacting time-sensitive applications such as VoIP and video conferencing. This creates frustrating delays, especially if all internet traffic is backhauled to your data center before connecting to the internet.
Security Issues: SASE SD-WAN Solutions
An SD-WAN solution with integrated security, including a nextgeneration firewall (NGFW) and enhanced intrusion protection, helps mitigate these common security issues in several ways:
- Endpoint management: Automatic detection of endpoints and application of global and granular security settings are provided across every device connecting to your network.
- Cloud resource management: Reduce the overall attack surface by ensuring that only safe traffic is allowed access to your network, applications, and devices.
- Remote connectivity management: An SASE SD-WAN solution with integrated security provides secure access for remote connections and allows for zero trust network access (ZTNA). ZTNA prevents lateral movement by requiring user and device authentication before accessing any resource within the network. You can also extend your SASE SD-WAN solution to your mobile and remote employees, making them more secure.
- Security tool management: An integrated SD-WAN security combines your network security into one comprehensive platform, making managing your security settings much simpler.
- Network performance management: Consolidating security tools and allowing traffic to connect securely to the internet (rather than backhauling) can significantly reduce latency. SD-WAN can also dynamically route traffic for optimal performance and prioritize real-time and mission-critical applications.
LOGIX Fiber Networks Partners with Versa Networks
LOGIX has partnered with Gartner Magic Quadrant leader Versa Networks to provide a comprehensive SD-WAN Secure solution with integrated security.
LOGIX SD-WAN Secure includes an integrated NGFW and a comprehensive interface, allowing you to manage all of your WAN security in one place. LOGIX SD-WAN Secure can overlap any LOGIX third-party carrier network and includes the robust security tools you need to manage the most complex networks, including:
- URL filtering.
- Intrusion protection.
- Anti-virus.
- ZTNA.
- Secure Web Gateway.
- Multi-factor authentication.
- Role-based and application-based control.
You also get extensive real-time and historical traffic analytics along with anomaly detection when activity deviates from baselines for further inspection.
Are you looking for solutions that address SD-WAN challenges and issues so you can protect your organization? Contact LOGIX Fiber Networks at 281.688.6283 or request a quote online.