Firewall management plays a bigger role for today’s companies than you may realize. It secures the perimeter around a company’s network. Most importantly, firewall management keeps that perimeter secure, which couldn’t be more important...or more difficult.
That’s because cybersecurity is a moving target. New threats emerge every day as hackers use the tremendous resources at their disposal to build different cyber attacks and offensive strategies. At the same time, IT environments constantly expanding in size and complexity begin to develop vulnerabilities that were not there before. You may be secure today – but there’s no guarantee you will be tomorrow.
Every company struggles with this issue, especially as the frequency and severity of attacks keeps rising. For some companies, though, the risk of suddenly becoming open to attack is especially high, as are the consequences for any breach. Said differently, their cybersecurity target is harder to hit but even more dangerous to miss.
Which companies are we talking about? Any company that must comply with cybersecurity standards as part of state, federal, or international laws or as part of contractual obligations (or often both). Making compliance contingent on preserving a sturdy security posture that prevents any and all breaches raises the stakes for cybersecurity. Considerably.
These companies need to understand the precarious position they occupy – and then do everything possible to make their cybersecurity (and all the depends on it) more stable, scalable, and sustainable. There are many ways to attempt that but only one easy way to accomplish it: with firewall management.
Companies facing cybersecurity compliance requirements are also those most likely to be the target of attacks. As such, they’re required to have specific tools and techniques in place, and obligated to prevent attacks at all costs. Unfortunately, the sensitive nature of their work means prevention and protection will always be tested.
Not only is the risk of attack higher but so is the potential damage. Successful attacks can trigger fines and penalties at best and canceled contracts and damaged reputations at worst. One violation can spell disaster. And with enforcement efforts picking up, along with the scope and stringency of compliance requirements, the likelihood of being cited for violations grows all the time.
When so much depends on cybersecurity, lapses aren’t acceptable, but the ever changing nature of cybersecurity makes keeping ahead of threats exceedingly difficult (particularly when you’re already a prime target).
That’s where firewall management enters the equation.
Firewalls that permit or deny access to networks offer a potent defense against emerging threats. By shutting attacks down early and denying them access to networks, firewalls neutralize even the most malicious attacks before they cause damage (or noncompliance). And by putting a powerful defensive perimeter around a network, firewalls take pressure off the tools and team members engaged with detection and response. So not only do attacks diminish, but defenses downstream from the firewall improve as well.
The major caveat is that for firewalls to stop the newest threats, the settings must be updated to recognize those threats. That’s a time and labor-intensive effort that many companies don’t have the resources for. They have the right tools in firewalls. What they lack is a team to continually update those firewalls with the best threat intelligence available. Firewall management puts that team in place so that companies can not just get secure but stay secure.
Managed security service providers (MSSPs) offer firewall management as a service. Providers install firewalls wherever they’re required according to security best practices or company-specific compliance requirements. The MSSP then keeps the firewalls updated in response to emerging threats and evolving cybersecurity compliance requirements. Essential firewall protections never lapse that way. Just as importantly, the responsibility for keeping firewalls secure and compliant falls on someone besides the in-house security team. It’s a complete win-win.
Major companies have the resources to actively manage firewalls in-house, but small and midsize companies do not. Firewall management closes this gap. Now any company can rely on formidable firewalls as the front lines of their cybersecurity and a cornerstone of their compliance.
To take a deeper dive into the subject of firewall management and how it aligns with your requirements - today, tomorrow, and every day after - Contact us to schedule an assessment.
CorpInfoTech (Corporate Information Technologies) provides small to mid-market organizations with expert I.T. services including compliance assessment, cybersecurity penetration tests, and comprehensive business continuity planning services. CorpInfoTech can help organizations, quantify, create, refine, and mitigate the risks presented by business threatening disasters in whatever form they may be disguised.
Blog source: Magnetude Consulting