The world has changed. Many more people are working outside the office and, above all, from home. Work is really no longer a place you go to, but something you do.
This is requiring a radical rethink of operating models, especially the question of how to enable employees to be productive and have secure access to critical systems and data, wherever they are. In short, IT is in the hot seat to deliver productive and secure remote working.
IT teams need to rethink their technologies and approaches to endpoint security and its integration with companies' corporate networks in order to ensure productivity
In most organizations, there is no longer a perimeter to be protected; instead, each device becomes a perimeter in itself. A major challenge in integrating the corporate network, endpoint equipment and employee productivity.
It's not uncommon for companies to have dozens of one-off products from several different suppliers, with no central management, control or integration.
This legacy model of chasing every new threat with a new point solution no longer works in this age of highly sophisticated hackers, a widely distributed workforce, a non-existent perimeter and an attack surface that is growing exponentially.
Instead of making organizations and users safer, this complex approach to endpoint and corporate network security can sometimes increase risk.
Many forward-looking organizations have moved away from this model in recent years. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. With the abrupt shift to working from home, online education and almost everything remote, the transformation to a cloud-based platform model for endpoint security is about to accelerate at breakneck speed.
A modern model for endpoint and corporate network security
Beyond the inadequacies of legacy endpoint security models, there are vital positive factors driving the race towards comprehensive security approaches that can make organizations safer and more productive against all types of threats, external and internal.
The main drivers of next-generation endpoint and corporate network security are:
Delivery, scale and support in the cloud
Delivering, managing, disseminating and scaling cloud security is a superior model on almost every level. It's faster, less expensive, easier to manage and more user-friendly.
IT can easily update patches and protections on all devices and optimize policy enforcement. The cloud provides a simple way for IT and security teams to respond in real time, taking advantage of advanced threat detection, machine learning, analytics, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) and increased productivity.
The cloud accelerates security innovation for endpoints, giving IT centralized control to deliver new solutions and updates to all users at the same time to deal with a rapidly changing threat environment with speed, agility and intelligence, even when integration with a local corporate network is required.
Simplicity of management
Finally, it's time for IT and security teams to simplify their lives and use their time more productively. Managing a myriad of point solutions requires different dashboards, training on various products and a lack of centralized control for management, monitoring and alerts.
As more business-critical applications migrate to the cloud, this complexity becomes crippling. What you want, and what cloud and platform models allow, is a way to control everything from a centralized environment.
This is even more critical in today's workplace, where IT staff are more likely to work remotely and need to manage, update, organize and orchestrate security from anywhere, all the time.
IT staff must be able to deploy, manage and apply policies remotely, such as multi-factor authentication. They need to simplify the use of approaches that are increasingly important - such as zero trust - to protect user identity and critical corporate data.
Modern endpoint devices
Security doesn't end in the cloud. If endpoint users are using old company devices or BYOD, they could be exposing themselves and your organization, via your corporate network, to risks that can be avoided by upgrading to modern endpoint devices.
The key is to provide users with intrinsically safer devices - with modern security protections that start in the firmware and extend to the cloud.
Security throughout the technological architecture
Even the most secure companies can be hacked. Likewise, even the most talented and ingenious hackers can be defeated. The way to do this is to put obstacles in the way at every stage of the business process.
The ideal approach is to have layers of security designed to work together. This avoids the existing challenge of too many disparate point solutions. It also allows IT to focus on the areas where human intervention is needed, so they can maximize staff resources while using firmware, automation, machine learning and AI in areas where machines are most effective.
The time is now
Security threats are more prevalent and sophisticated than ever and organizations are increasingly vulnerable because many more users are working remotely and from home.
The move to cloud and platform-based security is inevitable due to the many benefits it offers the organization, including lower costs, greater protection and simpler implementations.
With a complete security strategy, companies of any size can achieve a high level of protection, both against sophisticated attackers and against user errors and guaranteed team productivity.
There's no point in waiting and taking on additional risks. Most technologies are available now and can be implemented quickly. When it comes to security and productivity, the future is now.
Conversys can help your company reduce the risks and impacts of this global crisis. Contact our experts now and find out about Aruba Networks' security, network management and connectivity solutions. We are on hand to help you overcome this challenge.
About Conversys
Conversys IT Solutions is a provider of Information and Communication Technology services and solutions operating throughout Brazil.
With a highly qualified technical and commercial team and a network of partners that includes the main global technology manufacturers, Conversys IT Solutions is able to deliver customized IT and Telecom Infrastructure solutions to clients.
We invest in our employees and partners and strive for a long-lasting relationship with our clients, because we believe that this is how we gain the skills and knowledge we need to innovate and generate value for the businesses in which we operate.
About Aruba
ARUBA, a Hewlett Parkard Enterprise company, is redefining the smart grid with mobility and IoT solutions for organizations of all sizes globally.
Offering IT solutions that empower organizations to serve the Mobile Generation - mobile-savvy users who rely on cloud-based applications for all aspects of their work and personal lives - and to harness the power of insights to transform business processes. With infrastructure services offered as private or public cloud software, Aruba offers secure connectivity for mobility and IoT enabling IT professionals to create networks that keep pace with change.
