Consumerization of IT has led to an overlap when it comes to technology, as is being seen in the latest trend of BYOD. However, it also has key repercussions for enterprise networks, which are increasingly facing the risk of not having enough visibility to tackle major challenges. This will have a lasting impact on how security is enforced within an enterprise network, and what the limits of detection systems are.
The network in the new age
The phenomenal rise in the adoption of social networks and smarter devices is now beginning to redefine the whole idea of a corporate network. Unlike previously, the network is no more a closed entity whose traffic can be easily scrutinized, and if required, controlled. In any given enterprise network, the number of interactions and complexity of data flow are increasing, leading to a sharp fall in visibility of traffic. As such, this puts security at a risk because newer methods of attack can easily bypass firewalls and similar defense systems.
Network visibility as a solution
The solution, of course, is better network visibility. This can be accomplished with the help of big data technology in case the network is large; for small and medium businesses, however, there exist enterprise-class network analysis tools that don’t require massive investments in technology or data. This lets companies analyze what people are doing on the network, as well as identify and suppress malicious network traffic. In many cases, such an analysis uncovers network vulnerabilities that IT admins didn’t know existed, which helps plug security loopholes.
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