Valorem Visions 2.12 – Microsegmentation

Our expert, Eric Nepo, shares his vision for 2024 - Networking Microsegmentation, and how you can use it to transition from the traditional Castle-and-moat network security model to a more modern defense strategy for meeting regulation and compliance standards and better managing complex multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments.

Transcript

What is the Trend?

My Valorem vision for 2024 is a networking microsegmentation. So, imagine your network is a big city. Well, traditionally we secured it like castle, like high walls outside but easy to move around inside. Well, this worked when attacks were external, but today's hackers often sleep past their defenses. The big city gate in this analogy is your firewall that protects the data center. So microsegmentation changes everything. It's like turning your city into a grid of residences, each with security checkpoint. Let's say a server is trying to talk to an unrelated database. It gets denied. An infected machine trying to spread malware is blocked immediately before it even has a chance to connect to the server inside the firewall perimeter. Microsegmentation makes networks more secure by limiting the hacker's ability to run freely inside once they gain access to a single device.

Why is this Trend important?

So why should you and Valorem Reply customers care about microsegmentation? Well, there are a few reasons. Think of it like Insurance. Cyber-attacks are costly. Downtime, lost data, damage reputation, well the price is enormous. So microsegmentation is like an insurance policy. It reduces the chance of an attack and limits the damage one can cause. Also often times regulations demand it. Laws like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI increasingly require this level of protection. So, if your company handles sensitive information microsegmentation is not an option, it's a necessity. Also, the cloud environments need it. With the cloud adoption networks are like shifting sands. Microsegmentation solutions allow you to manage both on-prem and multi-cloud environments from a single pan of glass.

What is Valorem Reply doing to prepare for this trend?

So imagine Valorem Reply client, a midsize healthcare provider and they are terrified of ransomware locking up their patient records or patient information actually being exfiltrated, costing them millions of dollars in heap of fines. Well here is how Valorem Reply helps them leverage microsegmentation. First, we map their network, understanding their critical applications and data flows is like drawing a map of their most valuable neighbourhoods, if we were to continue to use this city analogy. The second, we select the right tools. Microsegmentation solutions can be 100% software or it could be a combination of software and hardware. Valorem Reply selects the best technology for their needs and budget. As a third step, we guide the change. Valorem Reply helps with setup, staffing, training, and monitors and enhances the solution ensuring the customer network is safe.