Network Protection – Basic Information

Nowadays, cybersecurity is one of key areas of IT infrastructure operation. Whether we’re talking about small businesses, or large corporations, appropriate network protection are crucial for ensuring the organization’s continuous operation. Check out what kind of solutions can you use to protect your company’s network from hacking, malware, phishing attacks and many other kinds of hazards.

What is Network Protection?

Network security, also called IT security, is a category that includes all activities aiming at protecting the integrity and smooth operation of networks and data. This category is comprised not only of hardware, but also software solutions. Their primary goals are: managing network access, blocking internal propagation and protecting against various threats, e.g. viruses or malicious software.

Basic Types of Network Protection

When pondering how to increase the business network security, first and foremost you should learn about the available control and safeguarding options, and then select appropriate forms of network protection tailored to: organization’s peculiarities and scale, existing infrastructure, data being processed, or software used, among other factors. Currently, the most crucial tools allowing us to counter cyberthreats include:

• access control,
• antivirus software,
• application protection,
• VPN,
• network segmentation,
• wired & wireless network infrastructure protection,
• firewalls,
• mobile device & email protection,
• protection against the effects of failures and other unforeseen events: physical and service redundancy.

Access Control

Access control is to be understood as any action aiming at proper management of network access (e.g. blocking specific endpoints) and granting it based on the function held in the organization.

Antivirus Software

Installation of antivirus software is one of the most fundamental form of IT security consideration in the company. The antivirus software protects the enterprise’s infrastructure from malicious software, which includes: viruses and trojans, spyware and ransomware programs.

Application Protection

Even the best developed app, used in the company, can still have gaps in terms of security. Application protection is to be understood as hardware and coding solutions, as well as external processes that enable us to tighten and increase security.

VPN

Another kind of protection is a Virtual Private Network, or a VPN. Thanks to SSL or IPsec protocols, VPN enables us to encrypt the connection between the company network and the endpoint device.

Network Segmentation

Enforcing IT security rules is made significantly easier with the division of network traffic into specified classifications, called segmentation. The access level can be assigned on the basis of, including but not limited to, location, function or device, which allows us to isolate unauthorized users or suspect infrastructure.

Network Protection

As a rule of thumb, wired and wireless networks require quite similar solutions in terms of security. Both cases can use Network Access Control systems, among others, which are responsible for checking, whether a given device is allowed to connect to the network.

Firewalls

In other words, a firewall is a network barrier placed between the internal network (trusted) and an external one (not trusted). Managing traffic via the firewall is done on the basis of a set of defined rules that grant access or deny it.

Intrusion Prevention Systems

IPS, or Intrusion Prevention System, lets you scan the traffic in order to detect and block potential attacks. The IPS devices process huge volumes of data concerning cybersecurity hazards. This allows them to detect patterns of hacker attacks performed by humans or malicious scripts supervised by them.

Mobile Device Protection

Mobile devices and software installed on them are becoming increasingly important and frequently used work tools of the company’s staff. This drives the growth in scale of cyberattacks geared towards mobile hardware. Suitably selected security solutions enable you to, among other things, grant or deny network access to specific devices, and their proper configuration to ensure privacy.

Email Security

Very often, it’s the email that is the target of cybercriminals’ attacks, who take advantage of lacking protective measures in order to launch attacks, infect devices with malware or steal confidential data. Actions taken from the outside effectively block e-mail protection apps, which simultaneously control the outgoing messages, so that no sensitive data gets lost. For the benefit of their customers and contractors, and due to image concerns and legal obligations enforcing personal data protection, this kind of protection is a must for every enterprise.

Why Is It Worth Implementing Network Protection in Your Company, and Which One to Choose?

Just like applications or wireless networks, IT systems and devices are a cornerstone of operations for many businesses today. Effective network protection makes it possible to safeguard your infrastructure, software and confidential data, all the while being an important element of maintaining your organization’s image. Solutions in the scope of network protection are worth implementing, regardless of your company’s profile and size, however, keep the selection of optimal tools in mind. The starting point should always be a dedicated IT security audit, which we at Grandmetric tailor to your needs. Find out how much IT infrastructure protection means for contemporary business, and benefit from the support of an experienced partner such as us. Contact us today.