The Importance of Web Filtering
IDC published a whitepaper in September 2015 that sheds considerable light on how cybersecurity issues are impacting IT infrastructure. http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/products/collateral/security/web-security-appliance/white-paper-IDC-tech-spotlight9-2015.pdf
With cybercriminals becoming increasingly sophisticated, security is an ongoing concern and top priority for enterprises of all sizes. Web-born attacks remain the primary means by which criminals gain access to sensitive corporate data and proprietary information. And the dynamic tech landscape—including the transition to SaaS- and cloud-based services and the explosive growth in the mobile workforce and social media—has made mitigating the risk more challenging than ever.
Proactive defense is a smart business strategy.
According to Cisco’s 2016 Annual Security Report, chief security officers and security operations managers are feeling less confident about their security infrastructure and the ability of their networks to thwart cyberattacks. However, the survey also indicates that enterprises are stepping up training and other security processes—looking beyond antivirus software, firewalls and fragmented security systems to improve their network security. http://www.cloudsecurityresource.com/topics/cloud-security/articles/416332-cisco-2016-annual-security-report-shows-enterprise-unease.htm
The latest trend is to build centralized security into the network infrastructure, a “threat-centric” model that supports proactive security measures like user authentication, privileged access and the ability to identify advanced security threats based on data from a variety of resources and to take measures to safeguard against them. Subscribing to the adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” companies are taking steps to detect security threats proactively to mitigate risks that could end up costing them millions of dollars and possibly their reputations later on.
A new crop of security solutions is emerging on the scene.
Networking vendors like Cisco are increasingly focused on the security market and developing solutions that support this unified defense strategy. The challenge, however, is providing solutions that allow companies to leverage their existing security investments as a framework for building a centralized security infrastructure.
One product, in particular, the Cisco Web Security Appliance (WSA) consolidates a variety of defensive capabilities in a single unit for ongoing protection. The Cisco WSA draws reconnaissance from Talos Security Intelligence and Research Group, the industry’s leading threat intelligence organization. Talos has the world’s largest threat-detection network, analyzing cyberthreats in real time across billions of sources, including networks, endpoints, mobile devices, virtual systems, and web and email.
Also integrated with Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) and Cisco Cognitive Threat Analytics (CTA), the Cisco WSA offers greater visibility and intelligence into malware and breaches that may be present in your network— identifying their severity and helping to prioritize the security response.
The Cisco WSA also gives you centralized control over how your users access the Internet. By identifying hundreds of applications and thousands of micro-applications, it allows your network administrators to earmark which applications and application features are allowed, restricted or blocked altogether. You can deploy web security wherever and whenever it’s required. And your users can still enjoy the benefits of cloud apps while your organization maintains stringent security policies before, during and after an attack.
The Cisco WSA can be configured for any-size organization: large enterprises (6000–12,000 users); midsize offices (1,500–6,000 users); and small businesses or satellite offices (up to 1,500 users).
Is IT security high on your priority list?
If it’s not, it should be—because security threats aren’t going way, and cybercriminals are more determined than ever.
Talk to the security specialists here at Next Dimension about how to make your organization more proactive about security and your network better protected against potential threats. We’ll help you determine a cost-effective and sensible plan of action—and then assist in implementing the technology you need to improve your threat readiness.