The case for a new security platform based on three critical concepts

Organisations continue to seek security platforms that lower costs and reduce complexity. This makes all-in-one solutions such as a next-generation firewall highly attractive. However, in many cases, these solutions are more complex than they appear and don't include tools that work together seamlessly, which means they fail to reduce complexity or lower costs.

Gaining a truly integrated solution is the only way to reduce technology sprawl and consolidate the organisation's platform. As a result, organisations need to take an entirely new approach to security to overcome key security challenges.

The digital landscape is highly complex, and ongoing digital transformation, along with continuous technology evolution, means that complexity is only likely to increase as more time goes by. This creates a significant challenge for organisations looking to secure their data and operations across multiple cloud and on-premise environments, branch offices, and, increasingly, remote workers in various locations.

A single security device at the network edge cannot cope with the current threat landscape, so organisations frequently find themselves cobbling together a mixture of point solutions. This only contributes to the complexity and cost that organisations are trying to avoid, and it can also create blind spots in the network that give malicious actors a way in. Furthermore, the more tools an organisation has, the more difficult it will be to manage them effectively, respond to incidents quickly, and keep the business safe.

When disparate security tools aren't designed from the ground up for interoperability, organisations will struggle to avoid this tangled web of tools. They will be less likely to be able to leverage automation and AI to address their security issues, which will put them at an even higher risk of falling victim to a sophisticated cyberattack. As cyber attackers continue to become stealthier and more challenging to detect, this creates an unacceptable level of risk.

The cost of security breaches is getting higher, and the risk of being successfully attacked remains significant. Without a unified security posture, organisations leave gaps for malicious actors to exploit. This highlights the need for a new approach to security based on three critical concepts.

Unifying security tools into a single, overarching and integrated platform is essential. For the unified platform to be successful, it must be based on three critical concepts:

1. Deployable from anywhere

A truly unified cybersecurity platform will be equally at home in traditional networks, cloud environments, data centers, branch offices, home offices, and mobile users. Furthermore, it will come in a range of form factors so that it can be deployed anywhere within the network, regardless of environment or geographical region.

2. Fully integrated

The counterpoint to a network of disparate tools is a fully integrated system where all security tools are built from the ground up to work seamlessly with each other as part of a platform and on their own. They must be built on a common operating system, leverage open APIs, or be built using common standards to avoid unnecessary complexity.

These tools can be from different vendors, but they must be integrated seamlessly. This integration should include networking so that the solution can respond automatically to network changes as they occur. And, the solutions must be manageable through a single pane of glass that delivers visibility into every corner of the distributed network.

3. Automated

Automation is the only way to combat the growing number and velocity of threats facing businesses. Using AI and machine learning, automated systems can quickly detect and respond to attacks, but this is only possible when tools work in concert with each other frictionlessly.

Security systems that were perfectly adequate just a few short years ago are no longer sufficient to protect against the increased sophistication and speed of attacks being launched today, let alone the threats that will continue to emerge in the near future.

Therefore, businesses must move from their simple next-generation firewall approach to a unified security platform based on those three concepts. Doing so will let businesses continue to innovate and digitally transform with the confidence that their environment will remain protected.