The Importance of Network Security

The Importance of Network Security

Today's network architecture is complex and is faced with a threat environment that is constantly changing, and attackers that are always trying to find and exploit vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities can exist in many areas, including devices, data, applications, users, and locations. For this reason, many network security management tools and applications are in use today that address individual threats and exploits and regulatory non-compliance.

When just a few minutes of downtime can cause widespread disruption and massive damage to an organization's bottom line and reputation, it is essential that these protection measures are in place.

In this post, we will be discussing the importance of Network Security, what it is, and how to implement security measures to available networks.

What is Network Security?

Network security in its simplest form is a set of rules and configurations designed to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and accessibility of computer networks and data using both software and hardware technologies. Every organization regardless of size, industry, or infrastructure requires a degree of network security solutions in place to protect it from the ever-growing landscape of cyber threats in the world today.

Successful network security strategies employ multiple security solutions to protect users and organizations from malware and cyber attacks like distributed denial of service.

Improving network security is a top priority for every business and organization today. Looking into the late ’60s and early ’70s, digital storage became a reality. Large, room-sized mainframes were responsible for storing this information, and access to those storage repositories was granted by plugging directly into the mainframe itself or accessing the mainframe’s data from one of many terminals inside the building.

Importance of Network Security

It is becoming increasingly important to secure every aspect of online information and data as technology becomes more and more prevalent. With the growth of the internet and computer networks, data integrity has become one of the most important aspects for organizations.

Let’s look at why network security is so important in today’s digital age.

Why is Network Security important?

Any business, big or small, must consider network security when working over the internet, local area network (LAN), or other methods. Although no network is immune to attacks, a stable and efficient network security system is essential for protecting clients' data. The use of a good network security system can reduce the risk of businesses being victimized by data theft and sabotage.

Network security helps protect your workstations from harmful spyware. It also ensures that shared data is kept secure. Network security infrastructure provides several levels of protection to prevent MiTM attacks by breaking down information into numerous parts, encrypting these parts, and transmitting them through independent paths, thus preventing cases like eavesdropping.

Getting connected to the internet means that you could receive lots of traffic. Huge traffic can cause stability problems and may lead to vulnerabilities in the system. Network security promotes the reliability of your network by preventing lagging and downtimes through continuous monitoring of any suspicious transaction that can sabotage the system.

Implementing Security Measures to Available Networks

Security response technologies are improving, thanks to innovations in areas such as Machine Learning and Automation. However, cybercriminals are equally adept at exploiting technical advances for their interests. This makes it crucial for enterprises to have all their bases covered with best practices to ensure they have the appropriate policies, methodologies, and procedures in place to maintain a strong defence against threats.

To this end, most effective IT organizations adopt network security best practices to maximize the effectiveness of their security and protect their assets.

The following are 5 essential best practices every organization should use to protect their enterprises today. Keep in mind these efforts must be ongoing to be successful. In addition, these practices should be regularly reviewed to measure their effectiveness and when necessary adjusted if circumstances change.

  1. Audit the network and check security controls.

Knowledge is essential in maintaining a secure environment. To have an accurate perspective on the security posture of a given enterprise, the IT organization needs to run an audit of the network. By auditing, IT professionals can accomplish the following;

  • Identify potential vulnerabilities that need to be corrected.

  • Find unused or unnecessary applications running in the background that can be eliminated.

  • Determine the strength of the firewall and the currency of its setting.

  • Measure the state of the networked servers, gear, software, and applications

  • Confirm the overall efficacy of the security infrastructure; and

  • Judge the status of server backups

An audit shouldn't be a one-off event, but rather an activity that is consistently conducted over time.

  1. Revisit and communicate security policies.

Having a pragmatic and valid security policy is essential to ensure a strong security posture. Too often, organizations fail to review policies to make sure they address current business operational requirements and security conditions. And unfortunately, enterprises fail to communicate these policies to both IT staff and when applicable, end users.

  1. Encrypt critical data

Data encryption is another vital element in protecting an organization's most valuable and sensitive information. IT organizations need to periodically assess data classifications and employ encryption where appropriate. VPNs can provide another layer of protection for employers who may have to access sensitive files from remote locations.

  1. Update antimalware software

Out-of-date antivirus or antimalware software is one of the most common gaps in enterprise security. It's also one of the easiest to address. Security professionals should do periodic checks on their antimalware software, ensuring all devices are running the most up-to-date security software. IT should also automate its patch management whenever possible.

  1. Back up data and institute a recovery plan

Unfortunately, enterprises are operating in a threat environment where the question isn't if but when their environments are going to be breached. Facing this reality means it is critical to back up both operationally important and highly sensitive data. As ransomware attacks become more threatening – affecting organizations across industries – it is equally important to have within your network security best practices a recovery strategy that minimizes downtime and limits costs.

Network security is critical because it prevents cyber criminals from gaining access to valuable data and sensitive information. When hackers get hold of such data, they can cause a variety of problems, including identity theft, stolen assets, and reputational harm.