FEATURE : NETWORK SECURITY and solutions already in place ,” he advised . “ Managed security services offer an excellent option for organisations who want to benefit from a holistic view of vendors and the security ecosystem as a whole .”
According Gaskell , network security denotes the set of actions taken to protect the information transmitted on a network from various security threats . “ These sets of measures aim to prevent unauthorised access and prevent any misuse of the network ’ s resources . IT teams need to design network security around network technologies and good architecture frameworks ,” he said . “ Security awareness and training should also be a featured factor when designing network security .”
Gaskell said a common mistake made by CIOs and CISOs is that network security can be implemented once . “ For effective network security , this is not the case . Network security is an on-going concern that requires constant maintenance and monitoring . Good network security practices should be designed to reflect this ,” he said . “ Implementing modern stronger technologies and practices can go a long way to protecting against an ever-increasing amount and more complex threats . A common mistake made is that network security is a build and leave endeavour . Network security requires constant monitoring and protection . New technologies such as Machine Learning and modern practices such zero trust should be implemented to maintain a strong security posture .”
Pitfalls to avoid
With the complexities that come with different types of network security , what challenges and common mistakes should CIOs and CISOs avoid ? rather than a vulnerability . “ With Nigeria the originator of the 419 scam , these have evolved into more advanced email phishing attacks and other African countries . However , Africa it is not completely safe . The rapid rate in which telco networks expand security skills have not been able to keep up ,” he said .
DRS ’ Mazibuko noted that from July 1 , 2021 , South African organisations will be compelled to comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act ( POPIA ). “ Cybercriminals are aware of this and will position their ransom amounts below the fine amount an organisation would get for non-compliance . This will see an increase in the number of ransomware attacks as many organisations will not be compliant come July 1 , 2020 ,” he remarked .
According to Mazibuko , there is no doubt the pandemic has influenced some trends such as the move to cloud services . “ The pressure to rush Digital Transformation will also see many misconfigurations resulting in Big Data breaches ,” he said .
He pointed out that with the increasing cybersecurity skills shortage , businesses need to automate and make the move from reactive to proactive security . “ Technologies such as XDR – cross-layered detection and response technology – does a great job of breaking down silos , providing a holistic view of threats in an organisation and converting regular alerts into actionable incidents in real-time ,” he said . “ Taking this a step further , managed detection and response ( MDR ) services combined with XDR will see a big uptake . This will happen as more businesses come to realise this is one of the best ways to remain in the cybersecurity fight in 2021 .” p
Hennah noted that being secure in the digital environment today requires a business to adopt an agile , proactive approach . “ The days of simply installing a firewall and anti-virus to protect the network are long gone . CIOs must look beyond positioning cybersecurity as an afterthought . Instead , it is about having it integrated into the design of all business processes ,” he said . “ Securing the network does not happen after the fact . It requires a concerted effort to align all systems through the right understanding and intelligence to better anticipate trends and patterns . This will help the company better anticipate trends and patterns and implement the protection where it is most required .”
Given the growing and evolving attack vectors , organisations are being encouraged to improve their network security posture . Gaskell said Africa presents a unique situation in that it is both a vulnerability and a threat . Given the lure of more lucrative regions such as Europe and America , Africa presents itself as a threat
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