The growing popularity of IoT devices coupled with an exponential increase in IT infrastructure complexity and expanding enterprise attack surface has forced businesses to adopt segmentation. If you are one of those businesses that have adopted the internet of things or have a complex IT infrastructure but have not segmented your network, you are putting your data at risk.
Whether it is IoT, growing enterprise attack surface, or the rising complexity of IT infrastructure, these trends are here to stay and will become even more prominent as time passes by. This means that implementing segmentation won’t be enough. You have to embrace micro-segmentation in order to gain complete visibility and control over your IT infrastructure.
Don’t know much about micro-segmentation or how to implement it? Don’t worry, because this article will teach you everything you need to know about micro-segmentation. In this article, Anti-Dos will highlight what micro-segmentation is and why your business should adopt it right now.
Table of Contents
Microsegmentation: Everything You Need To Know
What is Microsegmentation?
Why Is Micro Segmentation Important?
1. Reduces attack surface:
2. Improves security visibility:
3. Enables precise security controls:
4. Supports compliance:
5. Increases operational efficiency:
Types of Microsegmentation
1. Network-based microsegmentation:
2. Application-based microsegmentation:
7 Best Practices For Adopting Microsegmentation
1. Define Your Objectives and Requirements:
2. Map Out Your Network Architecture:
3. Use Automated Tools for Discovery:
4. Define Security Policies:
5. Adopt a Continuous Monitoring Approach:
6. Encrypt Sensitive Data:
7. Regularly Review and Update Policies:
Conclusion
Microsegmentation: Everything You Need To Know
What is Microsegmentation?
Microsegmentation is a security technique used in computer networks that involve dividing a network into smaller segments or partitions, each of which is assigned specific security policies and controls. This allows for more granular and precise security management, reducing the attack surface and the potential impact of a breach. The goal of micro-segmentation is to increase network security and compliance by enforcing security policies at the application level, rather than at the network perimeter.
Why Is Micro Segmentation Important?
Microsegmentation is important because it helps to improve network security in several ways:
1. Reduces attack surface:
By breaking down a network into smaller segments, micro-segmentation limits the exposure of sensitive assets to potential threats.
2. Improves security visibility:
Micro-segmentation provides increased visibility into network traffic, enabling organizations to detect and respond to security threats more quickly.
3. Enables precise security controls:
With micro-segmentation, security policies can be applied more precisely, reducing the risk of false positives and false negatives.
4. Supports compliance:
Microsegmentation enables organizations to enforce security policies that meet regulatory requirements, such as HIPAA and PCI-DSS.
5. Increases operational efficiency:
By automating security policies and reducing manual intervention, micro-segmentation can improve operational efficiency and reduce the risk of human error.
Types of Microsegmentation
There are two main types of microsegmentation:
1. Network-based microsegmentation:
This type of micro-segmentation involves segmenting a network into smaller subnets and applying security policies at the network level. This is typically achieved using firewalls, virtual LANs (VLANs), or other network security devices.
2. Application-based microsegmentation:
This type of micro-segmentation involves segmenting a network based on application workloads, rather than network infrastructure. This is typically achieved using software-defined networking (SDN) technologies or containerization solutions such as Docker or Kubernetes.
Both types of micro-segmentation have their own advantages and disadvantages, and the appropriate choice depends on the specific requirements and constraints of each organization. However, application-based micro-segmentation is becoming increasingly popular due to its ability to provide more granular security controls and support the rapid deployment of new applications and services.
7 Best Practices For Adopting Microsegmentation
Here are seven best practices you can adopt to implement micro-segmentation successfully.
1. Define Your Objectives and Requirements:
Before adopting micro-segmentation, it’s important to understand the specific security and operational objectives you want to achieve. For example, are you looking to limit the spread of a data breach, enforce least privilege access, or improve compliance? Clearly defining your goals will help guide the implementation process and ensure that you achieve the desired results.
2. Map Out Your Network Architecture:
To effectively implement micro-segmentation, you need a good understanding of the network topology, traffic flows, and communication patterns within your infrastructure. This information is crucial in determining the most appropriate placement of microsegments and defining security policies.
3. Use Automated Tools for Discovery:
Mapping out your network infrastructure can be a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. Automated discovery tools can help identify all assets and their dependencies, reducing the time and effort required for manual mapping.
4. Define Security Policies:
Once you have a clear understanding of your network architecture, you can start defining the security policies for each microsegment. This includes access control policies, such as allowing only specific types of traffic to flow between segments, and data protection policies, such as encrypting sensitive information.
5. Adopt a Continuous Monitoring Approach:
Microsegmentation policies need to be continuously monitored and tested to ensure that they are effective and enforceable. This includes using tools such as network traffic analysis and security event logging to identify and respond to potential threats such as DDoS attacks. That is why it is important to invest in DDoS protection services.
6. Encrypt Sensitive Data:
In addition to micro-segmentation, it’s important to ensure that sensitive data is encrypted both in transit and at rest. This adds an additional layer of protection in the event of a breach or attack.
7. Regularly Review and Update Policies:
The threat landscape and infrastructure are constantly evolving, and it’s important to regularly review and update micro-segmentation policies to keep pace with these changes. This includes reviewing policies in light of new security threats and updating policies to reflect changes in your infrastructure, such as the deployment of new assets or the removal of outdated systems.
Conclusion
Microsegmentation is a critical technique for improving network security by dividing a network into smaller segments and enforcing security policies at the application level. It offers several benefits such as reducing the attack surface, improving security visibility, enabling precise security controls, supporting compliance, and increasing operational efficiency.
There are two main types of micro-segmentation: network-based and application-based. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the appropriate choice depends on the specific requirements and constraints of each organization. Regardless of the type, implementing micro-segmentation is a critical step toward improving overall network security and reducing the risk of data breaches.
Did this guide help you in understanding micro-segmentation? Would you adopt micro-segmentation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
