Blog Future-proof Network Security at your own pace

It would be easy to understate how much life has improved for remote workers. Connectivity to corporate apps and data enjoyed today is as seamless and secure – if not better – than it was for those office-based just a few years ago.

However, as migration to cloud services has escalated, so have hackers sought to exploit the vulnerabilities that can bring. Organisations have a compliance responsibility for the protection of data, and remote working has made managing, protecting and auditing data a real compliancy challenge. The stakes are high. Ignorance is no defence, nor is being breached. In 2023, approximately €2.1 billion in fines were imposed in the EU due to violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ¹

In response, security teams have been required to adopt even more robust cloud security measures. Businesses have implemented cloud access security brokers (CASBs) and enhanced cloud monitoring to ensure secure usage of cloud applications. SASE architectures have become the flavour of the month, combining network security functions (like secure web gateways, firewalls) with wide-area networking (WAN) capabilities to support secure access to applications.

And while cloud-based security may seem a panacea, let us not forget those businesses who still want to leverage their existing investments while adopting these newer technologies, or those who need to meet regulatory requirements which control exactly where their data is stored and processed. For such businesses a hybrid security solution, combining on-premises infrastructure with public and private cloud services, is still a requirement. For the ultimate flexibility, many businesses demand a solution that provides the same experience whatever the environment: on-premises, hybrid or cloud.

Symantec’s Network Protection includes all elements of the Security Service Edge framework, and more. Crucially its security policies are the same whether on-premises, hybrid or in the cloud, and it is deployed universally with a simple per-user, per-year licencing model.

Six reasons to take a closer look at Symantec’s Security Service Edge (SSE) offering, Network Protection.

1. The flexibility to move to the cloud at a pace that best fits the business need
   With the Symantec SSE solution, security teams can move to the cloud at their own pace, moving existing network security capabilities and introducing new ones as and when they are ready. In addition, a simplified per-user/per-year price, means deployment can be on-premises and in the cloud using the same licence.
2. Eliminate the costly VPN
   Symantec provides a more secure, easy and reliable way to access applications than a VPN. Instead of providing a tunnel to the internal network, it uses Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) to establish a secure connection between the user and the application, while reducing access privileges and security risk.
3. Reinforce your security with additional layers
   Symantec uses Remote Browser Isolation (or Web Isolation) to provide a secure browsing experience by ring-fencing web sessions from the endpoint device. Thereby any potential threats encountered during web browsing are contained within the isolated environment, preventing malware and other threats from reaching the user’s device and network.
4. Enhanced visibility and control
   Symantec offers visibility into user activity of cloud apps and provides a powerful solution to expose shadow IT. Core functionality from Symantec’s Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) is utilised here to identify thousands of risky apps and services.
5. Symantec SWG backed by a world-class Global Intelligence Network
   Symantec and its Secure Web Gateway (SWG) utilise the Symantec Global Intelligence Network (GIN) to gather up-to-the-minute file and URL reputation information. Without adversely impacting the user experience, the GIN routinely blocks more than 1 billion URLs and millions of malware attacks every day.
6. A simple integrated solution from a single vendor
   Symantec provides an integrated and all-inclusive solution from a single vendor. It provides seamless operation between disparate functions such as policy enforcement and incident management. This eliminates those cross-platform compatibility issues that can lead to inefficiency and high maintenance costs associated with deploying software from multiple security vendors.

Symantec provides an integrated and all-inclusive solution from a single vendor. It provides seamless operation between disparate functions such as policy enforcement and incident management. This eliminates those cross-platform compatibility issues that can lead to inefficiency and high maintenance costs associated with deploying software from multiple security vendors.

¹ https://enforcementtracker.com