Gain Actionable Intelligence from Your Network Security Tools

Network security is a broad term that refers to a variety of actions, best practices, technologies, and devices dedicated to keeping a network secure. Effective network security consists of a number of objectives, including securing sensitive internal data, preventing outside attacks, detecting existing threats, and monitoring user activity. It's hard to guarantee a 100% secure network, which is why proactive measures are important to ensure you're tracking changes and flagging suspicious events. Network security must address activity across hardware, software, user logins, company files, and more. Admins must also be working with up-to-date information about known global threats in order to better identify problems within their own network.

A comprehensive approach to network security can also mean investing in tools and software that provide insights into potential threats occurring across the network. That includes software that looks at event logs from many network components and user activity. Other typical network security measures include firewalls, antivirus software, and access controls. A complete network security system might involve using many different tools at the same time to protect various parts of the network, or admins can look for software solutions that offer more comprehensive integration across the network. That way, all of your data can be accessed through one centralized dashboard to provide better insight into security threats.

Network security helps protect the function, privacy, and accessibility of computer networks and their data through the use of software and hardware. Network security monitoring is even more important in the era of tech-dependent services and connected mobile devices because cybercriminals now have many more opportunities to access and disrupt your business.

Effective network security monitoring also requires you to recognize your vulnerable systems and track who is accessing that information. A range of cybersecurity attacks, including phishing, DDoS, and ransomware, can happen to anyone at any time. Any enterprise that is connected to a network needs to have at least minimal network security protocols in place—a robust, proactive approach is ideal.

Network security management tools are the components across an IT environment that contribute to overall network security, typically centralized through dedicated security software.

Network security software gathers information from tools like firewalls, antivirus software, and intrusion prevention systems used in organizations to help ensure data security, connectivity, and productivity. In distributed environments, these tools are often synchronized using SIEM software for better governance and centralized monitoring. By collecting and analyzing real-time event logs from these tools, admins can get an up-to-date overview of their IT environment. A major goal of using these tools is to make sure that unauthorized users, from former employees to external hackers, cannot gain access to the network.

Comprehensive network security management tools should:

• Have simple setup and workflows
• Be free from configuration errors and easy to manage
• Respond in real time
• Correlate siloed data quickly
• Use threat intelligence technology

Network security management software should also help monitor user access within an enterprise by integrating with tools like Active Directory. Through this kind of integration, admins can streamline and automate the process of managing many network security tools and components.

Network security falls into three broad categories: physical, technical, and administrative. There are many components within these categories that admins should consider as part of a robust network security strategy.

1. Physical network security decreases the likelihood that unauthorized users will be able to physically gain access to your network. The most common examples of this are locks, keycards, biometric authorization measures, and specialized routers. These are important measures (and may be relevant for some compliance regulations) but they are not the typical definition for “network security,” even if failure in these areas may affect the integrity of business data.
2. Technical network security is the largest and most recognized subsection of network security. When you think of “network security,” this is likely the definition that comes to mind. Technical security measures involve hardware and software that protect network functions (like internet access, backup, application performance, and more) and data, whether at rest or in storage. Security is achieved largely by protecting against external malicious activity like hackers and malware, but also protecting against intentional or accidental threats coming from employees.
3. Administrative network security refers to internal security measures that monitor user behavior and dictate how certain users can interact with the network. This can include using Active Directory to issue appropriate user and group permissions levels and otherwise control the type of access certain users have to folders and files.

Any network security policy should focus on three things: protection, detection, and reaction. You should be able to configure your network as accurately as possible, know when that configuration has been tampered with or when changes in network traffic indicate a problem, and react to network security issues as soon as they occur.

Developing a network security policy involves a systematically structured, top-down approach. Admins should consider including the following types of important security solutions when building an effective policy:

• Access control: Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC) are an easy way to execute these functions across all areas of an enterprise.
• Security event management: Prevent threats, minimize  damage when they occur, and use log data to perform post-attack analysis with a SIEM monitoring tool.
• Data loss prevention: Data loss prevention protocols can prevent users from distributing information in an unprotected manner.
• Intrusion prevention programs: These systems actively block attacks using cyber threat intelligence.
• Wireless security: Without strict security measures, anyone can gain access to your wireless network, especially if you are using it in a public place.
• Application security: Since apps usually involve granting third parties access and pulling data from various sources, it is important to make sure app operations are secure. Apps should be routinely monitored for gaps and vulnerabilities.

Network security monitoring and management is a huge responsibility for enterprises, and one small misstep can leave the entire network vulnerable to malicious agents and cybersecurity threats. SolarWinds Security Event Manager helps solve these problems by collecting event logs in real time from across network components, including hardware, software, firewalls, IDS, and more. The software is designed to analyze these logs and automatically flag any anomaly or suspicious activity, running potential threats through an automatically updated database of known threats.

SEM responds to the complex process of network security management with dynamic automation. You can also cut down on time spent troubleshooting with over 700 ready-made event correlation rules. As the tool detects vulnerabilities across your systems environment, it uses predefined actions and out-of-the-box 24/7 active responses to respond to security threats, whether that means cutting off USB devices or shutting users out of forbidden files. The program also sends automated alerts with relevant problem details to the correct admin, so that security efforts can begin quickly.

In addition, SEM provides forensic analysis of your security auditing logs in real time and offers many different ways to visualize that information, including charts and graphs with relevant, real-time information. It's also easy to generate, schedule, or send automated reports to support compliance efforts using Security Event Manager.

• Access Right Manager: Access right management tool that audits access rights across your network.
• Network Performance Monitor: Multi-vendor network monitoring software that scales and expands with the needs of your network.
• ipMonitor^®: Essential up/down and performance monitoring for networks, servers, and applications.