The rise of the Atomized Network and how to secure it
By Netography Team
During the past 50 years network and compute models have shifted dramatically, from centralized mainframes to the distributed desktop revolution, and back again to centralized data centers. Now, we are facing an entirely different model, where applications and data are scattered across a complex environment consisting of multi-cloud, on-premise, and legacy infrastructure, being accessed by increasingly mobile and remote workers.
We call this the Atomized Network and it is increasingly difficult to secure.
In our new white paper, we closely examine the Atomized Network, why it is difficult to defend, the limitations of the most prevalent solutions, and the new paradigm needed to secure it. Here are just a few key takeaways:
- The complexity of modern networks breeds obscurity. Organizations struggle to defend their network because it is so distributed and dynamic that they don’t know what they’ve got, what it is all doing, and what it might be vulnerable to.
- Organizations try to secure a complex environment with a defense-in-depth approach that includes a combination of disparate, interrelated security solutions designed for cloud, on-premises, and legacy environments.
- Everywhere you add complexity—within the network and the capabilities to defend it—you add opacity and gaps. Attackers live in the gaps for an average of 212 days, preparing and executing attacks that are difficult to detect before damage can be done.
- The ability to monitor traffic using an appliance-based architecture is outstripped as networks expand and the volume of network traffic increases to support digital initiatives. In the Atomized Network, appliances are a dead end.
- As Zero Trust becomes the norm, encryption of network traffic is accelerating, and deep packet inspection (DPI) is increasingly blinded.
- Agent-based endpoint detection provides unique visibility into local processes, but maintaining agents adds complexity, and not every endpoint can support an agent or is within your control. Traditional on-premises network detection and response solutions that rely on appliances and DPI are dying off.
Download the white paper for more details on the increasing complexity ahead, widening security gaps, and how to protect your Atomized Network now, and as it continues to expand.