With continuous increase of data in different organizations, both the cost and frequency of data breach continues to rise. Not only that, this continuous and drastic increase in data is putting organizations under attack constantly. Similarly, the shifting of working remotely is also playing its part in exacerbating the problem. And that is why the need of network segmentation has increased more than ever now. And if your organization is the one to not deploy network segmentation then it’s high time to get started.

Did you know?

  • Due to COVID-19 situation, cybercrime rose up to 600%.
  • There are more than 250,000 unique users that have been attacked by Trojan-Banker.Android.Asacub malware which is an application.
  • Similarly, all of the ransomware attacks were estimated to cost around $6 trillion by 2021 annually.
  • Moreover, 98% of the mobile malware tend to target Android devices.

In this article on gogorapid, we are going to talk about what network segmentation is and some network segmentation best practices.

What is network segmentation?

Network segmentation is a very meticulous process in which your network is mostly divided into multiple zones having particular security protocols being applied to each zone. Network segmentation comes with one important goal and that is to give out a better handle on managing security and compliance. Using VLANs, the traffic gets segregated between network segments and the firewalls are providing an additional layer of security for both data and application protection purpose. Getting certified in network related field can also be helpful. Checkout best CompTIA A+ Certification Training courses here.

When you manage to separate your network into smaller chunks, all your organization’s devices and servers and applications then become isolated from the rest of the entire network. And suppose, if a potential attacker manages to breach your first perimeter of defense, he won’t be able to get any further. So that is why network segmentation is very important to deploy.

Network segmentation best practices:

When organizations manage to properly plan and implement network segmentation, the chances of improved network performance increase a lot. So here are some best practices to consider for network segmentation.

Never make a mistake of over segmenting your network:

Excess of everything is bad right? Same goes for network segmentation as well as too much of segmentation can be counterproductive. When your networks become a little too much segmented, it becomes difficult to manage access and that leads to decreased productivity. So it is your job to make sure that there is a balance between segmenting the networks.

Restricting third-party access would be great:

It is very common for breaches to happen to vendors all the time and that is why it is important to keep yourself protected. Having so many third-party vendors, it is very important to maintain specific access points for each vendor. Applying this practice will only make your network stronger and safer.

Make a habit of auditing your networks regularly:

You can never keep a check and balance on the number of users and applications and endpoints that are accessing a network as it changes all the time. So to gain this knowledge, you need to do regular network audits which can also include vulnerability assessments. They are very critical to segmentation process and can help pin point security gaps if any.

Merge similar network resources:

Whenever you are segmenting your network, it is best to make sure that all the similar network resources are combined into distinct databases. This will streamline security policies while at the same time protect your data. And if you also do regular network audits then it will help you identify the resources that need to be consolidated or combined. Once you have done that you can then categorize the data according to the degree of sensitivity and data type.

Keep a check on who has access to the network:

If you don’t have any clue as to who has access to the network, you won’t be able to segment correctly. So you must know who has access to the network or the type of information they need for performing their jobs. Therefore, whenever you start with segmentation make sure that you know all about which data has to be accessed by whom to prevent yourself from re-architecting the segmentation process later.

Legitimate path must be easier than illegitimate one:

Always keep the architecture of your network in mind so that whenever you are creating a path, it must be easier for the third-party to access, but difficult for the hacker. Meaning, if there is only one or two firewall between the hacker and the data that you are trying to protect, and three or four firewalls between your vendors and the data they need then it is high time to reorganize your architecture.

Conclusion:

As you can see how important network segmentation is and the damage that it can cause to your data. Therefore, if you haven’t segmented your data then you are at potential risk of getting it hacked and it’s time to start today.