How to Plan the Configuration of Cybersecurity Products

by Secure Gulf Network Security Provider, SSL VPN, and mobile dev

With the rapid development of cloud service and mobile devices, various industries, including those non-information related ones, have reached an inseparable degree of dependence on information systems and networks. Many enterprises have transferred part or all of their services to the cloud, for the convenience of remote workers and mobile devices.

The cybersecurity threats faced by enterprises is greater than ever before. Any information security accidents can cause huge operational losses. Facing these challenges, IT enterprises should plan their solutions as soon as possible.

IT administrators go up against these threats by deploying the appropriate solutions. However, the catch comes during configuration, where one careless mistake could open a loophole in an otherwise airtight protection mechanism.

Luckily, the solution isn’t rocket science. Let’s think about it in terms of “device”, “identity” and “service”.

For example, how should we plan the settings when enterprises use Pulse Connect Secure to provide their staff with remote access to data center?

Device:

Firstly, devices are inspected by host checker. Those that fail to meet the security requirements are not allowed to log on to VPN. Remedy examples are to install the newest critical patches, security and anti-virus software with the latest virus-scanning engines and virus libraries.

Identity:

Usually identities are verified through account names and passwords, yet passwords can be used by other users to log in. So two factor authentication can be added such as Time-based OTP, or the users may choose credentials to identify and log in.

Service:

The employees are divided into their appropriate subgroups, and each subgroup can be set to access the appropriate resources based on their role. For instance, when the staff of operation departments log in, only the systems of operation departments are accessible to them.

One we’ve considered all three aspects of device, identity and service, we can then figure out the internal usage scenarios of enterprises. The same method can be adopted to other products, or a certain scenario can be figured out before committing appropriate solutions. This way, we can maximize the effectiveness of security products, and have a more comprehensive defence, thus reducing cybersecurity threats and preventing attacks against our enterprises.