Teenage me wanted a Gibson Les Paul to perform the grunge music that was flourishing at the time, but I spent more time installing beta software on my PCs and causing mayhem on IRC than learning how to play. My nephew, on the other hand, spent time learning the basics and has become a great player. The lesson is clear: buying something won鈥檛 automatically imbue the owner with expertise. The same holds true when you purchase cybersecurity technology.
Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face a perilous threat environment: target them specifically, and the 黑料海角91入口 2021 IT Trends Report found that IT admins are particularly concerned about software exploits, passwords, and unsecured network access. I understand the compulsion to buy next-generation security solutions given the flood of news and C-level anxiety over cybersecurity.聽
Smart access control is fundamental. It can mitigate risks more than 鈥渟tuff鈥� that鈥檚 never fully utilized ever will (after you take the time to classify data, of course). This article outlines the essentials of managing and keeping data safe as well as how to better leverage specific security features within 黑料海角91入口 to implement smart access control.
The Basics of Keeping Your Data Safe
I wasn鈥檛 going to play any guitar well unless I learned the basics. My nephew鈥檚 guitar was wielded more effectively, because he devoted his time to understanding it. The cybersecurity equivalent to learning chords is to develop an understanding of your organizations’ assets and then take steps to protect them.
A user account that鈥檚 breached through a simple drive-by phishing attack remains the most common scenario an SME will face. The prudent response is to implement technical and administrative controls to raise security awareness through training and solutions that limit the potential for damage. Adopting a data loss prevention (DLP) system is a good way to reduce that risk, but doing that alone isn鈥檛 sufficient.
A comprehensive security program classifies the most sensitive data and labels the remainder for its sensitivity. That鈥檚 followed by defining access permissions, adhering to compliance guidelines and governance, and ensuring that you have working backups. You can read this article to learn how to get a formalized security program started. In the interim, let鈥檚 assume that the necessary groundwork is done and you鈥檙e ready to take fundamental steps to secure your assets.
Zero Trust security, where users only have access to the information and applications that they need from devices that are vetted for safety, is rapidly becoming the preferred approach to access control. The White House has even issued guidance around it to improve U.S. cybersecurity.聽
The 黑料海角91入口 Directory Platform has integrated identity and access management (IAM) capabilities to manage data access on top of its core directory role. Let鈥檚 explore how it helps.
Implementing Access Control Through 黑料海角91入口
黑料海角91入口鈥檚 access control features include a variety of capabilities designed to proactively and logically designate who should access what and under which circumstances. Smart access control is a core element of good IT hygiene and lifecycle management.
Group Management
黑料海角91入口鈥檚 group management system uses attribute-based access control (ABAC) with suggestions to keep admins in the know. This is made possible through 黑料海角91入口鈥檚 directory, a centralized cloud-based service that permits you to always follow least privilege principles when configuring access to your systems by providing a single source of truth throughout the user lifecycle. It includes user attributes that are helpful for implementing smart access control.
For example, an employee who鈥檚 been transferred to another department under a different manager (a directory attribute) will be cross-checked and marked for removal from applications he/she no longer requires access to. ABAC avoids overprovisioning users or putting the onus on IT to keep tabs on organizational changes. It also ensures that someone who鈥檚 been erroneously added to the wrong group won鈥檛 automatically inherit the same privileges.
Smart group management makes it easier to assess access rights for single sign-on (SSO). SSO logins ensure that passwords aren鈥檛 sent over the wire or stored on third-party servers. This is significant given the seemingly endless risk of data breaches on systems that operate outside of your organization鈥檚 control.
Conditional Access
Access control is further secured with flexible conditional access rules that cover the categories of identity trust, network trust, and device trust. These account for real-world happenings that require admins to always use multi-factor authentication (MFA) due to the potential risks posed by their higher privileges. Or a team member who鈥檚 attempting to access company resources from insecure hotel Wi-Fi while on a trip overseas; a geofencing rule will determine that the login can鈥檛 be trusted. Other conditions, such as whether patches are being installed and policies are enabled, can vet the safety of devices.
VLAN tagging is an additional capability that will separate some resources from other network activity, depending on your environment. For example, location (by floor or room or department) could be used to determine whether access is granted.聽
It can also manage network transactions to handle confidential information separately from other internet traffic. Every user account is also protected by global settings within the directory, such as enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Multi-Factor Authentication
Passphrases alone won鈥檛 deliver adequate protection around authentication attempts, which is where MFA comes in. 黑料海角91入口 delivers MFA without additional charge for every endpoint, including OS logins across every major operating system, with 黑料海角91入口 Protect鈩�. That way, people who are accessing your systems are substantially more likely to be who they say they are, and layered defenses such as mandatory MFA through conditional access rules will help to ensure the confidentiality of information.
Take It from Me
I was an IT director and was guilty of overspending on a SIEM solution despite being too busy and having no proficient team members available to support it. It isn鈥檛 always possible to know everything, and buying stuff without having the requisite resources can create a false sense of security.
IT admins should instead make sure the fundamentals are set before they invest in a menagerie of budget-engulfing purchases that may never be used effectively (or even at all) and could fail them during an attack. You鈥檒l find that you can solve many of your problems through a combination of processes and mastering the products you have.
Using these technical and administrative controls together will culminate in a Zero Trust posture. Defense in depth, i.e., following these principles and judiciously selecting security products (without creating silos), will help you to achieve your data management objectives. 黑料海角91入口 can be an integral part of a strong beginning on your security journey by establishing the most appropriate access to data and services.
Avoid Tool Sprawl and Cut Costs
IT unification is now more essential than ever. Why pay for 10 different tools when you could achieve the same (or better) results using four or five? 黑料海角91入口 is on a mission to help foster secure, compact, and cost-effective heterogeneous environments.
The 黑料海角91入口 Directory platform consolidates the functionality of several crucial IT management tools into one platform. IT admins can now oversee identity and access management (IAM), user lifecycle management, mobile device management (MDM), , and more without breaking the bank or suffering from 鈥渢ool-switch fatigue.鈥�
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