Enterprise security needs to adapt to the growing security challenges of modern and complex hyper-connected infrastructure. The next generation of virtual networks focuses on built-in security solutions inside the infrastructure, which is a more effective approach to run and protect apps and data in an ever-increasing complex network environment.
Traditional enterprise security represents software controls, security protocols and infrastructure adjacent to the network or added after the initial network setup, as requirements arise.
By contrast, virtual cloud networking completely redesigns enterprise security from the inside, which means cyber protection is already embedded in the infrastructure from the get-go and includes all components from the data centre to branch and edge. It uses built-in security software and controls to limit cyber attacks to the network and secure all data and applications.
In short, enterprise security should take into account the business data and apps that need to be safeguarded by malware and cybercrime, the placement of security controls on machine networks and endpoints and the general complexity of the connected infrastructure. For example, a common shared infrastructure can contain thousands of applications distributed across multiple systems and locations.
As application architectures shifted from monolithic stacks to distributed systems, organisations found it more difficult to identify and secure an application via a single machine or network link. Equally hard was aligning the relevant controls and policies with apps to prevent data breaches.
With the above in mind, a software-defined data centre and a security-focused virtualised framework make perfect sense. Unlike traditional security solutions focused on hardware vulnerabilities, network virtualisation provides the security layer required with the software applications and data.
The security layer is important in providing better visibility of regulatory processes running on the infrastructure, setup compartmentalised controls and segment access around specific applications for better alignment, align encryption to the applications and data.
Overall, a software-defined virtualised network with multiple stacks can improve security at every layer of the stack and enforce strict application controls at network and data unit, which can eliminate an enormous amount of the attack surface. Consequently, this layering minimises the attack surface and reduces complexity to allow for more focused security controls at all times.
Find out more about virtual cloud networking and enterprise security from VMware.
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