Call for overhaul of network security

Organisations must improve their network security practices in response to new working practices and increased security threats, experts warn.

Installing a firewall to protect the network is no longer sufficient defence, says David Roberts chief technical officer of security vendor Inkra Networks.

'The biggest trend we see is security moving beyond simple perimeter firewall security, where before the focus had been on keeping the bad guys out in a Chinese-wall kind of way,' said Roberts.

'But that can't continue to be the case, as losses related to internal breaches of security are on the rise,' he said.

An increase in mobility means there are now also more employees accessing systems remotely. This, in turn, raises the number of vulnerable access points outside the main network perimeter.

'You now have employees working from hotels or home on insecure connections, bringing laptops infected with viruses into the office network,' he said.

There is a growing trend to bring the security perimeter closer to the data and in front of every application and manage systems more centrally to reduce operational costs.

Roberts says firms should embrace the concept of virtualisation to control these various extra security layers, while management software can be used to run multiple firewalls, virtual private networks and intrusion detection devices, for example.

He said this more rigorous approach to network vulnerability can also deliver savings through the increased levels of automation, which increases efficiency and reduces reliance on manually intensive tasks.