As pretty much anyone in the industry will tell you, good security infrastructure is the cornerstone of any business. It doesn’t matter if the company has five computers or fifty thousand — the end goal is the same. You want to ensure that your data is accessible, protected and that the business maintains its integrity.
But before we get into it, you should know this; There is no such thing as a universally secure infrastructure. With that said, your job is to make it as secure and as stable as you possibly can. And it all starts with identifying threats.
Now, let’s back it up first, and get into what a security infrastructure really is, and what it can do for you.
What Is a Security Infrastructure?
A security infrastructure encompasses every tool, assessment, and reorganization process necessary to keep an organization safe. But it goes beyond that.
To create a successful security structure, you need to consider every aspect of the business. For example, who has authorized access to what, who is bringing their own devices, or who is using weak passwords? You also need to come up with bulletproof policies, which you have to enforce, monitor, and, on occasion, change.
What we’re trying to say is that security infrastructure is a living, breathing thing. You need to tend to it constantly, and make sure that no one can break it down.
However, as we said earlier, creating a 100% secure structure is impossible. At best, you’re going to create something that can fend off basic attacks, and that can prevent breaches.
What Does a Security Infrastructure Accomplish?
As you’ve probably gathered by now, a security structure is designed to keep all the people (and their devices) safe in an organization. But those are just the basics, as a structure can do so much more. Here are just some of the tools that can help.
Firewalls
A good firewall can do wonders for a company, starting with protecting the entire system. It can do that by detecting malware and endorsing application control through a deep packet inspection. Also, the firewall can use user VPNs to suss out vulnerabilities and malicious code. That way, you can handle the threat before it even enters your network.
Spam and Virus Filters
Any company in the world could greatly benefit from having email spam and virus filters, but they’re still not used enough. With these filters, all emails would be scrubbed free of suspicious attachments, viruses, as well as spam. You can even outsource the filtering job to a company that would take care of all operations in its data center.
DDoS Protection
We’ve recently talked about the fact that botnet and DDoS attacks are on the rise once again. So if you want to create a security infrastructure that’s worth a damn, you’re going to need DDoS protection.
First off, you’ll need to create an alert system that’ll let you know as soon as there’s any hostile traffic. What’s more, you should do constant scans of edge routers so that you can protect your data.
SIEM Tools
Security information and event management (SIEM) tools can help you with real-time analysis of your log data. They are also really handy when it comes to generating alerts for any anomalies on your network.
Making the Infrastructure More Secure
Now that you know all the benefits of a security structure, it’s time to talk about making it even stronger. These are some simple guidelines that are pretty obvious, but we still wanted to mention them for good measure.
1. Create Security Policies
One thing that’ll ensure your structure is safe and sound is having policies that will protect it. Either you or the IT admins need to come up with standard operating procedures (SOPs) that others in the company will follow. These should be comprehensive, and they should include all aspects of IT security.
What’s more, you need to ensure that everyone on the staff understands and is compliant with the policies.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are live documents, meaning they should be adjusted and updated as new information becomes available. The bad guys are constantly pivoting and evolving so we need to be too.
Lee Brandon, expert on Physical Security, Risk Management, Travel Safety
2. Do Audits and Assessments
If you’re unsure how big and complex your infrastructure should be, you can start by doing a security audit. That should help you figure out the exact needs of the organization, as well as identify any weaknesses. Basically, audits and assessments will give you a sort of blueprint for your structure.
3. Do Constant Backups
If you’re in charge of security, you can’t be one of those people who forgets how important backups are. A single data breach, no matter how big or small threatens to affect the company’s bottom line, which is something you can’t afford.
To avoid having that happen to you, you should come up with a data backup solution. That way, even if your infrastructure becomes compromised, you’ll still be able to recover your data. Also, make sure to test your backup services on a regular basis to avoid running into any problems.
4. Keep Software up to Date
Again, keeping software up to date sounds like something really obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t do it. From executives to interns, anyone using company devices needs to be working with software that’s legitimate and secure.
You should also make sure that every device has a firewall installed that will block any unauthorized access. These are just some of the things that you should include in your policies that will protect your structure.
5. Safeguard Devices
Thanks to the BYOD policy, stealing devices and using them to get access to confidential data has never been easier. Also, due to the fact that a lot of employees are working from home networks, companies are more exposed than ever.
So while creating your infrastructure, you can’t forget about all the aspects of physical security that will protect it. Make sure you cover all access points into the building and office and talk to the staff about the importance of not leaving their devices unattended.
Bottom Line
Strong and comprehensive security infrastructure is one of your most important weapons in the war on cybercrime. But unless you’re a security specialist with over 10+ years in the business, don’t expect to do it all alone.
Always use all your resources, consult with the IT department, and talk to the other employees. They can give you invaluable insight, and help you protect your structure much better.
In the meantime, make sure that you’re always staying up to date on everything happening in the industry. And the first step to being in the know is signing up for our newsletter for critical updates and insights.
