Intelligent CISO Issue 02 | Page 66

Dan Schiappa , General Manager and Senior Vice President for End-User Security at Sophos
The findings of Sophos ’ global survey revealed that IT managers cannot identify 45 % of their organisation ’ s network traffic
intelligent NETWORK SECURITY
“ With governments worldwide introducing stiffer penalties for data breach and loss , knowing who and what is on your network is becoming increasingly important . This dirty secret can ’ t be ignored any longer .”
On average , organisations spend seven working days remediating 16 infected machines per month while smaller organisations ( 100 to 1,000 users ) spend an average of five working days remediating 13 machines .
Larger organisations meanwhile ( 1,001 to 5,000 users ) spend an average of 10 working days remediating 20 machines per month , according to the survey .
Schiappa said : “ A single network breach often leads to the compromise of multiple computers , so the faster you can stop the infection from spreading the more you limit the damage and time needed to clean it up .
“ Companies are looking for the kind of next-generation , integrated network and endpoint protection that can stop advanced threats and prevent an isolated incident from turning into a widespread outbreak .
“ Sophisticated exploits such as MimiKatz and EternalBlue reminded everyone that network protection is critical to endpoint security and vice versa . Only direct
intelligence sharing between these two can reveal the true nature of who and what is operating on your network .”
IT managers are very aware that firewalls need an upgrade in protection . In fact , the survey revealed that 79 % of IT managers polled want better protection from their current firewall .
A total of 99 % want firewall technology that can automatically isolate infected computers , and 97 % would like endpoint and firewall protection from the same vendor which allows for direct sharing of security status information .
Security is not the only risk to businesses
Following security risks , lost productivity was cited as a concern for 52 % of respondents when it comes to a lack of network visibility . Business productivity can be negatively impacted if IT is unable to prioritise bandwidth for critical applications .
For industries that rely on custom software to meet specific business needs , an inability to prioritise these mission critical applications over less important traffic could be costly .
A total of 50 % of IT professionals who had invested in custom applications admitted that their firewall could not
identify the traffic and therefore were unable to maximise their return on investment .
Lack of visibility also creates a blind spot for the potential transfer of illegal or inappropriate content on corporate networks , making companies vulnerable to litigation and compliance issues .
“ Organisations need a firewall that protects their investment in businesscritical and custom applications by allowing employees to have prioritised access to the applications they need ,” said Schiappa .
“ Increasing network visibility requires a radically different approach . By enabling the firewall to receive information directly from the endpoint security , it can now positively identify all applications , even obscure or custom applications .”
The Dirty Secrets of Network Firewalls survey was conducted by Vanson Bourne , an independent specialist in market research , in October and November 2017 .
This survey interviewed 2,700 IT decision makers in 10 countries and across five continents , including the US , Canada , Mexico , France , Germany , UK , Australia , Japan , India and South Africa . All respondents were from organisations of between 100 and 5,000 users . u
66 Issue 02 | www . intelligentciso . com