Part 2 of WEI’s Cloud Security Foundations series. You can find part 1 here.

Setting up a secure AWS environment is a critical step for any organization looking to leverage the cloud effectively. However, without a solid security foundation, even the most advanced deployments can be vulnerable to costly misconfigurations and breaches. 

According to recent industry reports, 80% of cloud security incidents stem from misconfigurations that could have been prevented with proper foundational controls. In the second edition of the three-part Cloud Security Foundation Series, we’ll walk you through a practical, five-phase roadmap to help you build and maintain a strong security posture in AWS from day one. To read revisit part one, click here. 

Why Automation Matters: The Scale Challenge 

Managing security across 5 AWS accounts manually? Challenging but doable. Managing security across 50+ accounts manually? Nearly impossible. 

This is where AWS Control Tower and Organizations become game-changers. They transform security from a manual, error-prone process into an automated, scalable system that grows with your organization. 

The Foundation: AWS Organizations + Control Tower Automation 

Before diving into the phases, let’s discuss the automation backbone that enables everything else to be possible. AWS Control Tower is essentially an orchestration layer that sits on top of AWS Organizations, automating the setup and governance of your multi-account environment. Think of it as your security automation command center. 

Why This Matters for Cybersecurity 

AWS Organizations provides the basic multi-account structure and consolidated billing. Still, AWS Control Tower builds upon this by offering pre-configured security blueprints, service control policies (SCPs), and ongoing governance controls. The magic happens when these two services work together: 

• Automated account provisioning through Account Factory with security guardrails baked in 

• Centralized logging across all accounts with immutable log storage 

• Preventive controls that stop risky configurations before they happen 

• Detective controls that continuously monitor for drift and compliance violations 

Phase 1: Establish Your Automated Landing Zone 

Automation Deep Dive 

AWS Control Tower’s Account Factory automates account creation using AWS Service Catalog under the hood. This means: 

• Template-driven provisioning: Every new account gets the same security baseline 

• API-driven workflows: Integrate account creation into your CI/CD pipelines 

• Automatic enrollment: New accounts are automatically registered with Control Tower guardrails 

Now that you have your automated landing zone in place, it’s time to tackle the foundation of all cloud security: identity and access management. 

Phase 2: Build a Strong Identity Foundation with Automation 

The Three Pillars of AWS Identity Security 

1. Retire the root account: Protect it with MFA and store the credentials in a vault; never use it for daily tasks. 

2. Centralize identities with automation: Connect Okta, Azure AD, or another IdP to IAM Identity Center and enforce MFA for every human user. Control Tower automatically configures this during landing zone setup. 

3. Least privilege by default: 

• Start with AWS-managed job-function policies only when needed 

• Automate permission reviews: Run IAM Access Analyzer continuously to flag overly broad permissions 

Success Metrics for Phase 2 

• MFA Adoption rate: 100% for all human users with enforced policy and regular compliance audits. 

• Permission violations: < 5 per month across all accounts with real-time monitoring and automated remediation 

• Identity governance compliance: 100% adherence to role-based access control (RBAC) principles 

With identity management automated, let’s focus on protecting your most valuable asset: your data. 

Phase 3: Protect Data Everywhere with Automated Controls 

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them 

Pitfall: Assuming default encryption settings are sufficient 
Solution: Implement organization-wide encryption policies through SCPs 

Pitfall: Forgetting about data in transit between services 
Solution: Use VPC endpoints and enforce TLS through guardrails 

Now that your data is protected, let’s build the detection and response capabilities that will keep you ahead of threats. 

Phase 4: Detect, Respond, and Automate at Scale 

The Three Layers of Detection 

1. Native threat detection with centralized management 

• GuardDuty in all regions & accounts (Control Tower can enable this organization-wide) 

• Security Hub with the AWS Foundational Security Best Practices standard across all accounts 

2. Centralized monitoring through Organizations 
   Stream CloudTrail, VPC Flow Logs, and GuardDuty findings to the Log Archive account; alert on root logins, IAM policy changes, and high-severity findings 

3. Automated remediation at scale 
   EventBridge rules → Lambda functions that isolate non-compliant resources across all accounts in your organization. 

Automation Highlights 

• Organization-wide deployment: Use Control Tower’s StackSets integration to deploy security tools across all accounts simultaneously 

• Centralized alerting: All security events flow to the Audit account for unified monitoring 

• Automated response: Cross-account Lambda functions can quarantine resources in any member account 

Success Metrics for Phase 4 

• Mean time to detection: < 30 minutes for critical threats with basic CloudWatch alarms and GuardDuty notifications 

• Mean time to response: < 2 hours for high-severity incidents with manual investigation and documented runbooks 

• False positive rate: < 15% for automated alerts as teams learn to tune detection rules 

Security is never “done” – it requires continuous improvement and adaptation to new threats. 

Phase 5: Continuous Security Evolution and Optimization 

Automation Focus Areas 

• Continuous compliance monitoring: Control Tower’s detective guardrails run 24/7 across all accounts 

• Automated drift remediation: When accounts drift from baseline, Control Tower can automatically re-apply configurations 

• Self-healing infrastructure: Combine Control Tower with AWS Systems Manager for automated patching and configuration management 

Automated Guardrail Management 

Control Tower’s APIs now allow you to programmatically manage guardrails across your organization: 

• Enable/disable controls based on compliance requirements 

• Customize detective controls for your specific use cases 

• Automate control assignment to new OUs as they’re created 

Cross-Account Automation 

With AWS Organizations and Control Tower working together, you can: 

• Deploy security tools to all accounts simultaneously using StackSets 

• Centralize log collection from hundreds of accounts automatically 

• Enforce policies across the entire organization through SCPs 

Putting It All Together 

Follow the phases in order but iterate—security is never “done.” Most teams can complete Phases 1–3 within 60 days, then mature their detection and response capabilities over the next two quarters. The key difference with this approach is that automation is built in from the start, not added later. 

Remember the Four Pillars: 

• Automate first: every manual step today is tomorrow’s breach window 

• Guardrails over gates: preventive controls that keep dev velocity high win hearts and audits 

• Measure relentlessly: Control Tower’s compliance dashboard is your yardstick, so use it 

• Scale through orchestration: AWS Organizations + Control Tower handle the complexity so you can focus on business value 

The beauty of this approach is that as your organization grows from 10 accounts to 100+, the security and governance overhead stays manageable because it’s automated from the foundation up. 

Ready to Get Started? 

Building a secure AWS foundation doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start with Phase 1 this week, and you’ll have a solid foundation in place within 60 days. 

Need help implementing these recommendations? The WEI team has helped dozens of organizations build secure, scalable AWS environments. Contact us to discuss your specific requirements. 

Questions about Control Tower guardrails, Organizations SCPs, or automated account provisioning?  

Coming up next: Part 3 of our series covers Azure Security Blueprints and Microsoft’s five-pillar security model. Subscribe to stay updated!  

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Imagine this: Your company has just completed a significant cloud migration. Everything’s running smoothly, until a preventable security breach brings it all crashing down. 

We’ve all heard the horror stories, right? But here’s the thing: most cloud security disasters aren’t caused by sophisticated hackers using zero-day exploits. They’re caused by basic misconfigurations that could have been avoided with a solid security foundation. 

The “It Won’t Happen to Us” Mentality 

Let’s be clear: if you’re thinking “our company is too small to be targeted” or “we don’t have anything valuable,” you’re setting yourself up for trouble. Recent studies show that 80% of companies experienced at least one cloud security incident in the last year.  the organizations that are hit hardest are often those that thought they were flying under the radar. 

Cloud security isn’t just about preventing external attacks, it’s about creating a framework that protects you from: 

• Human error (yes, even your best developers make mistakes) 
• Insider threats (unfortunately, these are more common than enterprises would like)
• Compliance violations (which can cost more than breaches themselves) 
• Operational disruptions (because downtime = lost revenue)

What We Mean by “Security Foundation” 

When we talk about a security foundation, we’re not talking about buying the most expensive cybersecurity tools and calling it a day. Think of it like building a house…you wouldn’t start with the roof, right? 

Your cloud security foundation is essentially your security blueprint. It’s the set of baseline controls, policies, and practices that everything else builds upon. Whether you’re using AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, or all three (hey, we don’t judge – multi-cloud is real), you need this foundation in place before you start deploying workloads. 

The Universal Truth: Shared Responsibility Model 

Here’s where a lot of companies get tripped up, regardless of which cloud provider they choose. When you move to the cloud, you’re entering what’s called a “shared responsibility model.” 

Your cloud provider handles: The physical security, infrastructure, and platform security. 

You handle: Everything else. That is, your data, applications, operating systems, network configurations, and access management. 

This applies whether you’re on AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.  puts it clearly in their documentation: they secure the physical datacenter, network controls, host infrastructure, and foundational services, while you’re responsible for data security, identity and access management, application security, and configuration management. 

It’s like renting an apartment in a secure building. The building management handles the lobby security and fire safety systems, but you’re still responsible for locking your own door and not leaving your valuables on the windowsill. 

Why Most Companies Get This Wrong (Across All Platforms) 

In our consulting work, we see the same patterns over and over again, regardless of whether clients are using AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud: 

1. The “Move Fast and Fix Later” Trap

Companies rush to migrate to the cloud to hit deadlines or cut costs, planning to “circle back” to security later. Spoiler alert: later never comes, or when it does, it’s exponentially more expensive to retrofit security into existing systems. 

2. The “Default Settings Are Fine” Assumption

Cloud platforms are designed for flexibility and ease of use, not maximum security out of the box. Those default settings? They’re optimized for getting you up and running quickly, not for protecting your most sensitive data. This is true whether you’re spinning up EC2 instances in AWS, virtual machines in Azure, or compute engines in Google Cloud. 

3. The “Our On-Premises Security Will Work” Fallacy

Cloud environments are fundamentally different from traditional data centers. The tools and approaches that worked in your on-premises environment might not only be ineffective in the cloud – they might actually create new vulnerabilities. 

4. The “One Cloud Strategy Fits All” Mistake

Here’s one we see, especially with Azure deployments: teams assume that because they’re already using Microsoft 365 and understand Active Directory, Azure security will be straightforward. While Azure integrates beautifully with existing Microsoft ecosystems, it requires its own set of security considerations and expertise. 

The Common Security Challenges (No Matter Your Cloud) 

Let’s talk about what keeps us up at night when we’re helping companies secure their cloud environments: 

Misconfigurations Are Still King: Whether it’s misconfigured S3 buckets in AWS, improperly secured storage accounts in Azure, or overly permissive IAM roles in Google Cloud, configuration errors remain the leading cause of cloud security incidents. The complexity of cloud platforms means thousands of settings could potentially expose your data. 

Identity Management Complexity: Every cloud provider has their own identity and access management system – AWS IAM, Azure Active Directory (now Microsoft Entra ID), and Google Cloud IAM. The challenge isn’t just learning these systems; it’s implementing them correctly with the principle of least privilege while maintaining operational efficiency. 

The “Shared Everything” Problem: Cloud environments make it easy to share resources and data, but this convenience can quickly become a security nightmare if not properly managed. We’ve seen cases where development databases with production-like data were accidentally exposed because someone forgot to apply the right access controls. 

The Business Case for Getting This Right: Let’s talk numbers for a minute: 

• The average cost of a data breach in 2024 was $4.45 million 
• 45% of breaches were cloud-based 
• Organizations with a comprehensive security foundation experienced 80% fewer security incidents. 

But here’s the kicker: implementing a proper security foundation from the start costs a fraction of what you’ll spend dealing with security incidents later. 

Plus, there’s the compliance angle. Whether you’re dealing with GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, or industry-specific regulations, all three major cloud providers offer compliance tools, but only if you configure them correctly from the beginning. 

What’s Coming Next in This Series 

Over the next few posts, we’re going to dive deep into the practical side of building these foundations across all three major platforms: 

• AWS-specific strategies that go beyond the basic compliance checklists 
• Azure security blueprints that leverage Microsoft’s latest security framework and tools 
• Google Cloud security foundations that work in the real world 
• Multi-cloud considerations for organizations using multiple providers 
• Implementation tips we’ve learned from helping dozens of companies secure their cloud environments 

But before we get into the technical details, ask yourself: Does your organization have a clear answer to these questions? 

1. Who owns cloud security in your organization? 
2. Do you have visibility into all your cloud resources and their configurations across all platforms? 
3. Can you prove compliance with your industry regulations? 
4. Do you have an incident response plan that accounts for cloud-specific scenarios? 
5. Are you leveraging native security tools like AWS Security Hub, Azure Security Center (now Microsoft Defender for Cloud), or Google Cloud Security Command Center? 

If you’re hesitating on any of these, you’re not alone, and you’re exactly who this series is designed to help. Please reach out to my incredible team at WEI to learn more or  on LinkedIn for any questions.

The post Why Your Cloud Security Foundation Matters More Than You Think appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

In the previous posts in this series, we explored the fundamentals of cloud governance, strategies for managing shadow IT, best practices for building a Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE) and implementing continuous compliance on AWS. As organizations increasingly adopt DevOps practices to accelerate innovation, the challenge becomes ensuring that security is seamlessly integrated into this rapid development and deployment cycle. In this post, we’ll explore how to enable secure DevOps practices on AWS, highlighting key principles and best practices for embedding security into every phase of your development workflows.

How to Integrate Security Seamlessly into DevOps

Integrating security into DevOps means making security a shared responsibility across development, security, and operations teams throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC). The goal is to catch and fix security issues early, reducing risk and cost while improving the overall security posture. By shifting security left, integrating security early in the process, and automating security checks, you enable faster, more secure development.

Key benefits of this approach include:

• Identifying and remediating vulnerabilities early, when they are easier and less costly to fix
• Empowering developers to write more secure code by providing automated feedback during development
• Reducing the risk of security breaches and compliance violations
• Increasing the speed and agility of software delivery by catching issues earlier

However, this shift isn’t without challenges. Integrating security into DevOps requires changes to existing processes, tools, and culture. Development, security, and operations teams must collaborate closely to build a shared understanding of risks and responsibilities.

Best Practices for Secure DevOps on AWS

Here are some essential practices for ensuring secure DevOps workflows on AWS:

Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

Use tools like AWS CloudFormation and Terraform to define your infrastructure as code. This allows you to version control your infrastructure, apply security best practices consistently, and automate deployments. By scanning IaC templates with tools like and , you can catch potential security misconfigurations early before they make it into production.

Key benefits of IaC for security include:

• Consistency: Security controls are applied uniformly across all resources
• Traceability: All infrastructure changes are tracked in version control
• Automation: Security checks can be integrated directly into your deployment pipelines

Integrate Security into CI/CD Pipelines

Automate security checks within your CI/CD pipelines to continuously safeguard your applications. Implement tools and practices such as:

• Static code analysis to catch security vulnerabilities in the codebase
• Dependency scanning to identify vulnerabilities in third-party libraries
• Container image scanning to detect security risks in containerized applications
• Compliance checks using AWS Config rules to verify that resources meet security and compliance standards

Fail the pipeline if critical security issues are identified, ensuring that vulnerabilities never reach production. This proactive approach has several advantages:

• Early Detection: Vulnerabilities are caught early in development, reducing remediation costs
• Immediate Feedback: Developers receive quick feedback on security issues
• Continuous Compliance: Every change is automatically evaluated for compliance

Use Immutable Infrastructure

Adopt immutable infrastructure patterns to reduce the risk of configuration drift and ensure consistent, secure deployments. With immutable infrastructure, servers are never modified after deployment; updates are made by provisioning new instances from a known-good configuration. Use services like Amazon EC2 Image Builder to maintain secure, up-to-date machine images. Amazon ECR can store and scan images for known vulnerabilities for containerized workloads, while Amazon ECS or EKS helps manage deployments securely.

Security benefits of immutable infrastructure include:

• Consistency: All servers are deployed from a secure, known configuration
• Reduced Attack Surface: Replacing servers, rather than patching them, reduces the risk of configuration drift and vulnerabilities
• Faster Recovery: If a server is compromised, it can be quickly replaced with a clean instance

Implement Least Privilege Access

Follow the principle of least privilege when granting access to AWS resources. Provide users and services only the minimum permissions they need. Use AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles and policies to enforce fine-grained access controls and implement IAM best practices such as:

• Using IAM roles for EC2 instances and Lambda functions to assign temporary, role-based permissions
• Rotating access keys regularly to reduce the impact of compromised credentials
• Enforcing strong password policies and enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) for added security
• Regularly reviewing and pruning IAM permissions to ensure they align with users’ roles

These practices help to:

• Reduce the Blast Radius: In the event of compromised credentials
• Limit Insider Threats: By controlling access to critical resources
• Maintain Granular Audit Trails: For tracking resource access and activities

Monitor and Log Everything

Comprehensive monitoring and logging are vital to detecting, responding to, and preventing security incidents. Use AWS services like Amazon CloudWatch and AWS CloudTrail to collect logs and analyze resource activity:

• CloudWatch: Provides real-time monitoring and alerts for AWS resources and applications
• CloudTrail: Records all API activity, offering an audit trail for actions taken within your AWS environment

Aggregate logs from multiple sources to create a single pane of glass for security monitoring and incident response. Enable AWS Security Hub to get a consolidated view of your security posture across accounts and services. With comprehensive monitoring, you can:

• Detect and respond to incidents quickly
• Conduct forensic investigations to determine root causes
• Demonstrate compliance with regulations
• Identify trends for proactive risk mitigation

How WEI Can Help

Implementing secure DevOps practices on AWS requires the right tools, processes, and cultural alignment. WEI’s Cloud and DevOps Services can help you build and scale secure, compliant CI/CD pipelines on AWS. Our certified experts can assist you with the following:

• Assessing your current DevOps practices and identifying opportunities for automation and security integration
• Designing and implementing secure CI/CD pipelines using AWS developer tools and third-party solutions
• Embedding automated security checks and compliance controls into your workflows
• Providing training and enablement to help your teams adopt a security-first mindset

Contact us today to learn more about how WEI can help you enable secure DevOps practices on AWS.

Take Your Next Steps With WEI

Next Steps: WEI, an AWS Select Tier Services Partner, collaborates closely with customers to identify their biggest challenges and develop comprehensive cloud solutions. WEI emphasizes customer satisfaction by leveraging AWS technologies to enhance development, maintenance, and delivery capabilities.

Download our free solution brief below to discover WEI’s full realm of AWS capabilities.

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Compute platforms have evolved from basic infrastructure components to the digital backbone of modern businesses. With data volumes skyrocketing and business demands intensifying, organizations are shifting towards more agile, scalable, and efficient computing solutions. The traditional on-premises model is increasingly being replaced by hybrid cloud environments that combine the strengths of both worlds. Today, compute platforms are central to transforming data into value, thus powering critical applications, and accelerating workloads.

Server modernization is a key driver in this evolution. Businesses can unlock new opportunities and overcome IT challenges by adopting a hybrid cloud strategy and leveraging modern consumption models. This shift requires effective compute ops management to ensure cloud-like experiences with enhanced security and optimized performance. As enterprises pursue faster time-to-market and greater flexibility, the demand for secure, scalable compute platforms continues to grow.

In this article, we explore how modern compute platforms are revolutionizing operations and meeting the critical needs of a modern hybrid infrastructure. We discuss the adoption of cloud operating models, the importance of security by design, and the optimization of performance for specific workloads – strategies essential for organizations looking to thrive in the digital age.

Watch: Becoming An Insights-Driven Enterprise With HPE Storage Solutions

The Need For Server Modernization

Traditional centralized architectures often fall short of meeting the demands of contemporary business operations. Companies relying on legacy infrastructure are hampered by centralized architectures, complex management, and outdated security approaches. Legacy systems often create challenges that hinder modern workloads, such as:

• Performance limitations: Older systems may lack the processing power and storage capacity required for demanding tasks and dispersed workforces.
• Security vulnerabilities: Outdated systems are more susceptible to cyber threats.
• Operational inefficiencies: Managing complex infrastructure with legacy systems can be time-consuming and costly. They frequently have rigid purchasing plans that restrict the agility necessary to meet modern business demands.
• Lack of scalability: Traditional systems often struggle to adapt to evolving business needs, especially with the proliferation of AI and ML use cases.

As enterprises increasingly distribute data across data centers, private clouds, and public clouds, they encounter significant challenges in managing complex infrastructures. This makes IT infrastructure and server modernization important due to the growing data volume, complexity and the rapid pace of technological advancements.

Moreover, several key challenges emerge in compute operations management:

• Data distribution: As data becomes more distributed, it increases the strain on compute systems and complicates infrastructure management.
• Security risks: With the rise of cyberattacks, ensuring robust security across data centers, edge environments, and clouds is critical.
• Performance demands: Emerging workloads like AI and machine learning require high-performance compute resources optimized for specific tasks.
• Hybrid cloud management: Managing mixed infrastructures across various environments presents visibility, cost management, and sustainability challenges.

Modern compute platforms, such as the HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers, offer the scalability, agility, and security needed to manage today’s distributed workloads. When deployed through , these servers provide a cloud operating model that delivers trusted security by design and optimized performance for specialized workloads.

The Shift To A Modern Compute Platform

Organizations are increasingly transitioning to flexible consumption models, similar to the public cloud’s pay-as-you-go approach. This shift is driven by the need for agility, cost efficiency, and rapid scalability. Hybrid cloud environments thus offer the best of both worlds to provide on-demand access to resources and cloud-native services, while maintaining control over sensitive data within private cloud architectures.

However, many organizations are still in the early stages of their hybrid cloud journey. The urgency to adopt this model is driven by the need to address key IT challenges – including the demand for modern IT delivery methods like managed services and as-a-service solutions. These approaches enable enterprises to access the latest compute resources tailored to specific workloads, without the need for significant capital investment.

To address these challenges, organizations are increasingly turning to compute platforms that enable server modernization and streamlined . They offer greater flexibility, scalability, and security, allowing businesses to adapt more effectively to changing market conditions.

Transitioning to cloud consumption models offers several benefits:

• Self-service: Centralized management for streamlined operations.
• Flexible payment: CapEx, OpEx, and subscription options to match business needs.
• Flexible and scalable: Adapting to changing capacity requirements.

Enhanced security: Addressing growing threats in a modern environment.

Meeting Modern IT Requirements

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) leads the way in server modernization with its ProLiant Gen11 servers and . These solutions cater to the demands of modern hybrid infrastructures.

The innovations embedded into HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers and HPE GreenLake offer substantial features to transform your operations:

• Versatile compute platform: HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers are adaptable, fitting seamlessly into traditional data centers, hybrid cloud setups, or as managed services via HPE GreenLake. This flexibility ensures they meet the diverse needs of modern IT environments and empowers organizations to optimize IT spending with a pay-as-you-go model.
• Cloud operating model: The ProLiant Gen11 servers, available through HPE GreenLake, offer a cloud-like consumption model for compute devices. With HPE GreenLake for Compute Ops Management, IT teams can manage and provision servers across distributed environments, simplifying infrastructure management and allowing a focus on strategic initiatives. This model also supports sustainability by providing emissions and energy metrics for individual servers.
• Trusted security by design: Protect sensitive data against sophisticated cyber threats. Security is integral to HPE’s approach, with a zero-trust lifecycle built into ProLiant Gen11 servers. HPE’s Silicon Root of Trust secures the boot process and provides ongoing runtime attestation, ensuring compliance and security throughout the server’s lifecycle.
• Optimized workload performance: Accelerate applications and reduce latency to enhance user experience. HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers deliver exceptional performance for demanding workloads, including AI, ML, VDI, and data analytics, thanks to advanced hardware features like DDR5 memory and the latest Intel and AMD processors. Quickly adapt to changing business needs with scalable and flexible infrastructure.

HPE GreenLake for Compute Ops Management also delivers a cloud-like experience for on-premises infrastructure. It addresses modern challenges by offering:

• Simplified management: Centralized control for easy provisioning and monitoring.
• Scalability: Effortlessly scale up or down based on demand.
• Robust security: Advanced security measures and compliance certifications ensure data protection.

Final Thoughts

IT professionals face a growing need to future-proof their infrastructure for the hybrid and multi-cloud landscape. HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers and provide a powerful solution for server modernization. This comprehensive offering delivers the scalability, security, and performance businesses demand today.

By leveraging these technologies, organizations can streamline compute ops management, optimize server lifecycles, and gain a competitive edge. With our expertise in server modernization solutions, WEI can help you navigate this transition. Contact us today to unlock the full potential of your HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers and propel your business into the digital future.

Next Steps: In today’s competitive landscape, becoming a data-driven organization is essential for understanding customer needs, driving strategic decisions, and achieving business growth. Every day, WEI helps businesses leverage advanced analytics, big data, IoT, and cloud computing to gain real-time insights and make agile decisions. This transformation enables companies to tailor their offerings, improve customer acquisition and retention, and drive profitability.

Download our tech brief, to discover:

• The definition of data modernization
• The importance of being data-driven
• The power and potential of untapped data
• Why technology should have a human element
• Three cybersecurity challenges for data modernization

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This is the first installment of a series focused on AWS security. Click here to access part 2.

As businesses increasingly migrate operations to the cloud, ensuring security and efficiency becomes paramount. Cloud governance provides a structured framework that allows organizations to manage cloud services and resources effectively while minimizing risks and maximizing benefits. In this first installment of our cloud governance blog series, we will explore the fundamentals of cloud governance, the importance of implementing a robust framework, and best practices to ensure security and operational efficiency, drawing on insights from my experience as the Principal Cloud Strategist at WEI.

What Is Cloud Governance?

Cloud governance refers to the policies, procedures, and controls that organizations use to manage and secure their cloud environments. It encompasses the oversight and direction of cloud services, ensuring that they are used in a way that aligns with business objectives and regulatory requirements. Unlike traditional IT governance, cloud governance must account for the unique challenges and opportunities presented by cloud computing, such as scalability, on-demand resources, and shared responsibility with cloud service providers (CSPs).

The Importance of Cloud Governance

Effective cloud governance is essential for several reasons:

• Risk Management: By establishing clear policies and controls, organizations can mitigate security risks and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
• Cost Optimization: Cloud governance helps prevent unnecessary expenditures by implementing cost management practices and avoiding resource sprawl.
• Operational Efficiency: A well-defined governance framework enhances the efficiency of cloud operations through automation and standardized processes.
• Strategic Alignment: Ensures that cloud services are used in a manner that supports business goals and enhances overall performance.

When I first started working with the cloud, I saw how quickly and easily developers could spin up resources. But I also saw how things could get out of control without the right governance in place, especially through the practice of Shadow IT. Many cloud architects will witness fellow colleagues using all kinds of unauthorized cloud services and apps, creating security risks and compliance issues.

This is why I’m so passionate about helping organizations find the right balance between empowering builders and maintaining control. Shadow IT refers to using IT systems, devices, software, applications, and services without explicit approval from the IT department. While it can enable employees to be more productive and innovative, it also introduces serious security risks if left unchecked. Common risks of Shadow IT include:

• Data Breaches: Sensitive corporate data could be exposed if stored in unsanctioned cloud apps
• Compliance Violations: The use of unapproved services can violate regulatory requirements such as HIPAA, PCI, etc.
• Lack of Visibility & Control: IT personnel lose visibility and control over where company data resides
• Inefficient Spending: Redundant services and lack of volume discounts can drive up costs

This is where a strong cloud governance framework comes in. By establishing approved services, enforcing policies, and monitoring usage, organizations can embrace the agility of the cloud while mitigating risks.

Cloud Governance Frameworks

Several cloud governance frameworks are available, each with its own approach to managing cloud environments. The AWS Five Pillars of a Well-Architected Framework is one of the most widely recognized. This framework provides a comprehensive set of best practices designed to help organizations build secure, high-performing, resilient, and efficient cloud infrastructure.

Best Practices for Cloud Governance

Let’s dive into some key best practices for each of the five pillars:

Security Management

• Active Security Configuration: Ensure that all security features provided by the CSP are actively configured and regularly updated. This includes access controls, encryption, and monitoring.
• Shared Responsibility: Understand and clearly define the security responsibilities shared between your organization and the CSP. Regularly assess and adjust security measures to meet evolving threats and requirements.

Cost Optimization

• Cost Management Controls: Implement basic cost management tools from day one. Use budgeting and monitoring tools to keep track of cloud expenditures.
• Avoid Resource Sprawl: Identify and eliminate unnecessary resources, such as unused virtual machines, outdated snapshots, and excessive backups. Implement policies for resource usage and cost allocation.

Operational Excellence

• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Use IaC to automate the provisioning and management of cloud infrastructure. This ensures consistency, compliance, and the ability to replicate environments quickly.
• Continuous Monitoring: Establish monitoring systems to track performance, usage, and security metrics. Use these insights to address issues and optimize operations proactively.

Performance Efficiency

• Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS): Utilize PaaS offerings to reduce the burden of managing the underlying infrastructure. This allows your team to focus on developing and optimizing applications.
• Scalability & Flexibility: Design applications to leverage the scalability and flexibility of cloud resources. Implement auto-scaling and load balancing to handle varying workloads efficiently.

Reliability

• Failure Detection & Mitigation: Design systems that automatically detect and respond to failures. Use managed services for data redundancy and failover capabilities.
• Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Align SLAs with your reliability requirements and ensure that your cloud architecture meets the necessary uptime and performance standards.

Sustainability

• Maximize Utilization: Emphasize the importance of maximizing hardware utilization to improve energy efficiency. Optimize workloads and designs to ensure high utilization of hardware. For example, running one host at 60% utilization is more efficient than running two hosts at 30% each due to baseline power consumption. Additionally, it recommends minimizing idle resources, processing, and storage to further reduce overall energy consumption.

In the next part of our series, we’ll dive deeper into the challenges of cloud governance and explore strategies for overcoming them, including how to address shadow IT. Stay tuned!

Next Steps: In today’s cloud-driven world, ensuring meaningful security for an AWS environment is paramount for IT security leaders and the end users they protect. WEI Senior Cloud Architect & Strategist Keith Lafaso as he unveils the essential best practices to safeguard your cloud infrastructure. Listen below:

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Cloud adoption is transforming businesses – however, it also introduces new security challenges. Traditional network security practices struggle to adapt to the cloud’s dynamic nature, exposing organizations. A key question must be asked: How can an enterprise effectively secure data and applications amid the widespread adoption of the cloud? A unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) offers a comprehensive solution. Let’s examine the obstacles organizations encounter when securing their cloud deployments, and how a unified SASE platform can effectively mitigate these challenges.

Challenges In Digital Transformation

The digital era is characterized by two major trends: a surge in Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and various enterprises’ widespread adoption of cloud services. Fundamentally, these trends demand a fundamental shift in how organizations approach security.

A recent study published in the Wall Street Journal revealed a 13% increase in the global average cost of data breaches since 2020. In 2022, it reached a hefty average of $4.35 million. This highlights the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks, which have doubled in recent years, constantly testing an organization’s defenses.

These factors contribute to the following challenges faced by organizations in the digital era:

• Traditional data center-centric security, built around centralized firewalls, is failing to keep pace as applications migrate to the cloud and users access data from anywhere. This is especially true for organizations with hybrid work models where data and applications are scattered across various locations.
• Legacy security methods suffer from many limitations including bottlenecks and limited scalability for geographically dispersed users. Additionally, inconsistent security policies across devices and networks increase complexity and leave vulnerabilities. Finally, traditional VPNs, designed for on-premises networks, limit cloud adoption by focusing on user access rather than securing cloud workloads.

To navigate this complexity, organizations need a comprehensive security solution. This solution should provide three key functionalities: secure and reliable user access, robust cloud application protection, and agile security management. Unified SASE stands out as an answer to these challenges, as it offers a cloud-based, integrated security framework that adapts to the changing needs of businesses.

How Unified SASE Simplifies Security

Unified SASE offers a more streamlined solution by combining SD-WAN with comprehensive network security functions like secure web gateways (SWG), cloud access security brokers (CASB), firewalls as a service (FWaaS), and zero trust network access (ZTNA). This integrated approach is designed to meet the evolving security needs of today’s digital businesses, especially those with hybrid workforces and cloud-based applications.

Think of it this way: Instead of a bulky security setup at each branch office, SASE provides a thin WAN edge with the full suite of security features delivered as a convenient cloud service. This approach unlocks a multitude of benefits to enhance your organization’s operations, such as:

1. Streamlined Security: SASE consolidates networking and security functions into a single, cloud-delivered solution. This simplifies management and eliminates the need for multiple-point products.
2. Unified Security Posture: IT teams can apply consistent security policies and centralized access controls across all networks, regardless of location. This reduces the attack surface, making it easier to detect and respond to threats.
3. Reduced Complexity: SASE streamlines network and security deployment and management. Save time and resources by eliminating the need for multiple hardware appliances.
4. Optimized User Experience: SASE ensures secure, high-performance, and low-latency connections for users accessing applications and resources. This eliminates the need for backhauling traffic through a central data center, improving overall user experience.
5. Scalability: SASE can easily adapt to changing business needs. It can support initiatives like hybrid work, cloud migration, and the adoption of IoT and OT devices.

Exploring Unified SASE Solutions

understands the challenges businesses face in today’s digital world. To address these concerns, they have partnered with leading cloud security providers to offer a comprehensive SASE solution. This solution seamlessly combines technology with their . By embracing a zero-trust approach, HPE Aruba Networking empowers organizations to secure users and applications everywhere. This unified and powerful solution allows businesses to confidently pursue digital transformation with a robust and secure access strategy.

HPE offers a unified approach to SASE built on three key components:

1. HPE Aruba Networking SSE: This solution provides both agent-based and agentless ZTNA, granting you deployment flexibility. Additionally, it offers unified policy management for streamlined control and a global network of points of presence (PoPs) for optimal performance.
2. EdgeConnect SD-WAN: It transcends traditional SD-WAN with multi-cloud support, guaranteeing secure access to any cloud application. By prioritizing user experience, it optimizes application performance for a seamless workday.
3. HPE Aruba Networking Central NetConductor and ClearPass: This combination offers a unified network access control (NAC) solution. Powered by AI, it delivers deep client insights and enforces granular access through dynamic segmentation. Continuous network monitoring identifies and mitigates threats, fortifying your security posture.

The Benefits Of HPE Aruba Networking SSE

This cloud-based platform provides robust and unified network security through zero-trust access. This minimizes potential attack points and shields your network from modern threats. Administrators benefit from enhanced control and visibility into your IT infrastructure, allowing them to prevent data leaks and unauthorized software usage.

Furthermore, intelligent global routing and centralized management ensure a smooth user experience when accessing applications and data. This translates to increased productivity and effortless scalability to keep pace with your growing business.

A Look At EdgeConnect Secure SD-WAN

The EdgeConnect SD-WAN platform is designed for cloud-first enterprises, providing a secure foundation for zero trust and SASE. It combines a first-class SD-WAN with a next-generation firewall, ensuring both advanced security and an unmatched quality of experience. Whether your applications reside in the cloud or on-premises, EdgeConnect delivers reliable connectivity and protection.

Its key features include:

• App Performance Enhancement: Utilizing SaaS and WAN optimization techniques, and path conditioning, to optimize application performance.
• Next-Generation Firewall: This offers end-to-end security, including deep packet inspection (DPI), intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and role-based segmentation.
• Multi-Cloud Networking: EdgeConnect seamlessly integrates with multiple cloud providers (such as Azure and AWS) to support cloud-first organizations.
• Dynamic Routing: BGP and OSPF support ensure efficient traffic routing across the WAN.
• Visibility And Reporting: Gain insights into application and network performance.
• Automation And Zero-Touch Provisioning: Simplify deployment and management.
• Unified SASE: EdgeConnect operates within the framework of the SASE model. This means it intelligently directs traffic to the cloud, eliminating the need for unnecessary backhauling of data. By strategically processing information at the edge of the network, EdgeConnect offers a more efficient and secure approach to cloud connectivity.
• Branch Network Consolidation: Replace branch firewalls and routers, streamlining network and security functions.
• Quality Of Experience: Prioritize mission-critical applications, including high-quality voice and video over broadband.
• Secure IoT Segmentation: Implement zero-trust network segmentation for IoT devices, going beyond SASE-defined boundaries.
• Integration with Multiple SSE Vendors: Tight integration with various cloud-security vendors

EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform combines robust security, performance optimization, and cloud integration to empower modern enterprises.

An Overview On HPE Aruba Networking Central NetConductor and ClearPass

HPE Aruba Networking offers sophisticated AI-powered client identification and profiling through Client Insights, a feature built directly into HPE Aruba Networking Central. This eliminates the need for additional physical collectors or VM-based agents typically required by competitor solutions.

Client Insights delivers highly accurate AI/ML profiling, reaching . This enhanced visibility empowers customers to experience immediate IT efficiency gains. Automated policy enforcement based on these insights further streamlines network management. Additionally, Client Insights’ always-on AI/ML behavioral monitoring provides superior protection against security breaches.

Client Insights within HPE Aruba Networking Central NetConductor and ClearPass offer a cost-effective and user-friendly solution for comprehensive network visibility, automated policy enforcement, and enhanced security through AI-powered client identification and profiling.

Additionally, HPE Aruba Networking Central offers the following components as well for organizations:

• Cloud Authentication

As HPE Aruba Networking’s built-in cloud-based NAC solution within HPE Aruba Networking Central, Cloud Auth assigns roles to users and devices for secure network access. This ensures only authorized users and devices can connect, with clearly defined access privileges. Cloud Auth integrates with common identity stores (like Google Workspace and Azure AD) for seamless user and device identification and authentication. It also simplifies management with time-saving workflows for policy configuration and user onboarding with Multi Pre-Shared Keys (MPSK).

• HPE Aruba Networking Central NetConductor

HPE Aruba Networking Central NetConductor automates tasks like configuration and policy enforcement across geographically dispersed networks, simplifying management of wired, wireless, and WAN infrastructure. This streamlines setup, optimizes performance, and enforces granular access controls – the foundation of secure network architectures.

Final Thoughts

The digital landscape has fostered exponential business growth through widespread cloud adoption. While moving to the cloud creates new security challenges, SASE offers a comprehensive solution to consolidating critical network and security functionalities into a single, cloud-based platform. This streamlined approach simplifies security management while ensuring reliable data protection across all locations within your organization.

WEI’s cloud security specialists can guide you through securing your cloud environment. We combine our expertise with personalized security assessments and custom-built SASE solutions, featuring advanced technologies like HPE Aruba Networking. This empowers your business to confidently navigate your digital transformation while protecting your critical assets. Contact us today to get started.

Next steps: The acceleration of migrating applications to the cloud in addition to leveraging cheaper and flexible internet alternatives such as 5G/LTE connections drove the need for SD-WAN technology. Greater visibility and better security tools are needed to ensure the zero-trust network environment that companies desire. Additionally, hybrid networks have evolved far beyond the basic composition of a public cloud and on-prem environment. Today’s SD-WAN solutions must accommodate multiple clouds in a dynamic fashion.

WEI’s free tech brief identifies the three main components of Aruba Network’s powerful EdgeConnect Enterprise platform:

• Physical or Virtual SD-WAN Appliance
• Aruba Orchestrator
• Aruba Boost

to access your free copy of the tech brief, SD-WAN: 3 Components To Efficiently Connect Users To Applications.

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The advent of 2024 opens a new era, spotlighting the significant strides in cloud adoption and digital transformation that organizations have dramatically pushed forward, some by as much as six years. This rapid progression aims at fostering business innovation, gaining competitive edges, and achieving set business objectives. Looking back reveals a period of not only acceleration, but also substantial expansion. Applications now reside just about everywhere, distributed across traditional data centers, clouds, colocation providers, and computing edges. It is a new landscape that signals a broadened scope of IT infrastructure.

Challenges of Multi-cloud

For starters, the “cloud” is a concept, not a single entity. According to the , 69% of businesses use at least two different cloud providers, with nearly one in five using four or more. That represents a level of complexity that network and cybersecurity teams did not have to contend with in earlier years. The mentioned Fortinet report shows us some of the challenges of managing multiple clouds.

• 32% of those surveyed in the study cited visibility as a challenge. You cannot secure what you cannot see clearly.
• An equal number cited a lack of cohesive security controls to secure everything.
• 37% said that compliancy requirements become more burdensome with the addition of multiple clouds.

However, the primary challenge identified was the shortage of staff proficient in various cloud platforms, perpetuating the siloed workforce that is reminiscent of traditional data center days where roles were divided by specific tool expertise.

Complexity Equates to Risk

The complexity of managing multiple clouds directly increases risk. A lack of visibility and expertise, alongside disjointed security measures, leads to heightened threat perception among organizations. According to survey findings, misconfigurations in cloud settings are seen as the primary risk, triggering a cascade of security issues, from insecure APIs to unauthorized access, culminating in data breaches. This concern is shared by half of the survey respondents, underlining the critical nature of these interconnected threats in multi-cloud environments.

Simplified & Cohesive Security

Threat actors look for security gaps to exploit. The more clouds you utilize, the greater the attack surface. That truth is recognized. The answer to this challenge is not to deter from using multiple clouds, as this strategy allows for a more flexible and tailored IT infrastructure. The answer resides in the implementation of a single cohesive security platform that would offer a consolidated dashboard, enhanced visibility, and streamlined management, while mitigating the need for multiple cloud-specific tools expertise. A resounding 90% of survey participants agreed that this approach would significantly aid in addressing their topmost concerns:

• Preventing cloud misconfigurations
• Securing major cloud apps already in use
• Defending against malware
• Achieving regulatory compliance

Organizations are increasingly looking to adapt multi-layered security models that not only enhance protection across platforms, but also complement native provider capabilities.

Fortinet Security Fabric

If your business is going to integrate with multiple clouds, it only makes sense that your security solution needs to seamlessly integrate with all of them as well. That is what Fortinet’s Security Fabric does. It offers a comprehensive and holistic approach to cloud security that enables enterprise IT leaders to secure all applications, data, and infrastructure from a central location, while also providing the necessary visibility and control to ensure that policies are consistently applied across all environments. By leveraging automation and threat intelligence, can swiftly identify and respond to threats, minimizing risk and enhancing overall security posture within cloud environments.

Seamless Integration with Cloud Platforms and Ecosystems

Fortinet Security Fabric integrates with most cloud platforms to ensure consistent security for all applications, while still allowing your business to enjoy the flexibility scalability and efficiency that a hybrid cloud provides. Let’s explore how Fortinet Security Fabric collaborates with the biggest leading public cloud platforms.

1. Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Fortinet offers SaaS, VM containers, and API-based protection to deliver natively integrated security functionality for AWS. This security solution includes the following to provide a powerful defense against cyber threats:

• Firewalls
• Security Gateways
• Intruder Prevention
• Web Application Security

These features effectively complement existing AWS security tools such as GuardDuty and Security Hub to extend these native capabilities

2. Microsoft Azure

For users of Microsoft Azure and Office 365, the Fortinet Security Fabric enhances security across multi-cloud setups with features such as:

• Comprehensive Protection
• Automated Management
• Native Integration

Fortinet offers advanced threat protection designed for Azure’s hybrid-cloud setups and Office 365, including next-generation firewalls, cloud-based security infrastructure management, and intrusion prevention systems. For Office 365, Fortinet delivers automated defenses against web and email threats, robust identity solutions, and thorough reporting tools for improved cybersecurity visibility and control.

WEI & Fortinet Webinar: Security, Visibility and Control of Public Cloud Infrastructure and Workloads

3. Google Cloud Platform

Fortinet Cloud Security for Google Cloud offers resilient enterprise security for both on-premises data centers and cloud environments. The Security Fabric provides multi-layered protection for cloud-based applications, incorporating network, application, and cloud platform security features.

It integrates seamlessly with Google Cloud’s infrastructure, providing comprehensive security coverage across the cloud environment. This includes protecting against advanced threats, enforcing security policies, and offering detailed visibility and control over cloud resources. This extensive solution is accessible through virtual machines, containers, and SaaS offerings, seamlessly integrating Fortinet Security into the Google Cloud infrastructure.

In addition to Fortinet’s seamless ability to integrate with multiple clouds, the ecosystem brings together technology and threat-sharing collaborations amongst Fortinet partners.

Final Thoughts

Similar to other leading businesses, you have spent the past several years accelerating digital transformative efforts. Now, it is time to accelerate security to eliminate any existing gaps in your expanded IT landscape. Are you ready to take your cloud journey to the next level? Contact our team of experts at WEI, and we’ll be happy to get you started with a thorough assessment of your existing cloud environment.

Next steps: Managing and securing data, applications, and systems has become more arduous and time-consuming with the rise of cloud adoption and the expansion of the digital attack surface. To help remedy this, FortiAnalyzer offers a powerful log management, analytics, and reporting platform that features a single console to manage, orchestrate, and respond. Download our free tech brief below to read.

The post The State Of The Cloud In 2024 appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

As threat actors get more sophisticated and aggressive campaigns become more commonplace, it is imperative that corporations step up their game. In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and automation, the resources for a holistic approach have never been more available. Enterprises are starting to recognize the need to modernize their security operations center (SOC) with an advanced SOC solution. Unfortunately, CISOs everywhere are finding it difficult to identify a partner dedicated enough to conduct their due diligence about customer needs, identify potential solutions on the market, and deliver the know-how to implement the best technical solutions. WEI can do that.

Legacy SOC architectures are complex with many interdependent tools and processes housed within them. Many current SOC’s were built 15 years ago when the threat landscape was very different and the threat actors being less capable. Today, these brittle and hard to maintain platforms struggle to deliver the response and resolution times that are required, which leads to SOC analyst burnout and disappointing outcomes. In an attempt to keep pace, corporations continue to try to hire their way out of this problem with little effect. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Don’t Make It A “People Problem’

There aren’t enough skilled security analysts on the planet to solve this problem. Analyst retention and burnout are very real problems. However, in what can only be described as a back-slide, many large consulting firms and Global Systems Integrators are doubling down on the “body shop” approach to security operations. For a few million bucks a year, they will set you up with a team of 30-40 tier 1 analysts to simply perform basic alert triage activities. Spending a fortune to maintain a 15-year-old model that is no longer effective doesn’t make much sense.

Forward-thinking organizations have begun to implement comprehensive automation strategies that fully automate Tier 1 activities and investigations. In many cases, much of the Tier 2 workload has been automated as well. This modern approach frees up their SOC and IR teams to focus on what is important – preventing critical incidents, hunting for threats proactively, and improving security posture.

The Modern SOC: Powered By Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Ideally, all small, medium and large enterprises have some formidable solution in place for monitoring, preventing, and responding to threats. Of course, the term “formidable” has a different connotation depending on the size of the business, the industry they operate in, the type of data they store, available resources, security culture, etc. But as larger businesses are increasingly shifting to a digitalized operating model, the need for a modern SOC becomes more apparent — just ask any SOC analyst about the benefits of automation and analytics.

This cloud-delivered integrated platform reduces the duration of time between detection (MTTD) and resolution (MTTR) through the help of cutting-edge AI and ML. It combines the key functions of SIEM, SOAR, XDR, UEBA, threat intelligence, and attack surface management — essentially putting the legacy architectures mentioned above out to cyber pasture. Think about it – the traditional approach to incident response is based on the detection of a breach and conducting a historical reconstruction and root cause investigation of how the event took place…then using that new understanding to improve controls to prevent the attack from happening again.

This approach begs a serious question: If you had collected all the data needed to perform this historical analysis and to reconstruct the attack, what prevented you from detecting these attack indicators in real-time and stopping them as they were happening? You had the data. What stopped you from actively preventing the attack? Legacy SOC’s were designed specifically to support the legacy, historical investigation approach. The modern SOC is focused on automated, rapid detection, and prevention.

Components of the modern SOC:

• Functions of SIEM, SOAR, TIM, ASM in a single or tightly integrated platform.
• A single, normalized data store.
• Prevention at the core. If you have an opportunity to prevent, take it!
• Automation as the foundation – not as a last step in the IR process.
• Embedded analytics, AI, and ML models – natively provided.
• Collection of good, useful data from the network, endpoint, cloud, and user info.
• Automatic incorporation of natively provided and third-party threat intelligence.
• Profiling of device, user, and network behavior to detect anomalies.
• Case management and automated incident creation.

What are the results a customer can expect in a cloud-delivered integrated SOC platform? The key functions of SIEM, endpoint security, threat intelligence, XDR, attack surface management, UEBA, SOAR and CDR collectively offer:

• Dramatically reduced MTTD and MTTR
• Improved analyst experience by eliminating silos
• Enhanced detection of advanced attacks
• Simplified data onboarding &amp; integration
• Accelerated investigations with intelligent alert grouping
• Reduced risk with attack surface management
• Automated response suggestions for incidents
• Extended security operations to the cloud for comprehensive visibility

AI/ML-powered SOC tools address the challenges of traditional SOC. For example, AI/ML can be used to automate many of the manual tasks that are currently performed by overburdened SOC analysts, such as alert triage and incident investigation. This frees analysts to focus on more complex tasks and improves the overall efficiency of the SOC. Personnel also experience improved visibility into their environment, including assets and data that were previously invisible. The result is detecting and responding to threats quickly and effectively.

Lastly, there is the development of new detection methods. AI/ML can be used to develop new detection methods that are more effective against new and emerging threats. AI/ML learns from historical data to identify patterns and anomalies that are otherwise difficult for human analysts to detect. It is clear why leaders are eager for an advanced SOC solution, in addition to the usual NGFW and remote access solutions. If an advanced SOC stack is too much too fast, there is SOCaaS, which WEI supports very well.

WEI’s Ongoing Mission To Deliver Premier Cybersecurity Solutions

Bottom line, WEI’s cybersecurity vision is to effectively deliver advanced solutions to help customers meet/exceed business objectives. So often, the WEI security team enters a project where serious voids are left behind by a customer’s tone-deaf partners. This is a result of partners “registering” every vendor within a given cyber category for every customer project, whether that is necessary or not. This leaves the customer with zero meaningful guidance. Still, the partner wins and makes their margin. This is a scenario WEI avoids.

Looking Ahead

2024 is here and so is the SEC’s ground-breaking adoption of cybersecurity risk management, strategy, governance, and incident disclosure by public companies Effective December 18, 2023, an Item 1.05 Form 8-K form will generally be due just four business days after a registrant determines that a cybersecurity incident is material. The security infrastructure of many large enterprises cannot support this required deadline. It is WEI’s job, as a value-added reseller, to educate customers about a better way to approach detection and response and enable them to meet these new reporting requirements.

Over the next year, WEI’s digital communications will feature a focus on cybersecurity. Content will dive into viable solution trends, prominently explain WEI’s security capabilities, and provide WEI’s take on the solutions its valued partners offer. This also includes a recap of the numerous events the cyber team will coordinate and attend.

For any questions about WEI’s robust cybersecurity practice or to discuss WEI’s next-gen solutions, please contact WEI here.

Next Steps: Following a cyber incident, cybersecurity teams often resort to their data sources to identify how the incident transpired. While analyzing these data sources, a critical question must be asked – what prevented cyber personnel from stopping the cyberattack in real time? 

In this data-driven era, cybersecurity practices have increasingly focused on the prevention phase, made possible by leveraging the data already present in a cybersecurity environment. Prevention is your first line of defense, it is time to leverage its power and potential.

to learn more about this cloud-based, integrated SOC platform that includes best-in-class functions including EDR, XDR, SOAR, ASM, UEBA, TIP, and SIEM.

The post Cybersecurity: WEI Remains Ahead Of The Moving Target appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

The financial services sector is dealing with new challenges as they race to digitize for a better customer experience and high-performing branch operations. Unfortunately, cyber criminals are capitalizing on the increased complexity.

To address these concerns, financial institutions are turning to SD-WAN for a more efficient and secure network setup. This accelerates digital transformation and paves the way for the implementation of Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture. In this article, we explore how combining a high-quality SD-WAN with a robust security strategy can address the current challenges in this sector.

Modern Challenges Of The Financial Industry

The financial industry encounters a multifaceted set of challenges that hinder digital transformation, thus affecting both operational efficiency and security. These challenges include:

1. Infrastructure And Technological Challenges

Most banks still rely on outdated multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) networks that connect their branches to the main office. As a result, many are experiencing network problems, especially during mergers, restructuring, and acquisitions. This puts the banking industry at a . Expanding to additional branch locations also introduces the following complications:

• Increased time and energy pressures when setting up MPLS circuits
• Insufficient network bandwidth for disaster response and recovery
• Budget constraints in the IT department that hinder network infrastructure modernization

These obstacles, along with slow and unreliable data center connections and infrastructure, hamstring the migration of crucial business applications to the cloud.

2. Cybersecurity Threats Amid Digital Adoption

Rapid technological advancements require financial institutions to and improve the overall customer experience through:

• Transitioning routine transactions to online platforms
• The integration of self-service options in branches

Additionally, with rising transaction volumes and migration to the cloud, the financial services industry has become a prime target for cybercrime, including theft of funds and personal information, DDoS attacks, and ransomware.

3. Regulatory Compliance

The financial services industry operates under designed to protect consumers from fraud and maintain transparency. Organizations must comply with these standards, even in the face of resource limitations and potential threats.

Five Benefits Of SD-WAN To Financial Organizations

To overcome these challenges, it is essential to execute a comprehensive enterprise initiative. Implementing an advanced SD-WAN platform such as HPE empowers the financial services sector to step fully into the next generation of cloud technology. We’ve summarized five proven benefits of SD-WAN below.

1. Simplified And Cost-Efficient Network Infrastructure

Legacy MPLS services limit the migration of cloud-hosted applications, and requires IT teams to backhaul traffic to main data centers for security. This results in added latency and operational difficulties for remote branches. The edge platform streamlines operations by:

• Actively utilizing cost-effective broadband internet and 4/5G LTE services
• Overcoming reliability issues through features like Forward Error Correction (FEC) and Packet Order Correction (POC)
• Implementing tunnel bonding and dynamic path control

HPE Aruba Networking EdgeConnect enables financial institutions to transition from complex architectures to cost-effective network infrastructure, with real-time performance monitoring.

2. Quick Expansion And Roll-Out

Traditional MPLS services are not equipped to handle the added bandwidth used to expand branches and upgrade ATMs. However, EdgeConnect delivers private line-like performance through:

• Enabling cost-effective and swift deployment within a couple of weeks
• Improving network efficiency with features like path conditioning and zero-touch provisioning

Even without previous IT knowledge, anyone from the IT team can easily set up the EdgeConnect SD-WAN appliance from any remote site.

3. Optimized Backup And Disaster Recovery

Disaster recovery plans commonly involve storing remote data backups at a considerable distance from the primary site, which can result in potential latency issues. To address this, organizations can opt for additional softwares like HPE to improve backup and disaster recovery performance. This enhancement is achieved through the acceleration of the TCP protocol and the incorporation of data deduplication and compression algorithms.

The platform proves effective even with substantial data sets, significantly reducing backup time, while simultaneously expediting recovery processes and optimizing bandwidth.

4. Secured Access And Customer Data

To guarantee compliance, financial institutions must secure customer data in cloud applications. This entails shifting from the conventional practice of backhauling cloud traffic to embracing a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture. , as a fundamental element of SASE, provides unified branch security, zero-trust segmentation, and automated orchestration with third-party cloud security providers. These functionalities work cohesively to streamline network infrastructure, enhance security measures, and optimize overall operational efficiency.

5. PCI DSS Compliance

Incidents of card transaction fraud losses for merchants and ATM cardholders continue to increase over the years. In response to this escalating threat, PCI DSS outlines to mitigate credit card fraud, which is now a mandatory for any organization handling cardholder data. The EdgeConnect SD-WAN platform supports compliance with nine of these requirements. This kind of compliance provide a secure environment with robust data protection for financial institutions in the cloud.

Final Thoughts

In the changing world of digital finance, the increasing threat of cybersecurity demands financial institutions to prioritize secure and reliable network connections. Unfortunately, various challenges and conflicting priorities often lead to neglecting network infrastructure, especially during cloud migration.

To tackle these challenges, financial institutions need to adopt a flexible SASE approach – using EdgeConnect SD-WAN as a foundation for cloud-hosted security solutions. By partnering with experts like WEI, this strategic approach enables organizations to smoothly undergo digital transformation, cut costs, and manage cybersecurity risks effectively. If you’re ready to explore these possibilities, reach out to our team to get started.

Next Steps: Just about every business we talk with has long-term remote workforce initiatives, and security has become a larger focal point of each conversation because devices are no longer protected by the traditional enterprise perimeter. Don’t leave security to chance with your remote workforce. See how HPE Aruba Networking is solving the challenge with their Remote Access Points, and find out just how easy their RAPs are to implement and manage in our tech brief below.

The post Five Proven Use Cases For SD-WAN In The Financial Services Industry appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Every organization relies on data, and it’s crucial to keep it safe, recoverable, and secure. When it comes to data security, organizations act like vigilant guardians protecting a treasure. To shield against threats like ransomware and hardware failures, they continuously upgrade hardware and software and analyze methods to improve systems and backups. Research suggests that the best way to reduce hidden threats is by using technologies that automate infrastructure checks and implementing network segmentation.

In addressing data protection, various approaches are adopted by organizations. Some prioritize continuous monitoring, others opt for the integration of advanced security architectures, and some choose to augment their teams and centralize security decision-making. Despite the effectiveness of these strategies, challenges persist in securing data within hybrid cloud environments. This article aims to explore how to best bridge the existing security gap by securing data and hybrid cloud.

Challenges In Data And Cloud Security

Traditional data protection means copying the data that changed in various production environments during off-peak hours and storing that copy in a secondary location. The limitations of daily backups pose the following challenges:

• Outdated copies can hinder quick recovery, especially during times of cyber-attacks or natural disasters.
• Costly backup management.
• Shortages in competent and experienced IT security personnel.
• Difficulty in meeting regulatory requirements.

With data being generated at lightning speed, businesses must update their protection strategies to ensure efficient data safeguarding and recovery. To minimize concealed threats, it is essential to embrace technologies such as cloud environments, automated infrastructure, and network segmentation.

Research shows a growing inclination towards adopting zero trust and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architectures to handle vulnerabilities and user access. Prioritizing data safety demands robust measures for protection, recoverability, and security. In the face of these developments, businesses are urged to adapt swiftly and modernize their approaches for comprehensive data management.

Using Backups For Data And Cloud Security

As more organizations amplify their security measures and migrate to the cloud, more than 90% leverage the cloud for data protection. IDC predicts that by 2025, 55% of organizations will adopt a cloud-centric data protection strategy. There are several ways to boost data security, and one of the fastest-growing data protection solutions that businesses can utilize is Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS).

Driven by an increase in cloud-related spending and new cloud application deployments, BaaS solutions range from “do it yourself” options to more full-service options.

BaaS solutions have multiple benefits, including:

• Lower operational costs
• Scalability
• Ease of use
• Data security
• Disaster recovery
• Reduction of backup windows and reusing backups for other tasks
• Provision of automated reporting, monitoring, and management.

Moreover, BaaS integrates with other cloud services, such as analytics, archiving, and content delivery.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise responds to the demand for BaaS and addressing modern cybersecurity challenges through . Expanding their focus on storage software and data management, one notable offering is .

Reasons To Choose HPE GreenLake For Backup And Recovery

HPE GreenLake for Backup and Recovery is crafted for hybrid clouds, streamlining protection across diverse storage in such settings. It caters to administrators managing on-premises and cloud workloads, ensuring fast data recovery, consistent backup and encryption, and seamless restoration of operations. This bridges the security gap between on-prem and cloud environments.

The service delivers the following benefits to your IT infrastructure:

1. Simplified protection and enhanced security measures delivered as SaaS. This approach removes the complexity of managing various components traditionally associated with backup servers. HPE also manages the entire backup environment, including updates and new functionalities.
2. The Global Protection Policy guarantees uniform protection for organizational policies across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid workloads.
3. Integration and comprehensive data management with various HPE edge-to-cloud services such as , HPE GreenLake, and .
4. Data protection which extends to various storage solutions like HPE GreenLake for Block Storage, HPE Alletra, HPE Nimble Storage, and HPE Primera.
5. Ease of operation via a secure, single cloud console. This addresses security concerns with built-in encryption, backup data immutability, and dual authorization.
6. A consumption-based, pay-as-you-go model, which eliminates the need for upfront investment.

Originally designed for VMware virtual machines (VMs), the service has now expanded its protection to include Amazon EBS volumes and EC2 instances. This broader coverage makes HPE GreenLake for Backup and Recovery a dependable BaaS solution suitable for any organization.

Final Thoughts

Effective data protection is crucial. The cloud, particularly in hybrid architectures, is emerging as the primary platform for safeguarding data. This trend aligns seamlessly with cloud-based data protection, such as BaaS. IT managers seek to unify data protection across application platforms, and outsourcing routine tasks through BaaS can empower teams to prioritize essential business activities.

WEI offers expert guidance on data protection solutions tailored to your organization’s needs. Pay-as-you-go solutions like HPE GreenLake for Backup and Recovery ensure reliable protection and seamless integration into broader frameworks to simplify your operations. Contact our team for information on implementing an effective data protection strategy for your business.

Next Steps: As you begin preparing your enterprise for the move to the hybrid cloud, you’ll want to make sure you don’t miss any critical steps. Download and read our free and informative checklist, now.

The post How To Navigate Modern Data Security Challenges In The Hybrid Cloud Era appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

To stay updated in the evolving IT environment, organizations are consistently navigating multi-cloud transitions and embracing hybrid work models. The increasing dispersion of users and applications across platforms heightens the difficulty of ensuring a functioning, resilient, and consistent user experience.

For this reason, IT teams must rethink their networking strategy as the conventional application model shifts from data-center-centric to internet-enabled cloud-centric. In this article, we’ll tackle the challenges brought on by current trends and discuss how IT teams can navigate them.

Solving Hybrid Workspace Challenges

Hybrid work models pose significant challenges for IT teams striving to ensure a secure and smooth user experience. According to a recent survey, find it harder to secure remote workers, and 51% face difficulties connecting off-site workers to company resources. As users and applications move off-premises, the risk of intentional attacks or data exposure increases.

Cloud-based security solutions offer a centralized control point; however, effective security requires staying up to date with the latest guidelines, best practices, and solutions. Adopting a secure access service edge (SASE) strategy is the answer most IT professionals are turning to.

Built on zero-trust principles, SASE provides a reliable and seamless connection to applications in any environment. Benefits include:

• Unifying networking and security functions into a cloud-native solution.
• Decentralizing security policies and enforcement to accommodate the distributed nature of end users and applications.
• Eliminating the need to consistently route data back to a centralized data center.

These benefits solidify SASE’s position as a top priority for organizations seeking integrated, cloud-based SD-WAN management.

Investing In SASE

In the era of remote work and hybrid cloud usage, a SASE strategy is essential for secure user and app connectivity across any network. Unlike traditional security approaches, it combines networking and security into a cloud-native solution. By deploying security policies closer to users and applications, it embraces a zero-trust model and eliminates the need for constant data backhauling to a central center.

This lightens network loads and improves the overall user experience, ensuring reliable access from edge to edge. As a dynamic architecture, SASE streamlines IT functions to provide secure connection to applications from any location or device.

Navigating Your SASE Journey

Regardless of deployment and consumption methods, a robust SASE strategy is vital for aligning with long-term organizational objectives and operational needs. The goal is to seamlessly blend essential elements from SD-WAN and cloud security. Here are five reasons we’ve identified to invest in and smoothly navigate your SASE journey:

1. Elevates Your WAN With Cloud-Scale Architecture: This is achieved through the delivery of secure connections, facilitated by integrated multi-cloud access, simplified management processes, and the provision of actionable insights.
2. Streamlines Cloud Security: Begin your security strategy at the DNS layer where you can establish a strong foundation. Alternatively, enhance your existing setup by incorporating additional functionality through an open security platform and seamless integrations. By consolidating security processes and multiple functions into a user-friendly, cloud-native service, you create a holistic solution with built-in security rather than merely tacking it on.
3. Simplifies Secure Network Access With Zero Trust: For a comprehensive Zero Trust approach, it is essential to implement identity controls consistently across both branch and remote workers. This involves enabling policy-based controls for every access attempt, regardless of the hosting location.
4. Platform Simplicity: As SASE should be seen as an architectural framework, consider choosing a single vendor to provide both networking and security components. Opting for a platform approach simplifies the architecture and improves performance and cost-effectiveness. We advise selecting a partner such as WEI with extensive expertise to assist your team in addressing challenges across various environments.
5. Customizable SASE Architecture: Embracing your SASE transition means recognizing each organization’s cloud journey. At this point, it is significant to choose a provider that meets your current requirements while anticipating and accommodating your evolving needs both in the present and the future.

As an alternative to traditional security stacks, SASE improves the user experience by offering secure access across the entire network, including the data center, remote offices, roaming users, and beyond.

Final Thoughts

Many companies are embracing SASE, with . How they invest in the tool depends on their current setup, what they’re focusing on operationally, and their overall business objectives.

For a smoother transition, IT teams should take a strategic planning approach, gradually shifting towards a full SASE architecture. Our reliable partner, , has a versatile SASE solution that provides the agility needed for consistent user experiences. With different deployment and consumption options, you can pick what works best for you and let our team of experts assist you in your SASE journey.

Next Steps: You can learn more about how Cisco can transform your network into an intention-based unified fabric that not only furthers the scalability, agility, and performance of your network, but your business objectives as well. Take a closer look at this stunning tool in our white paper, .

The post Strengthen Security And Networking: Five Reasons To Invest In SASE For Hybrid Work appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

As companies adopt multi- or hybrid cloud strategies at a rapid pace to accelerate digital initiatives, the advantages of this technology are not without its challenges. In this blog post, we explore the current state of digital acceleration and cloud security, and how businesses can find an integrated cloud solution that works best for their existing ecosystems.

The State Of The Cloud

As we enter 2024, this marks an ideal time to briefly review the current state of the cloud and where security fits into this technology. For starters, the 2023 Fortinet Cloud Security Report reveals that 69% of businesses use at least two different cloud providers. The multi-cloud approach can provide significant benefits, from cost-effectiveness to flexibility and scalability. However, IT leaders need to be mindful of:

• A lack of visibility and control over cloud environments.
• The difficulty of finding the right staff with cloud expertise, which can contribute to misconfigurations and vulnerabilities in setting up the cloud.

Organizations are understandably prioritizing the prevention of cloud misconfigurations and securing key cloud apps. This has led to an increased adoption of multi-layered security models, enhancing protection across platforms and complementing native provider capabilities.

Exploring Cloud Security Solutions

Cloud platforms face heightened vulnerability to cyber-attacks due to their internet accessibility, as businesses across all industries frequently transmit sensitive data across these channels. The potential consequences of security breaches, such as significant data loss, downtime, and damaged brand reputation, underscore the necessity of implementing robust cloud security measures.

Common elements of effective cloud security protocols include:

• Multi-Factor Authentication
• Data Encryption
• Stringent Access Controls
• Real-Time Threat Monitoring

Organizations can mitigate the risks of system downtime, financial losses, and reputation damage by prioritizing investments in these cybersecurity controls.

Fortunately, is designed to provide a holistic approach to cloud security, enabling businesses to secure all their applications, data, and infrastructure from a central location.

Seamless Integration With Cloud Platforms And Ecosystems

Cloud platforms offer organizations flexibility and scalability for efficient operations, data processing, and customer service innovation. As cloud adoption presents various challenges, seamless cloud-native implementation is important.

Fortinet Security Fabric excels in this regard, ensuring consistent security for all applications. Its solutions seamlessly integrate with most cloud platforms. Let’s explore how Fortinet Security Fabric collaborates with various public cloud platforms.

1. Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Fortinet offers SaaS, VM containers, and API-based protection to deliver natively integrated security functionality for AWS. This security solution includes the following to provide a powerful defense against cyber threats:

• Firewalls
• Security Gateways
• Intruder Prevention
• Web Application Security

With a host of features, Fortinet provides seamless security for the AWS environment.

These features effectively complement existing AWS security tools such as GuardDuty and Security Hub.

2. Microsoft Azure

For Microsoft Azure and Office 365 users, the Fortinet Security Fabric provides these services to enforce consistent security and visibility across multi-cloud infrastructure:

• Comprehensive Protection
• Automated Management
• Native Integration

Fortinet offers a full suite of threat protection features tailored for Microsoft Azure, including next-generation firewalls, cloud-based management of global security infrastructure, and intrusion prevention systems designed for hybrid-cloud environments.

For Office 365 users, Fortinet provides automated protection against web and email threats, identity solutions, and complete reporting and visibility tools to enhance overall cybersecurity measures.

Fortify your Microsoft Azure and Office 365 experience with Fortinet Security Fabric for consistent security and visibility across multi-cloud infrastructure.

3. Google Cloud Platform

Fortinet Cloud Security for Google Cloud offers resilient enterprise security for both on-premises data centers and cloud environments. The Security Fabric provides multi-layered protection for cloud-based applications, incorporating network, application, and cloud platform security features.

This extensive solution is accessible through virtual machines, containers, and SaaS offerings, seamlessly integrating Fortinet Security into the Google Cloud infrastructure.

Fortinet Cloud Security for Google Cloud delivers multi-layered protection for on-premises and cloud environments.

The Open Fabric Security Framework

The ecosystem provides a holistic approach to security by bringing together technology and threat-sharing collaborations. Fortinet’s partners leverage an open-ended architecture, collaborative power, integration, interfaces, and complimentary solutions for automation and their protection. The result is a broad range of solutions that are available to enable advanced end-to-end security across various environments.

The Fortinet Open Security Fabric: Uniting technology and collaborative power for advanced end-to-end security.

Final Thoughts

The shift to cloud architecture offers organizations agility, scalability, and cost savings. However, with growing reliance on cloud platforms and issues on cybersecurity, merging cloud-native features is the ideal approach to enhance security in your cloud application journey.

Fortinet Security Fabric offers comprehensive next-gen security controls, visibility, and policy management across multiple clouds, which empowers organizations to easily manage their security posture while continuing to reap the benefits of cloud architecture.

Are you ready to take your cloud journey to the next level? Contact our team of experts at WEI, and we’ll be happy to get you started with a thorough assessment of your existing cloud environment.

Next steps: Managing and securing data, applications, and systems has become more arduous and time-consuming with the rise of cloud adoption and the expansion of the digital attack surface. To help remedy this, FortiAnalyzer offers a powerful log management, analytics, and reporting platform that features a single console to manage, orchestrate, and respond. Download our free tech brief below to read.

The post Maximize Your Hybrid Cloud’s Potential With Advanced Cloud Security Architecture appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

The hybrid cloud model is continuing its momentum as a preferred operating model for businesses, but its complexities demand constant adaptation to stay ahead of cyber threats. This applies to both on-premises and hybrid environments. Hybrid cloud allows organizations to leverage diverse IT systems, effectively addressing challenges like security, redundancy, and compliance. However, navigating the delicate balance between security and accepted risk is a moving target for organizations.

Understanding Your Cloud Landscape

Enterprise leaders overwhelmingly believe that their hybrid cloud strategy represents the optimal combination of technologies to achieve their unique business goals. While some view their model as stable, others see it as a transitional phase during the ongoing shift from on-premises to the cloud.

The initial rationale around a private cloud environment was its heightened security due to its isolated nature. Meanwhile, hybrid cloud deployments offer a more nuanced approach to data protection. By leveraging a hybrid model, organizations can implement different security levels for local and cloud-based data, catering to specific needs and ensuring regulation compliance. This flexibility allows businesses to optimize their security posture while also reaping the numerous benefits of cloud computing.

Amidst the prevailing belief in the efficacy of hybrid cloud, organizations recognize the need for a “cloud smart” approach, combining hybrid cloud and multi-cloud solutions. This strategic shift is driven by considerations such as:

• Staffing and team collaboration
• Budget
• Business processes
• Downtime minimization
• Security optimization

Leading enterprise cloud decision-makers recognize the dominance of the hybrid model due to its vast array of advantages:

• Adaptability: Respond swiftly to changing business needs and market demands by dynamically scaling resources up or down.
• Security And Compliance: Implement diverse security controls and confidently meet complex compliance requirements.
• Reliability: Ensure business continuity with a redundant and resilient infrastructure that minimizes downtime.
• Legacy Application Support: Maintain and integrate existing applications seamlessly alongside cloud-native solutions, enabling a smooth transition to a hybrid environment.
• Cost Optimization: Maximize resource utilization and leverage cost-effective cloud services to reduce overall IT spending.
• Data Accessibility: Access and analyze all data, regardless of its location, to gain a comprehensive understanding of business operations.
• Real-Time Insights: Leverage edge data and consolidate information from all sources to obtain a single source of truth for data-driven decision-making.
• Reduced Risk: Mitigate potential security risks by implementing an appropriate security level for different data and applications within the hybrid environment.

Tailoring Security In The Hybrid Cloud Era

To effectively navigate the hybrid cloud landscape, organizations need to adopt differentiated security postures. The by highlights the evolution of security strategies in response to the increasing prevalence of cloud computing. This shift underscores the importance of recognizing that varying security controls and levels of protection are needed for local and cloud-based data, as follows. On-premises data, often housing sensitive information, is tightly controlled and subject to rigorous security protocols. On the other hand, cloud-based workloads leverage the specialized expertise and advanced security capabilities offered by leading cloud providers.

To minimize risk, various teams either come up with a cybersecurity framework, SASE-enabled IT architecture, or a zero-trust enabled architecture. No security system is flawless, as AI-driven attackers are persistent and constantly evolving their tactics. Most operational challenges that IT teams face with hybrid cloud security include:

• Overcoming turf and silo issues
• Compliance with data privacy regulations
• Addressing a lack of security skills and resources

While implementing appropriate security measures is important, the involvement of security teams – whether partial or full – is important in safeguarding the hybrid cloud. This underscores the importance of a proactive approach that emphasizes continuous threat and cloud monitoring, threat intelligence management, and incident response preparedness.

Final Thoughts

In our fast-changing security landscape, hybrid cloud strategies are becoming increasingly popular. They empower enterprises to innovate and achieve substantial results. The use of in hybrid cloud provides unmatched processing speed and a cohesive platform for insightful, data-driven decisions.

As organizations embrace the cloud, adapting their security approach is essential. This adaptation ensures comprehensive protection across their hybrid cloud environments, addressing new challenges and securing their data. By embracing this dynamic shift, businesses can stay ahead of technological advancements, enhance their resilience, and remain secure against emerging threats. Ultimately, integrating hybrid cloud strategies is a key driver for continued success in the digital age.

Next steps: Download WEI’s executive brief, The asset expands on the tangible ways that real companies have come to use scalable intelligent storage to achieve a very real impact on their operations and bottom line.

Determining whether this type of solution fits the most pressing needs of your environment may be another story, however. That’s why there are several intelligent storage solutions worth exploring in this landscape.

The post Migrating To The Hybrid Cloud Starts With Conforming To Next-Gen Security Practices appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Just like many other industries embracing digital transformation, the healthcare sector is also on a transformative journey. Many local hospitals and clinics that were once buried in paperwork have hopped aboard the digital train via the cloud. This move is motivated by the goal of improving patient care, making patient information easier to access by patients and their families, enhancing treatment outcomes, and streamlining business operations.

Unfortunately, streamlining networks, effectively investing into the cloud, enhancing security, and integrating AI pose distinct challenges for the already busy healthcare sector. alleviates those worries so healthcare workers can focus more on their patients than their computers.

Juniper Network’s Five-Point SD-WAN Strategy

Juniper Network’s AI-powered SD-WAN, utilizing the Juniper Session Smart Router and Mist AI, enhances software-defined WAN capabilities for advanced healthcare networks. It handles edge traffic, optimizing performance and cost-effectiveness while eliminating the need for tunnels, thus meeting rigorous healthcare industry standards. This empowers healthcare organizations to expedite cloud migration, which improves operational efficiency for better patient care. These benefits span various digital healthcare applications, including:

• Cloud Services
• IoT Systems
• AI In Medicine
• Telehealth
• Smart Facility Management

1. Enhancing Healthcare Security And Compliance With A Cloud-Centric Solution

The adoption of public cloud for healthcare involved transmitting protected health information (PHI) over the internet, which posed major security risks. To comply with like HIPAA, HITECH, and GDPR, healthcare organizations are now embracing cloud-based security solutions to enhance data protection.

Juniper’s delivers security and hyper-segmentation without the traditional encryption protocols. This technology offers several features:

• Deny-All (Zero Trust) Routing implements a zero-trust approach for every network connection.
• URL Filtering blocks malicious websites and content.
• L3/L4 Denial-of-Service (DoS)/Distributed DoS (DDoS) Protection maintains system and service integrity in the event of cyberattacks.
• Payload Encryption protects data and other sensitive information during transmission.
• Network Address Translation (NAT) And VPN Functionality enable secure communication within the healthcare ecosystem.

Implementing these measures reduces data loss, mitigates malicious attacks, and boosts trustworthiness for both PHI and IT infrastructure.

2. Guaranteed Network Availability With AI-Driven SD-WAN

Network failures can disrupt patient-saving care and daily healthcare operations. Organizations are now turning to AI-driven SD-WAN to maintain uninterrupted access to critical applications during cloud migrations and mergers-and-acquisitions (M&A) activities.

Juniper’s Mist AI ensures network availability through the following means:

• Traffic Steering optimizes data flow for healthcare applications.
• Session-Aware Routing operates at the network’s edge to reduce latency.
• Failover Protection redirects traffic through alternative paths in the event of a link failure or ISP outage.
• Service-Centric Routing simplifies migration of workloads to the cloud and the integration of networks during M&A activities, without service disruption or complex router configurations.

These features help healthcare organizations maintain critical application functionality and reduce disruptions. This is especially notable during an era where many healthcare organizations across the country are working through M&A

3. Optimizing Healthcare Experiences By Meeting SLAs

Efficient IT operations in healthcare improve service quality and user experience by intelligently managing traffic, maintaining service levels, and using AIOps for issue detection and resolution. Juniper Mist AI is leading the way to ensure service quality and user satisfaction through the following:

• Traffic Prioritization based on user application requirements. In healthcare, there are many clinical and non-clinical applications with varying degrees of requirements.
• Tunnel-Free Architecture for enhanced network visibility and efficient end-to-end session monitoring.
• WAN Assurance, which provides users with metrics to assess healthcare workers’ experiences.
• to deliver comprehensive insights for IT users to quickly identify and address issues.

4. Streamlining Healthcare Network Expansion

Expanding healthcare networks, especially during complex mergers and clinic location expansion, is a challenge. To enhance agility, healthcare organizations should prioritize cost-effective routing protocols and centralized network configurations.

With , IT operators can simply manage the entire network stack (wired, wireless, and WAN) from a single platform. This streamlined setup includes zero-touch provisioning and advanced templates for quick deployment at multiple sites and clouds – something WEI is very familiar with.

5. Maximizing Cost Efficiency

Cost containment in healthcare IT goes beyond saving money; it’s about future proofing. Juniper Network’s AI-powered SD-WAN streamlines network and cloud migrations, so organizations can enjoy cost savings and improved data transmission efficiency. In a time where ROI metrics are more pivotal than ever, IT teams can accurately forecast these savings for major cloud and network migrations. This translates well to other key stakeholders within a healthcare organization.

The resulting cost savings free up IT budgets for innovation, a vital aspect in an ever-evolving healthcare sector.

Final Thoughts

Juniper Network’s solution empowers healthcare IT leaders, delivering exceptional network experiences for clinicians, staff, and the patients they serve while simplifying operations and enhancing security. Thanks to Session Smart Router and Mist AI, it optimizes performance and cost-effectiveness, ensuring fast and secure data access and migration. This allows healthcare workers to focus on operational efficiency and top-quality patient care.

To dive deeper into Juniper Healthcare IT Networking, reach out to WEI and discover the future of healthcare network management.

Next Steps: Whether you are responding to evolving workloads and performance needs or changing scalability and resiliency requirements, chances are your enterprise will undergo a data center migration at some point. Download our white paper, and learn:

• The challenges of inevitable data center migrations
• How to incrementally build and validate blueprints
• How Juniper Apstra executes your intent
• Apstra automated data center deployment service

The post These Five Strategies Can Help Accelerate Healthcare Digital Transformation appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

As the world moves towards a digital future, network security is more important than ever. In an ideal network infrastructure setting, a single firewall would be enough to protect business assets from external threats. However, as technology progresses and attackers become more advanced, these security measures need to evolve in depth and flexibility.

Imagine a medieval kingdom facing a dragon that could fly over walls and burrow deep underground. To fight it off, the king devises a new strategy: Instead of relying solely on their stationary walls, he extended their defense measures throughout the kingdom. They fortified villages, erected watchtowers, and armed every citizen. The entire realm became an extension of the fortress, where each element worked in harmony to repel threats from every direction. Today’s network security strategies must work in unison as well. As a side note, a fire-breathing dragon would make for a cool office attraction. Maybe we’ll write an article about that someday.

Evolving Network Security Measures

In mirroring the narrative above, the evolution of network security means traditional firewalls fall short in the digital arms race, and IT teams are coming up with strategies to fortify their defenses. Moreover, modern applications span cloud and on-premises platforms which require secure access from anywhere. The single perimeter concept from way back has now shifted to micro-perimeters that need tailored security. Now, applications serve as perimeters, and firewalls encompass physical, virtual, and cloud-native forms.

Managing this new framework poses challenges. While the goal is to deploy strong network security, ensuring steady and consistent resiliency and policy enforcement across this setup is a hurdle businesses commonly face.

Your Guide To Modern Firewall Solutions

To navigate this complex terrain, our team has identified five essential tips for choosing a firewall solution that will help transform your entire network into an extension of your security architecture:

1. Think Beyond The Edge: Firewalls once stood at network edges, but networks have changed. Now, policies are enforced universally using smart control points. This strategy deploys security controls widely, gathering context for enhanced threat visibility and meeting security needs.
2. Embrace Superior Threat Protection: Choose a firewall with excellent visibility and advanced threat defense. Detect and halt threats swiftly across users, networks, and infrastructure. Use continuous analysis and endpoint security integration to preempt potential risks.
3. Transition To The Cloud: Move away from traditional firewalls and invest in cloud-based management for hassle-free, robust security. Streamline control, visibility, and policy enforcement across diverse environments, safeguarding both traditional and cloud networks, as well as endpoints and applications.
4. Utilize An Open Security Ecosystem: Integrate your firewall with , an open security platform. Streamline policies and threat correlation across networks, endpoints, and workloads for more effective security management.
5. Choose a Reliable Partner: This tip is easier said than done, as our team frequently comes in to clean up a mess a client unknowingly got itself into. Identifying a solutions vendor that goes beyond a product and collaborates to secure your network is an obvious step, but knowing which technology partner to work with in guiding this process is another. Prioritize ongoing support, updates, and expertise. Lean on and WEI’s technical expertise and dedication to enhance your network security.

Meet The Cisco Secure Firewall Portfolio

A is more than hardware or software; it’s a strategic move toward a more resilient and adaptable security architecture. Here are the service’s key features that make it a superior choice for safeguarding your network:

1. Comprehensive Protection: Choose a firewall that offers holistic security, safeguarding your entire network, not just its perimeter. excels here, defending against a spectrum of threats like malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks.
2. Scalability: As your business grows, your network security needs will too. The firewall you choose should be able to scale with your business, providing consistent protection even as your network expands.
3. Visibility And Control: The best firewalls provide thorough network visibility, enabling traffic monitoring, anomaly detection, and swift threat response. Look for a solution that provides granular control over your network’s security.
4. Ease Of Use: Avoid security risks tied to complex, challenging firewalls. Opt for an easily manageable solution like with its user-friendly interface and array of automation tools.
5. Integration Capabilities: Ensure your firewall integrates smoothly with other security solutions. This creates a unified defense architecture against sophisticated, evolving threats.

Final Thoughts

While it would be a great Netflix feature,, your organization no longer needs to manually build fortresses to defend against scaly, fire-breathing threats. provides robust hybrid network security that seamlessly integrates with tools like and . This ensures comprehensive data, application, and user protection for your business.

Offering deep visibility, modern control capabilities, and seamless integration, Cisco is the premium network security partner to fortify your digital environment. Contact one of our many WEI experts today to learn how we can help you secure your network and ensure business continuity.

Next Steps: You can learn more about how Cisco can transform your network into an intention-based unified fabric that not only furthers the scalability, agility, and performance of your network, but your business objectives as well. Take a closer look at this stunning tool in our white paper, .

The post Why Cisco Secure Firewall Is Your Best Choice For Network Security appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

In the last few years, technology has continued to surge ahead, with many of these new developments taking cybersecurity to new heights. Unfortunately, the same technologies are being used by a growing number of hackers intent on monetizing your personal and professional data. This comes in the form of targeting both traditional and non-traditional devices such as edge devices and virtual cities.

We often assume cyberattacks only happen to mega enterprises such as Walmart, Meta, or Google. These assaults make the front page, but the people most often affected by breaches in data security are not big businesses or countries. Rachel Wilson, a former NSA agent and professional with over 20 years working in cybersecurity, put it best in her recent evaluation of the cybersecurity concerns today, stating, “The key thing for all of us is to recognize that now 70% of that malicious cyber activity is coming after us. It’s coming after anyone with two nickels to rub together.”

Wilson explained that cybercriminals don’t target your enterprise or data for personal reasons. They agnostically target you because you are simply vulnerable. As many cybersecurity professionals already know, it is not a question of if a malicious event will occur, but when.

Contemporary Cybersecurity Concerns

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic made a lot of changes to our physical world, but the virtual landscape also saw immense changes. One published by McAfee in 2020 indicated that the pandemic saw an 81% increase in attempted cyberattacks.

Over the past two years, cybersecurity risks have greatly increased due to what Wilson referred to as the Three Rs:

• Russia – While the situation might not be as dire as some might worry, Russian cybercriminals continue to raid data around the country. Whether those attacks are organized by the government or not, tense relations between the United States and Russia have certainly increased the frequency of cyberattacks.
• Ransomware – This lucrative form of extortion often involves stealing someone’s data, encrypting it, and offering to give it back for an obscenely large fee. In 2021, this form of cyberattack dealt the most damage to the United States economy, costing U.S. businesses a total of . By some estimates, that boils down to a business being attacked once every 10 seconds.
• Resilience – Living through a global pandemic, many of us were, and still are, in a depleted mental state. This often leads to business owners and employees taking risks that make their enterprises even more vulnerable, such as keeping the same passwords, clicking nefarious links, or downloading data from disreputable sources.

These factors, along with the increased amount of remote workers using their own devices, have created ideal opportunities for criminals to compromise valuable data and breach unknown security vulnerabilities. This is particularly nerve wracking when you consider that most hackers need very little time to .

How You Can Improve Your Enterprise’s Cybersecurity

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to improve your chances of avoiding and recovering from a malicious event. We’ve listed a few of our favorites below:

1. Update Your Devices. This might seem like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised by how often people forget to keep their devices up to date. When engineers create an update for a smart device, they work out the bugs and vulnerabilities in the code. All hackers have to do is reverse engineer these fixes to prey on devices without the updates.
2. Create A Backup Strategy. If your data is compromised by a malicious event, you will need to make sure you have access to a journal-style snapshot of your data elsewhere. One of the most common strategies is the “3-2-1 Strategy.” This involves having three copies of your data in two geographically dispersed locations, one of which is removed from your network. Here, you can rest assured that at least one version of your backup is safe from a potential cyberattack.
3. Regularly Restore From Backup. If your system is down because of a cyberattack, every minute you don’t restore your server can have severe impacts on your organization’s finances. Routinely restore from backups so that it is second nature when you need it.

Performing these simple tasks can greatly improve your enterprise’s preparedness for a potential cyberattack. “These cyber threats are coming after all of us,” said Rachel Wilson. “They don’t discriminate, and that means all of us in 2022 (and 2023) need to be raising our game.”

Zerto Provides Assurance In The Event Of A Cyberattack

If you are relying on a backup system, you want to make sure you have one you can feel confident in. That is where HPE’s Zerto comes in.

Contrary to many cloud recovery systems, Zerto is software-based and not bound to a particular provider. In addition to being provider agnostic, Zerto offers strong protection against the growing concern of ransomware in the following ways:

• Cloud Mobility – When Zerto notices a change, they copy it, replicate it, and send it to the cloud space (whether that is private or personal). Most importantly, this does not interfere with production and is always on.
• Journal-style Updates – Rather than using a snapshot feature like many other backup services, Zerto checks every five to ten seconds. This means that if a cyberattack hits at 10:00:00, you can recover to 09:59:55 and lose seconds, instead of hours, of work.
• Stack Applications Into Groups – Virtual memory is not the only concern in a malicious event. Applications are also important. If there is a data set in the VM that supports an application, you can group them into a virtual protection group (VPG). This grouping allows you to recover the VMs back to the same point without compromising write-order fidelity. This allows you to test recovery without impacting your production environment.

There are steps enterprises and individuals can take to improve their security and come out the other side of cyberattacks strong. If you have more questions about how you can integrate HPE’s Zerto into your enterprise, contact WEI today.

Next Steps: WEI and HPE/Zerto recently welcomed Rachel Wilson for an exclusive IT security discussion. Rachel currently serves as the director of cybersecurity for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and is a former NSA senior executive. Experts from WEI and HPE also provided data protection and disaster recovery options to help combat cyber threats to your organization, data, and self. Learn more by watching the full webcast below.

The post How Zerto Can Protect Your Data From Cyberattacks appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Cloud security is often viewed as a hindrance to productivity and agility, slowing down the ability to develop new applications and processes. However, when adopting a new cloud environment such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), you must balance adequate cloud security with the cloud’s elasticity and scalability.

Fortinet Security Fabric provides the ideal components to build an autonomous services hub for AWS designed for various business needs. By concentrating on your cloud security services, your enterprise can protect its data and assets while ensuring consistent security policies across the entire infrastructure.

The Fortinet Security Fabric provides AWS cloud users with various security capabilities from a central location, leveraging a cloud-native ability to automatically scale and replicate services in other regions. Here are six ways can provide a balanced and secure cloud environment.

Fortinet For Your AWS Cloud Environment

1. Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) access control. With the FortiGate NGFW, you control who can access your enterprise’s data and what they are able to view. With a cloud services hub, restrictions can be based on cloud resource tags, IP addresses, TCP services, and application control policies for outgoing and incoming traffic.
2. VPN cloud connectivity. Secure the data your enterprise shares across resources with the cloud services hub. The cloud services hub can also use FortiGate NGFWs to establish and maintain secure VPN cloud connectivity from branch offices, other data centers, office locations, remote users, or even from organizational VPCs residing in the cloud. This ensures that all traffic is transmitted confidentially over shared resources.
3. Secure web gateway. With FortiGate you also have the ability to secure web gateways and reduce the risk of malicious communications. By using it as the exit point to the internet, the cloud services hub enforces acceptable internet usage policies for your employees while also reducing suspicious communications.
4. Web application security. Protect users’ personal details such as electronic payments or health information with FortiWeb web application firewall (WAF) as part of your cloud services hub.

Used as the entry point for internet traffic accessing web-based applications, a central set of WAF security policies protects business-critical applications while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, such as the (PCI DSS) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

5. Email security. With Fortinet’s FortiMail deployed on demand, you can have peace of mind that you have a backup and secure email gateway (SEG) for your enterprise. FortiMail provides security and flexibility for global email deployments without having to worry about availability.
6. Sandboxing. Protecting cloud environments from zero-day attacks is growing increasingly important for enterprises. FortiSandbox can integrate with FortiGate to scan any in-line traffic as part of the cloud services hub. It can help protect applications by leveraging the FortiSandbox JSON API. FortiSandbox also has the capability to scale to Amazon S3 cloud storage buckets, via lambda functions. With the available collaboration tools and the increasing use of public file and image repositories, the ability to safely test suspicious code and expose new threats is more relevant than ever.

Using the Fortinet Security Fabric for your enterprise’s AWS cloud environment provides you with a balanced solution that combines cloud security with the ability to remain flexible and scale to organizational needs.

Contact WEI today if you’re ready to deploy Fortinet for your AWS cloud environment. Our experts will help you determine which services your enterprise needs to maximize cloud security and agility.

Next Steps: Learn more about Fortinet cloud security options by downloading our latest tech brief, “.”

The post 6 Ways Fortinet Provides Agile Security For Your AWS Cloud Environment appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

On September 28, 2021, HPE announced a for HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform. This platform provides customers with unmatched capabilities to power digital transformation for their applications and data.

These modernizations will further accelerate HPE’s transition to a cloud services company, and give customers greater choice and freedom for their business and IT strategy in the hybrid work environment.

This announcement represents HPE’s entry into three large, high-growth software markets – unified analytics, data protection, and Adoption Framework.

What The New Cloud Services Are

The three new offerings, which add to the growing platform of HPE GreenLake cloud services, allow customers to innovate with agility at lower costs.

The new innovations are as follows:

• : Open and unified analytics cloud services to modernize all data and applications everywhere – on-premises, at the edge, and in the cloud. HPE GreenLake for analytics will be available in the beginning of 2022.
• : Disaster recovery and backup cloud services to help customers address ransomware head-on and secure data from edge-to-cloud. HPE GreenLake for data protection will be available in the beginning of 2022.
• : A comprehensive, proven set of methodologies, expertise, and automation tools to accelerate and de-risk the path to a cloud experience everywhere. The HPE Edge-to-Cloud Adoption Framework is available now.

How HPE GreenLake Analytics Are Optimized For Hybrid Environments

This is HPE GreenLake’s first cloud-native unified analytics and data cloud services optimized for hybrid environments. The analytics enable customers to accelerate modernization initiatives. They are built to be cloud-native which avoids complex data migrations to the public cloud. Now analytics and data science teams can leverage the industry’s first cloud-native solution on premises, scale up Apache Spark lakehouses, and speed up AI and ML workflows.

Included in the new are:

• HPE Ezmeral Unified Analytics: Modernized analytics and data lakehouse platform optimized for on-premises deployment.

• HPE Ezmeral Data Fabric Object Store: Kubernetes-native object store optimized for analytics performance, providing access to all data sets within edge to cloud.
• Expanding HPE Ezmeral Partner Ecosystem: Delivers a rapidly growing set of successful solutions from ISV partners that enable customers to build their analytics engines.

How HPE GreenLake Data Protection Innovation Protects Customers’ Data

Within the September 28 , HPE entered the rapidly growing data protection As-a-Service market with HPE GreenLake for data protection. The new cloud services are designed to modernize data protection, overcome ransomware attacks, and deliver faster data recovery.

The new include:

• HPE Backup and Recovery Service: Backup as a service offering that provides policy-based automation to backup and protect customers’ virtual machines across hybrid cloud environments, eliminating the complexities of managing backup hardware
• HPE GreenLake for Disaster Recovery: HPE plans to deliver Zerto’s industry-leading disaster recovery as a service through HPE GreenLake to help customers recover in minutes from ransomware attacks.

How HPE Adoption Framework Accelerates Cloud Experience

HPE has also a proven set of methodologies and automation tools to enable enterprises to take a data-driven approach to achieve the optimal operation model across all hybrid work environments – the HPE Edge-to-Cloud Adoption Framework.

The HPE Edge-to-Cloud Adoption Framework leverages HPE’s expertise in delivering solutions on-premises to meet a broad range of business needs for customers across the globe. HPE has identified multiple critical areas that enterprises should consider and measure to accomplish an effective cloud operating system.

Are You Interested In HPE’s New Cloud Services?

HPE is a global edge-to-cloud company helping organizations accelerate outcomes by unlocking value from all of their data. Built on decades of reimagining and innovating, HPE delivers unique, open and intelligent technology solutions. HPE’s new cloud services for the HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform allows customers to accelerate innovation, deliver compelling experiences, and achieve high-level business outcomes. If you’re ready to make the change now, contact WEI to begin building a custom solution for your business.

NEXT STEPS: this executive brief to learn the power of the OpEX model for IT investments and find the middle ground for future It investments.

The post HPE Announces New Comprehensive Cloud Services For the HPE GreenLake Platform appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

In today’s rapidly changing work environments, enterprises can no longer mix and match solutions in an attempt to provide security for on-premises and remote employees. Instead, enterprises need one solution that can provide comprehensive, holistic security from edge-to-cloud.

This is a critical time in cybersecurity. Over the last 18 months we’ve seen new security challenges arise as a direct result of the pandemic, including:

• A rise in shadow IT-related incidents fueled by the exodus to remote working.
• Increased cyberattacks, especially ransomware attacks.
• Massive growth of the attack surface as enterprises prioritized performance and productivity over security.

Mix in the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and the inherent security challenges associated with cloud computing and it seems impossible that one platform can secure your on-site users, your remote employees, and the multitude of other devices used across your enterprise every single day.

, begs to differ. Keep reading to find out how Aruba Networks’ built-in security solutions can protect against advanced threats.

1. Aruba For Device Discovery And Profiling

Regardless of the industry, enterprises have huge numbers of devices to manage, whether they’re known and are IoT devices, are utilized by employees, or are unknown and belong to vendors, customers, or other visitors. To stay ahead of the security challenge presented by these devices, enterprises need a solution that can bring visibility and control. Through Aruba ClearPass Device Insight, IT can address the risk associated with these devices and block security holes before bad actors find them.

2. Network Access Control For Wired, Wireless, And WAN

With Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager, IT can rest assured that vulnerable data is protected through centralized user and device authentication, role-based access policies, and continuous attack response.

Through this dynamic, real-time device management system, access for authorized users is simplified, improving employee productivity and reducing risk. ClearPass also supports BYOD initiatives, further improving user experience.

3. Unified Threat Management For SD-WAN

Unlike other security solutions, doesn’t sacrifice performance for security. Through built in edge- and cloud-based security controls, enterprises can reap the full benefits of their cloud and broadband investments.

Despite the attention devoted to performance, enterprises can be confident that the network is secured from edge-to-cloud. Through firewalls placed at the edge, to dynamic segmentation and advanced threat response, Aruba prevents and contains threats, regardless of how distributed your environment is.

4. Secure Remote Access VPN Solutions

These days, you can never be sure where your employees are going to be working from. While many enterprises made plans to go back to the office this fall, those plans have been put on hold due to the ongoing health crisis. Instead, many users continue to work from home, from the road, from hotels, and basically anywhere with an internet connection.

As a result, enterprises need to be ready with secure remote access virtual private network (VPN) solutions. This same technology can also be applied for micro and macro branch locations, reducing the need for multiple, often incompatible solutions or complicated integration scenarios.

5. Policy Enforcement Firewall

With Aruba Networks, enterprises can take security right to the source of data with a policy enforcement firewall (PEF), which provides automated dynamic segmentation for wireless and wired access security in any Aruba Networks environment.

By placing a firewall at the point of connectivity, Aruba Networks is giving enterprises a simple way to control access to the network without creating additional cost or complexity.

6. Integrated Protection For Aruba WLAN

Last but not least, software prevents denial-of-service and man-in-the-middle attacks, while also reducing the risk of over-the-air security threats. As a result, enterprises no longer need to install separate RF sensors or security sensors if they’re using Aruba wireless LAN.

Securing the future of ‘work’ looks different than yesterday, but WEI and Aruba can help.

The edge will only grow and become more complex if you don’t start taking an active approach to integrating security at the endpoints of your business. If you’re interested in any of the security strategies discussed above, WEI can help. offers the holistic security and architectural simplicity needed to stay competitive in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape. By taking advantage of Aruba’s full portfolio of security solutions and out-of-the-box integrations, enterprises can fully secure their remote, hybrid, or on-premises workforces.

To make the transition easy, talk to WEI. Our team of network security experts know Aruba’s portfolio inside and out an have implemented it for customer across several different industries. While the details of each project may be different, the goal is always the same, secure my business and the way people interact with it, at the edge.

NEXT STEPS: Just about every business we talk with has long-term remote workforce initiatives, and security has become a larger focal point of each conversation because devices are no longer protected by the traditional enterprise perimeter. Don’t leave security to chance with your remote workforce. See how Aruba is solving the challenge with Aruba Remote Access Points, and find out just how easy Aruba RAPs are to implement and manage in our tech brief below.

The post Six Ways to Achieve Edge-To-Cloud Security With Aruba appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Even as enterprises put the chaos of 2020 behind them, cybersecurity holdovers from the past year continue to haunt IT security teams. In addition, new security threats rear their ugly heads every day, keeping IT on their toes.

For many enterprises, it’s not a question of “if” a security breach will happen, it’s “when.” This mindset helps enterprise security teams stay proactive about cybersecurity efforts, but when the threat landscape is as wide as is today, it’s hard to know what to focus on and what poses the highest threat.

To help you stay ahead of the game, we’ve put together a list of three top security trends, as reported by Fortinet in their Global Threat Landscape Report.

1. Securing The Branch And Home Offices

While many employees have returned to the office (or have plans to do so soon), there’s a significant portion of the workforce that will be continuing to work from home. As a result, enterprise security must adapt to ensure these remote employees aren’t creating undue security risks.

In 2020, the home office became an appealing target for cybercriminals looking to take advantage of the chaos. even as IT teams scrambled just to keep the lights on. While a majority of enterprises have moved passed the initial hurdles to provide remote employees what they need to be productive, security remains an issue.

As reported by Fortinet, the proliferation of remote employees could contribute to what they refer to as the “final nail in the coffin of trust-based security.”

When it comes to security, it pays to be cautious. Or even paranoid. Strategies like zero trust access, where devices are given the fewest possible access privileges and all devices require authentication, are becoming a popular solution to the remote working conundrum.

2. Threats Targeting The Digital Supply Chain

While last year’s breach is the most well-known of recent attacks, threats to the digital supply chain have been steadily increasing as cybercriminals become more advanced.

In the case of the SolarWinds breach, which appears to have originated from nation-state attackers, U.S. government agencies and several prominent tech companies were included among the victims, raising the stakes even higher and putting the security risks supply chains pose into perspective for many.

In their report, Fortinet described that attackers went to “extraordinary lengths to maintain operational secrecy around the initial compromise of SolarWinds, the distribution of the malware, the deployment of the second-stage payload, and in C2 communications.”

The type of attack used by the SolarWinds perpetrators is referred to as an advanced persistent threat (APT), which can often go unspotted by anti-malware and endpoint detection tools.

Today, when cyber threats are at their most advanced and can have the highest impact, enterprises must stay one step ahead of attackers, who are only getting more advanced and creative by the day.

3. Ransomware Continues To Be A Persistent Threat

Ransomware took center stage in 2020 and that trend is continuing into 2021. Like attacks focusing on the home office, many ransomware attackers used the chaos of the pandemic to their advantage, especially against organizations in the healthcare sector. The frequency of attacks rapidly grew in the latter half of 2020 and the threat of ransomware continues to loom for organizations worldwide.

As shared by Fortinet, effectively dealing with ransomware threats requires a significantly different toolset and strategy than other cybersecurity risks. Some of the suggested strategies to prevent or minimize the impact of a ransomware attack include utilizing aforementioned zero trust access, cloud-based security solutions like , and advanced endpoint security. Having an effective backup and disaster recovery strategy in place is also key, and remove the attackers leverage of holding data hostage.

The recent attack on , which has had an impact on many outside of the tech industry, should serve as an effective motivator for organizations that have yet to prioritize preparing for ransomware threats.

A Cybersecurity Partner, Not Just a Solutions Provider

Fortinet offers comprehensive and holistic security solutions for the largest enterprise, service provider, and government organizations in the world. From firewalls to cloud security, Fortinet ensures security without compromising performance. If youo have questions about how Fortinet can support your business and your security goals, contact WEI today. Our experience as a top Fortinet partner can prove valuable to your security strategy, and we are here to help!

NEXT STEPS: Do you have the right mix of enterprise security tools in your arsenal? See what top IT leaders agree to be the right mix of security solutions for the digital world in our eBook below!

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