Overcoming Cloud Computing's Biggest Challenge: Virtual Network Security
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
Stonesoft shares five network tactics to help resolve cloud security issues
Helsinki, Finland - 14 April, 2010 - Stonesoft, an innovative provider of
integrated network security and business continuity solutions, has identified
five ways that organizations can improve cloud computing security. This
announcement comes on the heels of recent research released from Gartner, Inc.
citing that 60 percent of virtualized servers will be less secure than the
physical servers they replace through 2012 (Source: Addressing the Most Common
Security Risks in Data Center Virtualization Projects, January 2010).
Today, most organizations deploy virtualization technologies without involving
information and network security teams in the initial planning stages. As a
result, many organizations are simply retrofitting their virtual networks with
existing physical network security strategies and technologies. This lack of
foresight and technological preparedness drastically weakens network security,
which presents the biggest known challenge to the success of cloud computing
with large-scale organizations.
In response, Stonesoft has identified five ways IT teams can protect themselves
against cloud security threats and attacks, while helping ensure the success of
their cloud computing strategies. They include:
1. Federated ID: Inherent in a cloud computing environment is the need for
workers to log into multiple applications and services. This presents a
formidable security pitfall, as organizations may lose control over their
ability to ensure strong authentication at the user level. To mitigate this
risk, organizations need "single sign-on" capabilities - such as those provided
by the StoneGate SSL VPN - that enable users to access multiple applications and
services, including those located outside of the organization in the public
cloud, through a single login. With this ability, organizations can streamline
security management and ensure strong authentication within the cloud.
2. Always-on Connectivity: When the majority of an organization's critical
business data is stored in the cloud, network downtime can shut down business
operations. Access to cloud services must be always available, even during
maintenance, thus requiring high availability technologies and capabilities such
as active/active clustering, dynamic server load balancing and ISP load
balancing within the network infrastructure. Organizations should seek
technologies that are built into their network solutions, rather than purchase
them as standalone products to ensure effectiveness, ease of management and
reduced network costs.
3. Multi-layer Inspection: The rise of the cloud computing environment and
increased sophistication of threats has created a need for a proper layered
defense comprised of perimeter protection and intrusion detection and prevention
capabilities within the network. Rather than implementing first-generation
firewalls to protect the cloud at the perimeter, Stonesoft recommends the
deployment of virtual next generation firewall appliances- like the StoneGate
Virtual NextGen Firewall - that integrate advanced firewall and IPS capabilities
for deep traffic inspection. This will allow organizations to inspect all levels
of traffic, from basic Web browsing to peer-to-peer applications and encrypted
Web traffic in the SSL tunnel. Additional IPS appliances should be implemented
to protect networks from internal attacks that threaten access to the cloud.
4. Centralized Management: Human error is still the greatest network security
threat facing both physical and virtual computing environments. As companies
deploy additional network devices to secure their virtual networks, they
exponentially increase this risk as device management, monitoring and
configuration become more tedious and less organized. For this reason, Stonesoft
recommends companies use a single management console to manage, monitor and
configure all devices - physical, virtual and third-party.
5. Virtual Desktop Protection: More and more organizations are deploying
virtual desktops to realize the cost and administration benefits. However, these
desktops are just as - if not more - vulnerable than their physical
counterparts. To adequately protect virtual desktops, organizations should
isolate them from other network segments and implement deep inspection at the
network level to prevent both internal and external threats. Those organizations
should deploy a multi-pronged approach to security by implementing IPS
technology that prevents illegal internal access, protects the clients from
malicious servers, as well as providing secure remote access capabilities
through IPsec or SSL VPN that protects against unauthorized external access.
Stonesoft currently offers a selection of virtual network security solutions
that provide advanced security in the cloud. These include the StoneGate Virtual
NextGen Firewall, StoneGate Virtual IPS and StoneGate Virtual SSL VPN. For more
information, please visit www.stonesoft.com
For more details, please contact:
Klaus Majewski
VP, Marketing
Stonesoft Corporation
Tel. +358 9 476 711
E-mail: klaus.majewski(at)stonesoft.com
About Stonesoft
Stonesoft Corporation (NASDAQ OMX: SFT1V) is an innovative provider of
integrated network security solutions to secure the information flow of
distributed organizations. Stonesoft customers include enterprises with growing
business needs requiring advanced network security and always-on business
connectivity.
StoneGate(TM) Secure Connectivity Solution unifies firewall, VPN, IPS and SSL
VPN
network security, end-to-end availability and award-winning load balancing into
a unified and centrally managed system. The key benefits of the StoneGate
solution include low TCO, excellent price-performance ratio and high ROI. The
StoneGate Virtual Security Solutions
both virtual and physical network environments.
StoneGate Management Center
provides unified management for StoneGate Firewall with VPN
SSL VPN.
StoneGate Firewall and IPS work together to provide intelligent defense all over
the enterprise network while StoneGate SSL VPN provides enhanced security for
mobile and remote use.
Founded in 1990, Stonesoft Corporation is a global company with corporate
headquarters in Helsinki, Finland and Americas headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
For more information, visit www.stonesoft.com
the corporate blog http://stoneblog.stonesoft.com
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Datum: 14.04.2010 - 06:31 Uhr
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