Search results

Compared to on-premises data storage, cloud computing comes with a lot of benefits. On-demand access to company data, flexibility, and... Cloud Security What is a Cloud Security Assessment? (and How to Perform One) Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 7/12/23 Published Compared to on-premises data storage, cloud computing comes with a lot of benefits. On-demand access to company data, flexibility, and fast collaboration are just a few. But along with these advantages come increased security risks. To manage them, companies should invest in regular cloud security assessments. What Is a Cloud Security Risk Assessment? A cloud security assessment evaluates the potential vulnerabilities of an organization’s cloud environment. These assessments are essential to mitigate risks and ensure the continued security of cloud-based systems. By looking at cloud applications, services, and data, companies can better understand the biggest threats to their cloud environment. By managing these threats, businesses can avoid costly workflow interruptions. A security assessment can be done by an organization’s internal security team or by an outside security expert. This can happen one time only, or it can be done regularly as part of an organization’s overall cybersecurity plan. How Do Cloud Security Risk Assessments Protect Your Business? Cloud-based systems and services are an essential part of most businesses nowadays. Unfortunately, what makes them convenient is also what makes them vulnerable to security threats. A cloud security risk assessment helps organizations find out what might go wrong and prevent it from happening. It also helps with prioritizing and managing the most serious issues before they become full-on data breaches. One way assessments do this is by identifying misconfigurations. Cloud misconfigurations are behind many security breaches. They result from errors introduced by network engineers working on early cloud systems. A cloud security assessment earmarks these and other outmoded security features for repair. What’s more, cloud security assessments identify third-party risks from APIs or plugins. When your company identifies risks and manages permissions, you keep your cloud environment safe. By mitigating third-party risks, you can still benefit from outside vendors. Of course, none of this information is valuable without employee education. Employees need to know about risks and how to stop them; this is the best way to reduce the number of security incidents caused by human error or carelessness. To put it simply, a cloud security assessment helps your business run smoothly. When you know the risks your company faces and can manage them, you reduce the impact of security-related incidents. That means you can recover faster and get back to work sooner. 7 Benefits of Cloud Security Risk Assessments Cloud security risk assessments provide lots of benefits. They can help you: Improve cloud security posture . Understanding the ins and outs of a cloud-based system helps organizations plan better. For example, they can modify their security budget or improve their risk management strategy based on the results. Uncover security vulnerabilities . Cloud security assessments pinpoint weak spots. This includes misconfigurations , access control issues, and missing multi-factor authentications (MFAs). Once identified, organizations can fix the issues and avoid security breaches. Develop a more secure multi-cloud environment . Most organizations use multiple cloud platforms. Usually, this involves private or public clouds or a combination of both. This is ideal from a financial and agility perspective. But every extra layer in a cloud environment introduces potential risks. A cloud security assessment is essential in identifying these cross-cloud threats. Achieve compliance with industry standards and regulatory bodies . Ensuring compliance with GDPR, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA helps protect organizations from millions of dollars of potential fines . Manage your reputation. A sensitive data leak or other cloud security incident damages a company’s reputation. Think of companies like Target, Facebook, and LinkedIn. All have faced backlash after security breaches . Conducting cloud security assessments shows that organizations value customer and stakeholder privacy. Detect past threats . A cloud security assessment looks for things that might be wrong with the way your cloud system is set up. It can also help you find out if there have been any past security problems. By doing this, you can see if someone has tried to tamper with the security of your cloud system in the past, which could signal a bigger problem. Increase efficiency . Cloud security assessments show you which security measures are working and which aren’t. By getting rid of security tools that aren’t needed, employees have more time to work on other tasks. Cost savings . The most compelling reason to run a cloud security assessment is that it helps save money. Cost savings come from eliminating unnecessary security measures and from missed work time due to breaches. What Risks Do Cloud Security Assessments Look For? Cloud security assessments focus on six areas to identify security vulnerabilities in your cloud infrastructure: overall security posture, access control and management, incident management, data protection, network security, and risk management and compliance. Some specific risks cloud security assessments look for include: Cloud Misconfigurations Misconfigurations are one of the most common threats to overall security posture. In fact, McAfee’s enterprise security study found that enterprises experience 3,500 security incidents per month because of misconfigurations. From improperly stored passwords to insecure automated backups, misconfiguration issues are everywhere. Because they’re so common, fixing this issue alone can reduce the risk of a security breach by up to 80%, according to Gartner . Access Control and Management Problems This assessment also highlights ineffective access control and management. One way it does this is by identifying excessive network permissions. Without the proper guardrails (like data segmentation) in place, an organization’s attack surface is greater. Plus, its data is at risk from internal and external threats. If an employee has too much access to a company’s network, they might accidentally delete or change important information. This could cause unintended system problems. Additionally, if hackers get access to the company’s network, they could easily steal important data. Cloud security assessments also look at credentials as part of user account management. A system that uses only static credentials for users or cloud workloads is a system at risk. Without multifactor authentication (MFA) in place, hackers can gain access to your system and expose your data. Improper Incident Management and Logging When it comes to incident management, a cloud security assessment can reveal insufficient or improper logging — problems that make detecting malicious activities more difficult. Left unchecked, the damage is more severe, making recovery more time-consuming and expensive. Insufficient Data and Network Security Data protection and network security go hand in hand. Without proper network controls in place (for example firewalls and intrusion detection), data in the cloud is vulnerable to attack. A cloud security assessment can identify gaps in both areas. Based on the results of a cloud security assessment, a company can make a risk management plan to help them react as quickly and effectively as possible in the event of an attack. The last aspect of cloud security the assessment looks at is compliance with industry standards. 7 Steps To Perform a Cloud Security Assessment The main components of cloud security assessments include: Identifying your cloud-based assets, discovering vulnerabilities through testing, generating recommendations, and retesting once the issues have been addressed. The steps to performing a cloud security assessment are as follows: Step One: Define the project Get a picture of your cloud environment. Look at your cloud service providers (CSPs), third-party apps, and current security tools. First, decide which parts of your system will be evaluated. Next, look at the type of data you’re handling or storing. Then consider the regulations your business must follow. Step Two: Identify potential threats Look at both internal and external threats to your cloud-based system. This could include endpoint security, misconfigurations, access control issues, data breaches, and more. Then figure out how likely each type of attack is. Finally, determine what impact each attack would have on your business operations. Step Three: Examine your current security system Look for vulnerabilities in your existing cloud security. In particular, pay attention to access controls, encryption, and network security. Step Four: Test Penetration testing, port scanners, and vulnerability scanners are used to find weaknesses in your cloud environment that were missed during the original risk assessment. Step Five: Analyze Look at the results and determine which weaknesses need immediate attention. Deal with the issues that will have the biggest impact on your business first. Then, focus on the issues most likely to occur. Finish by handling lower-priority threats. Step Six: Develop an action plan Come up with a time-bound remediation plan. This plan should spell out how your organization will deal with each security vulnerability. Assign roles and responsibilities as part of your incident response program. Depending on the results, this could include updating firewalls, monitoring traffic logs, and limiting access control. Step Seven: Maintain Cloud security assessments can be done as a one-off, but it’s much better to monitor your systems regularly. Frequent monitoring improves your organization’s threat intelligence. It also helps you identify and respond to new threats in real time. Getting Help With Your Cloud Security Assessment Cloud security assessment tools are used to identify vulnerabilities in a cloud infrastructure which could lead to data loss or compromise by attackers. As an agentless cloud security posture management (CSPM) tool , Prevasio helps identify and fix security threats across all your cloud assets in minutes. Our deep cloud scan checks for security weaknesses, malware, and compliance. This helps ensure that your company’s cloud environment is protected against potential risks. But any CSPM can do that . Prevasio is the only solution that provides container security dynamic behavior analysis. Our technology spots hidden backdoors in your container environments. It also identifies supply chain attack risks. Paired with our container security static analysis for vulnerabilities and malware, your containers will never be safer. Our CSPM works across multi-cloud, multi-accounts, cloud-native services , and cloud assets. Whether you’re using Microsoft Azure, S3 buckets in AWS, or Cosmos DB in GCP, Prevasio is the security system your company has been looking for. But we do more than identify security threats. We increase your team’s efficiency. How? By providing a prioritized list of cloud risks ranked according to CIS benchmarks. That means no more uncertainty about what needs to get done. Our easy-to-understand results help your team concentrate on the most important things. This saves time and money by reducing the need for extra administrative work. A Final Word on Cloud Security Assessments Performing regular cloud security assessments helps your business spot security issues before they become major problems. When you reinforce your security controls and define your incident response plan, you make your organization more efficient. Plus, you keep things going even when issues arise. Put together, these proactive measures can save you money. Sign up today and see how Prevasio can help your team ! FAQs About Cloud Security Assessments What are the four areas of cloud security? The four pillars of cloud security are data availability, data confidentiality, data integrity, and regulatory compliance. What is included in a security assessment? Cloud security assessments include: Identifying your cloud-based assets, discovering vulnerabilities through testing, generating recommendations, and retesting once the issues have been addressed. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Explore Algosec's customer success stories to see how organizations worldwide improve security, compliance, and efficiency with our solutions. Bt Streamlines Firewall Change Control And Proves Compliance Across Its Global Networks Organization BT Industry Telecom Headquarters London, UK Download case study Share Customer
success stories "AlgoSec now does the heavy lifting for us. It allows the engineers to focus more on providing greater levels of security than on process and change, so we’re able to provide a much more secure infrastructure for BT" Background A leading world-wide provider of communications services and solutions, BT serves customers in more than 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and internet products and services; and converged fixed/mobile products and services. Challenge BT’s internal network is a complex, highly segmented environment that has evolved over the last two decades throughout its worldwide locations. BT’s infrastructure relies on a large number of third-party domains and business-to-business connections with over 1,000 policy enforcement points, some of which date back a number of years.“The challenge facing BT is around the size of the estate, the complexity and our ability to demonstrate at audit that the rules within the policy are still appropriate, still valid, and still authorized,” says Phil Packman, General Manager of Security Gateway Operations for BT. “Equally, we’re challenged to ensure that rules don’t make it into the rulebase unless they’re approved and authorized.” BT therefore realized that it needed automation and reporting to better control its massive rulebase, and provide an approved audit trail to both auditors and internal stakeholders. Solution BT set about to solve its security challenges by creating a set of criteria for evaluating off-the-shelf, automated security solutions. “The criteria were based on ‘total costof ownership,’ our roadmap, and probably most importantly, the willingness of the partner to work with us,” says Packman. AlgoSec uniquely met BT’s requirements.Another feature BT liked was AlgoSec’s ability to prove that policies are implemented as approved. According to Packman, this was a capability “which we’d not seen in other products, and which we couldn’t achieve with our in-house tools.”AlgoSec’s commitment to customer success and its money-back guarantee were also deciding factors in BT’s selection process. Results Immediately after deployment, AlgoSec enabled BT to reduce error rates, make improvements to their rulebase implementation process and ultimately give BT better control over its network security. Packman explains: “Most notably, we were able to track down rogue connectivity, or connectivity that we didn’t understand properly. It gave us an almost immediate view of certain high-risk situations.”In addition, by using AlgoSec’s compliance reports, Packman’s engineering team were able to instantly demonstrate that no rules could be added to the firewall policy without proper approval — saving countless hours.Simplifying the audit preparation process led to a surprise benefit for BT’s Security Gateway Operations Team, which performs rule implementation and authorization: “AlgoSec has allowed us to change the skills profile of the team because the tool does the heavy lifting for us. Now our engineers can focus more on providing greater levels of security than on process and change, so we’re able to provide a much more secure infrastructure for BT.”Packman also endorses AlgoSec’s customer service, stating that the relationship has been a very positive one. “This has really helped put our minds at rest. We believe we’ve done the right thing in terms of deploying AlgoSec.”Using AlgoSec continues to enable BT to manage the complexity of its network with confidence, as it pursues growing and competitive global markets for its IT, computing, and communications services. Packman summarizes: “We have met every objective we hoped to achieve with AlgoSec.” Schedule time with one of our experts

Enhance your network security with application segmentation solutions from Guardicore and AlgoSec, providing advanced visibility and control to protect critical assets. Application segmentation: Guardicore and AlgoSec ---- ------- Schedule a Demo Select a size ----- Get the latest insights from the experts Choose a better way to manage your network

Understand HIPAA network compliance requirements. Learn how to safeguard patient data with robust network security measures and ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations. HIPAA network compliance & security requirements explained What are HIPAA network compliance requirements, rules, and violations? The advancement in data management technology has revolutionized how healthcare providers offer their services. Digital or electronic solutions are integrated into healthcare processes to improve productivity, enhance efficiency, and meet patients’ demands. Before digital transformation swept across the healthcare industry, healthcare providers at all levels relied upon manual methods and traditional data processing to carry out their day-to-day activities. Today, modern solutions, like computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and electronic health records (EHR), have replaced them, streamlining repetitive tasks, encouraging collaboration, and improving data sharing. Even though using computerized systems and other medical record management systems is very helpful, the security of confidential healthcare information has been a major challenge. To ensure that the privacy and security of patients’ information are maintained, the government created a law to enforce compliance (by organizations) with security best practices. This is where HIPAA comes in! Schedule a Demo What is HIPAA compliance? This refers to compliance with regulatory standards that outline what organizations that handle protected health information (PHI) must do to ensure the privacy and security of patients’ data. The U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires healthcare providers and their business associates to implement physical, network, and process security measures to ensure the security of PHI. HIPAA regulations set clear standards that health organizations must meet when managing patients’ sensitive data, like patient medical records, health insurance information, and other personally identifiable information. Schedule a Demo Who needs to be HIPAA-compliant? According to the HIPAA, the Privacy Rule covers: Health plans Health care clearinghouses Healthcare providers who execute certain financial and administrative transactions electronically. Schedule a Demo What are HIPAA compliance requirements? There are some measures organizations are required to implement to protect patients’ sensitive data. If your company is a “covered entity”, it is expected to meet the following compliance requirements: 1. Have a dedicated HIPAA privacy officer There is a need for a professional who understands HIPAA and how to comply with the regulations. The officer will guide your organization on the right path and implement necessary measures to avoid HIPAA violations. And when a data breach or violation happens, the officer should restore order following the provisions of the act. 2. Identify and classify sensitive data Does your organization manage data that is not subject to HIPAA regulations? If that is the case, identify and classify sensitive information that should be handled according to HIPAA requirements. This helps you to implement security measures with little or no ambiguity. 3. Staff training Malicious actors usually target employees of organizations they want to attack. To equip your staff with the ability to spot attacks from a distance, you need to institute staff training. Your employees need to learn how to implement physical, administrative, and technical safeguards to protect PHI. 4. Institute strict data management policies Getting your staff trained on HIPAA laws and regulations is not enough. They need good leadership to uphold data security standards. Establish data management policies to enforce best practices and regulate access privileges. 5. Equip your facilities with security solutions Access control is a significant part of HIPAA compliance. Ensure unauthorized users don’t have access to computers, documents, or sensitive parts of workstations. You can achieve this by implementing security measures that regulate access to data and notify you when someone trespasses. 6. Install encryption software where necessary Data encryption solutions make files inaccessible to cybercriminals. Cloud solutions and other digital methods of storing data have increased the surface area for attacks. Malicious cyber actors are relentlessly scouring the internet for security vulnerabilities. Safeguarding patients’ data with encryption software is the way to go. 7. Enforce common best practices Visiting a malware-compromised website or clicking an ‘infected’ link can make your organization prone to a security breach. Encourage safe browsing and adopt security solutions, like email security software and antivirus systems. 8. File disposal policy Don’t dispose of documents or storage devices without rendering them unreadable. The best way to dispose of documents and records is to destroy them – by shredding or burning them. 9. Establish procedures for handling data breaches The primary goal is to prevent a security breach. However, the undesirable happens, and you need to be ready for the worst-case scenario. Establish and maintain procedures for managing security challenges. Ensure you appoint well-trained security experts who can respond swiftly when a breach occurs. 10. Monitor & review your assets & procedures regularly Keep an eye on your data assets and management policies. This helps you to identify inefficiencies and adopt measures to plug loopholes. Regular review is necessary to ensure you are keeping up with best practices. Remove outdated solutions and procedures to stay a thousand steps ahead of criminals. 11. Implement a strict backup policy Implement a backup strategy that conforms with the dictates of HIPAA. That said, having a good backup policy helps you clean up a data breach quickly. The general backup best practice is to have three copies of data at three different premises – on-site, off-site, and cloud locations. 12. Establish and maintain a disaster recovery plan A disaster recovery plan outlines how your organization will restore operations and manage stakeholders after a security breach. It details how your security team will respond to emergencies or the aftermath of security problems. Remember, your disaster recovery system should comply with the provisions of HIPAA. Schedule a Demo What are the four main HIPAA rules? The major HIPAA rules are the Privacy Rule , Security Rule , Breach Notification Rule , and Omnibus Rule . Let’s take a look at each rule. The HIPAA privacy rule The HIPAA Privacy Rule is a regulatory framework that mandates covered entities and their business associates to uphold patients’ rights to data privacy. The privacy rule states what constitutes electronically protected health information, how it should be safeguarded, and the DOs and DON’Ts of PHI management. In a nutshell, this rule establishes how patients’ sensitive information should be protected, stored, used, shared, and disclosed. Any identifiable patient data is subject to the Privacy Rule. The PHI includes: Any past, present or future documentation on physical or mental conditions Healthcare records of the patient Records showing past, present, or future healthcare payment information According to the Privacy Rule , covered entities and their business associates are responsible for protecting PHI. There are cases where organizations can disclose private health information. But such scenarios are strictly defined by the rule and subject to legal interpretation. The HIPAA security rule While the Privacy Rule defines what privacy and ePHI (electronic PHI) are, the Security Rule is a framework that outlines the standards required to ensure the security of electronically protected health information. The security rule covers every aspect of your organization’s operations, from administration and physical processes to computers and technology equipment. The security rule has five sections: general rules, administrative safeguards, physical safeguards, technical safeguards, and organizational requirements. The General Rules The General rules mandate organizations to: Protect ePHI from reasonably anticipated threats or hazards Prevent any reasonably anticipated uses or disclosures of PHI that are not in line with the provisions of the Privacy Rule Enforce compliance with the security rule by the employees The Administrative Safeguards The Administrative Safeguards require the implementation of security policies and procedures. It dictates that the Security Officer should be responsible for conducting risk analyses, staff training, adopting risks and vulnerability management measures, and other administrative measures. The Physical Safeguards The physical safeguards outline how physical access to ePHI should be regulated. Whether the ePHI is stored in the cloud, in a remote data center, or on on-premise servers, there should be a strict policy that regulates access. This section of the security rule also states how access to workstations and devices should be safeguarded. The Technical Safeguards This part of the security rules focuses on ensuring that every person accessing ePHI is legitimate and does exactly what they are supposed to do. The technical safeguards help to ensure that security challenges are identified and rectified timely. The safeguards cover access controls, audit controls, integrity controls, transmission security, and any person or entity authentication. Organizational Requirements This section states the things business associate agreements must cover. Organizational Requirements stipulate that: Business associate agreements must provide that the business associates comply with the relevant parts of the security rule. Business associates must ensure compliance with subcontractors by entering into an Agreement with them. Business associates will report any security breach to the concerned covered entity. The HIPAA breach notification rule As much as organizations strive to comply with the requirements of HIPAA, security breaches still happen. It’s difficult, if not impossible, for covered entities and business associates to protect data with 100% effectiveness. Organizations must notify the public and the data subjects about a breach and disclose the steps they are taking to contain the problem. The Breach Notification Rule outlines what covered entities need to do when a breach occurs. Organizations are required to: Notify the people affected by the breach Inform the affected people within 60 days of the discovery of the security incident Provide a public notice if more than 500 individuals are impacted And more! The HIPAA omnibus rule According to the Omnibus Rule, organizations outside of covered entities (business associates and contractors) must meet compliance obligations. This rule states that covered entities are responsible for ensuring that business associates and contractors are compliant. Consequently, covered entities have to implement compliance measures to avoid any violations. Schedule a Demo What are HIPAA violations and how to avoid them? Violation is said to have occurred when an organization fails to comply with or meet the requirements of HIPAA. There are two major categories of violations: civil and criminal violations. Civil violations are committed accidentally or without malicious intent. On the other hand, criminal violations are done with malicious intent. As expected, penalties for civil violations are less than that for criminal violations. Here are some examples of violations and tips on how to avoid them: Illegal exposure of patients’ data Disclosing patients’ data to unauthorized parties accidentally or on purpose violates HIPAA provisions. There is a guideline for disclosing sensitive healthcare information. When due process is not followed, a violation occurs. And the penalty for unlawful disclosure of medical records depends on a range of factors, including whether it’s a civil or criminal violation. To avoid this type of violation, implement strict administrative policies. Allow only a few well-trained administrators to have the privilege to access or disclose data. When data access is strictly regulated, you can easily prevent unauthorized access and keep tabs on data management. Failure to implement proper security best practices The HIPAA security rule outlines the security protocols covered entities are required to implement. Given the complexity of data protection today, it’s easy to leave important things undone. You can avoid this by appointing an experienced security officer. You should also set up a committee of security professionals responsible for ensuring the proper implementation of security protocols. Lack of a consistent training policy It takes consistent staff training to meet the requirements of HIPAA. Both old and new employees need to be trained from time to time on how to protect healthcare data. Make training an integral part of your administrative policy. Non-compliance to security regulations is mainly caused by people. No matter the type of access management or security risk mitigation software you implement, you need an informed workforce to ensure compliance. Lack of proper notification after a security breach The HIPAA breach notification rule states how healthcare service providers should notify affected data subjects and public officials after a security incident. Failure to do so accordingly results in HIPAA violation. To avoid this, appoint a HIPAA compliance officer to monitor compliance gaps and ensure that requirements are met at every point in time. In addition, your contingency plan or disaster recovery system should contain a guideline on how to notify impacted parties when things go wrong. Lack of measures to address existing compliance gaps Neglecting existing compliance gaps or not doing the needful to avoid potential security problems violates HIPAA. Healthcare organizations are expected to act proactively, leveraging risk assessment and risk management policy to protect PHI. To close compliance gaps, do the following: Establish a HIPAA compliance enforcement team and a compliance officer Keep all software updated Conduct HIPAA audits regularly Work with a health information technology and security company that offers HIPAA compliance services. Schedule a Demo How can your network become HIPAA compliant with AlgoSec? HIPAA compliance requirements can be challenging to meet. The requirements are many, and you need teams of dedicated experts to interpret and design compliance strategies. Managing in-house teams of compliance experts is capital-intensive and time-consuming. Therefore outsourcing compliance duties to a technology and security vendor is the way to go. AlgoSec provides comprehensive network security solutions you need for your organization to become HIPAA compliant. AlgoSec automatically identifies compliance gaps and provides remediation guidance. It also allows you to easily generate daily audit and compliance reporting across your entire network – whether the data is in the on-premise data center, in the private cloud or in the public cloud. Best of all, AlgoSec generates pre-populated, audit-ready compliance reports that help reduce HIPAA audit preparation efforts and costs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you comply with HIPAA provisions. Schedule a Demo Select a size What are HIPAA network compliance requirements, rules, and violations? What is HIPAA compliance? Who needs to be HIPAA-compliant? What are HIPAA compliance requirements? What are the four main HIPAA rules? What are HIPAA violations and how to avoid them? How can your network become HIPAA compliant with AlgoSec? Get the latest insights from the experts Use these six best practices to simplify compliance and risk mitigation with the AlgoSec platform White paper Learn how AlgoSec can help you pass PCI-DSS Audits and ensure continuous compliance Solution overview See how this customer improved compliance readiness and risk management with AlgoSec Case study Choose a better way to manage your network

Learn about the Center for Internet Security (CIS) Controls and how they enhance your cybersecurity posture. Discover how AlgoSec helps achieve and maintain CIS compliance. What is CIS Compliance? (and How to Apply CIS Benchmarks) What are CIS benchmarks? CIS provides best practices to help companies like yours improve their cloud security posture. You’ll protect your systems against various threats by complying with its benchmark standards. This post will walk you through CIS benchmarks, their development, and the kinds of systems they apply to. We will also discuss the significance of CIS compliance and how Prevasio may help you achieve it. CIS stands for Center for Internet Security . It’s a nonprofit organization that aims to improve companies’ cybersecurity readiness and response. Founded in 2000, the CIS comprises cybersecurity experts from diverse backgrounds. They have the common goal of enhancing cybersecurity resilience and reducing security threats. CIS compliance means adhering to the Center for Internet Security (CIS) benchmarks. CIS benchmarks are best practices and guidelines to help you build a robust cloud security strategy. These CIS benchmarks give a detailed road map for protecting a business’s IT infrastructure. They also encompass various platforms, such as web servers or cloud bases. The CIS benchmarks are frequently called industry standards. They are normally in line with other regulatory organizations, such as ISO, NIST, and HIPAA. Many firms adhere to CIS benchmarks to ensure they follow industry standards. They also do this to show their dedication to cybersecurity to clients and stakeholders. The CIS benchmarks and CIS controls are always tested through on-premises analysis by leading security firms. This ensures that CIS releases standards that are effective at mitigating cyber risks. Schedule a Demo How are the CIS benchmarks developed? A community of cybersecurity professionals around the world cooperatively develops CIS benchmarks. They exchange their knowledge, viewpoints, and experiences on a platform provided by CIS. The end result is consensus-based best practices that will protect various IT systems. The CIS benchmark development process typically involves the following steps: 1. Identify the technology: The first step is to identify the system or technology that has to be protected. This encompasses a range of applications. It can be an operating system, database, web server, or cloud environment. 2. Define the scope: The following stage is to specify the benchmark’s parameters. It involves defining what must be implemented for the technology to be successfully protected. They may include precise setups, guidelines, and safeguards. 3. Develop recommendations: Next, a community of cybersecurity experts will identify ideas for safeguarding the technology. These ideas are usually based on current best practices, norms, and guidelines. They may include the minimum security requirements and measures to be taken. 4. Expert consensus review: Thereafter, a broader group of experts and stakeholders assess the ideas. They will offer comments and suggestions for improvement. This level aims to achieve consensus on the appropriate technical safeguards. 5. Pilot testing: The benchmark is then tested in a real-world setting. At this point, CIS aims to determine its efficacy and spot any problems that need fixing. 6.Publication and maintenance: The CIS will publish the benchmark once it has been improved and verified. The benchmark will constantly be evaluated and updated to keep it current and useful for safeguarding IT systems. Schedule a Demo What are the CIS benchmark levels? CIS benchmarks are divided into three levels based on the complexity of an IT system. It’s up to you to choose the level you need based on the complexity of your IT environment. Each level of the benchmarks offers better security recommendations than the previous level. The following are the distinct categories that benchmarks are divided into: Level 1 This is the most basic level of CIS standards. It requires organizations to set basic security measures to reduce cyber threats. Some CIS guidelines at this level include password rules, system hardening, and risk management . The level 1 CIS benchmarks are ideal for small businesses with basic IT systems. Level 2 This is the intermediate level of the CIS benchmarks. It is suitable for small to medium businesses that have complex IT systems. The Level 2 CIS standards offer greater security recommendations to your cloud platform. It has guidelines for network segmentation, authentication, user permissions, logging, and monitoring. At this level, you’ll know where to focus your remediation efforts if you spot a vulnerability in your system. Level 2 also covers data protection topics like disaster recovery plans and encryption. Level 3 Level 3 is the most advanced level of the CIS benchmarks. It offers the highest security recommendations compared to the other two. Level 3 also offers the Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) profiles for companies. STIG are configuration guidelines developed by the Defense Information Systems Agency. These security standards help you meet US government requirements. This level is ideal for large organizations with the most sensitive and vital data. These are companies that must protect their IT systems from complex security threats. It offers guidelines for real-time security analytics, safe cloud environment setups, and enhanced threat detection. Schedule a Demo What types of systems do CIS benchmarks apply to? The CIS benchmarks are applicable to many IT systems used in a cloud environment. The following are examples of systems that CIS benchmarks can apply to: Operating systems: CIS benchmarks offer standard secure configurations for common operating systems, including Amazon Linux, Windows Servers, macOS, and Unix. They address network security, system hardening, and managing users and accounts. Cloud infrastructure: CIS benchmarks can help protect various cloud infrastructures, including public, private, and multi-cloud. They recommend guidelines that safeguard cloud systems by various cloud service providers. For example, network security, access restrictions, and data protection. The benchmarks cover cloud systems such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, IBM, Oracle, and Google Cloud Platform. Server software: CIS benchmarks provide secure configuration baselines for various servers, including databases (SQL), DNS, Web, and authentication servers. The baselines cover system hardening, patch management, and access restrictions. Desktop software: Desktop apps such as music players, productivity programs, and web browsers can be weak points in your IT system. CIS benchmarks offer guidelines to help you protect your desktop software from vulnerabilities. They may include patch management, user and account management, and program setup. Mobile devices: The CIS benchmarks recommend safeguarding endpoints such as tablets and mobile devices. The standards include measures for data protection, account administration, and device configuration. Network devices: CIS benchmarks also involve network hardware, including switches, routers, and firewalls. Some standards for network devices include access restrictions, network segmentation, logging, and monitoring. Print devices: CIS benchmarks also cover print devices like printers and scanners. The CIS benchmark baselines include access restrictions, data protection, and firmware upgrades. Schedule a Demo Why is CIS compliance important? CIS compliance helps you maintain secure IT systems. It does this by helping you adhere to globally recognized cybersecurity standards. CIS benchmarks cover various IT systems and product categories, such as cloud infrastructures. So by ensuring CIS benchmark compliance, you reduce the risk of cyber threats to your IT systems. Achieving CIS compliance has several benefits: Your business will meet internationally accepted cybersecurity standards The CIS standards are developed through a consensus review process. This means they are founded on the most recent threat intelligence and best practices. So you can rely on the standards to build a solid foundation for securing your IT infrastructure. It can help you meet regulatory compliance requirements for other important cybersecurity frameworks CIS standards can help you prove that you comply with other industry regulations. This is especially true for companies that handle sensitive data or work in regulated sectors. CIS compliance is closely related to other regulatory compliances such as NIST, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. By implementing the CIS standards, you’ll conform to the applicable industry regulations. Achieving CIS continuous compliance can help you lower your exposure to cybersecurity risks In the process, safeguard your vital data and systems. This aids in preventing data breaches, malware infections, and other cyberattacks. Such incidents could seriously harm your company’s operations, image, and financial situation. A great example is the Scottish Oil giant, SSE. It had to pay €10M in penalties for failing to comply with a CIS standard in 2013. Abiding by the security measures set by CIS guidelines can help you achieve your goals faster as a business The guidelines cover the most important and frequently attacked areas of IT infrastructure. CIS compliance enhances your general security posture It also decreases the time and resources needed to maintain security. It does this by providing uniform security procedures across various platforms. Schedule a Demo How to achieve CIS compliance? Your organization can achieve CIS compliance by conforming to the guidelines of the CIS benchmarks and CIS controls. Each CIS benchmark usually includes a description of a recommended configuration. It also usually contains a justification for the implementation of the configuration. Finally, it offers step-by-step instructions on how to carry out the recommendation manually. While the standards may seem easy to implement manually, they may consume your time and increase the chances of human errors. That is why most security teams prefer using tools to automate achieving and maintaining CIS compliance. CIS-hardened images are great examples of CIS compliance automation tools. They are pre-configured images that contain all the necessary recommendations from CIS benchmarks. You can be assured of maintaining compliance by using these CIS-hardened images in your cloud environment. You can also use CSPM tools to automate achieving and maintaining CIS compliance. Cloud Security Posture Management tools automatically scan for vulnerabilities in your cloud. They then offer detailed instructions on how to fix those issues effectively. This way, your administrators don’t have to go through the pain of doing manual compliance checks. You save time and effort by working with a CSPM tool. Schedule a Demo Use Prevasio to monitor CIS compliance. Prevasio is a cloud-native application platform (CNAPP) that can help you achieve and maintain CIS compliance in various setups, including Azure, AWS, and GCP. A CNAPP is basically a CSPM tool on steroids. It combines the features of CSPM, CIEM, IAM, and CWPP tools into one solution. This means you’ll get clearer visibility of your cloud environment from one platform. Prevasio constantly assesses your system against the latest version of CIS benchmarks. It then generates reports showing areas that need adjustments to keep your cloud security cyber threat-proof. This saves you time as you won’t have to do the compliance checks manually. Prevasio also has a robust set of features to help you comply with standards from other regulatory bodies. So using this CSPM tool, you’ll automatically comply with HIPAA, PCI DSS, and GDPR. Prevasio offers strong vulnerability evaluation and management capabilities besides CIS compliance monitoring. It uses cutting-edge scanning algorithms to find known flaws, incorrect setups, and other security problems in IT settings. This can help you identify and fix vulnerabilities before fraudsters can exploit them. Schedule a Demo The bottom line on CIS compliance Achieving and maintaining CIS compliance is essential in today’s continually changing threat landscape . However, doing the compliance checks manually takes time. You may not also spot weaknesses in your cloud security in time. This means that you need to automate your CIS compliance. And what better solution than a cloud security posture management tool like Prevasio? Prevasio is the ideal option for observing compliance and preventing malware that attack surfaces in cloud assets. Prevasio offers a robust security platform to help you achieve CIS compliance and maintain a secure IT environment. This platform is agentless, meaning it doesn’t run on the cloud like most of its competitors. So you save a lot in costs every time Prevasio runs a scan. Prevaiso also conducts layer analysis. It helps you spot the exact line of code where the problem is rather than give a general area. In the process, saving you time spent identifying and solving critical threats. Schedule a Demo Select a size What are CIS benchmarks? How are the CIS benchmarks developed? What are the CIS benchmark levels? What types of systems do CIS benchmarks apply to? Why is CIS compliance important? How to achieve CIS compliance? Use Prevasio to monitor CIS compliance. The bottom line on CIS compliance Get the latest insights from the experts Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) Read more Hybrid cloud management: All you need to know Learn more Prevasio CNAPP data-sheet Solution brochure Choose a better way to manage your network

AlgoSec & Juniper Networks AlgoSec seamlessly integrates with Juniper devices to automate application and user aware security policy management and ensure that Juniper devices are properly configured. AlgoSec supports the entire security policy management lifecycle — from application connectivity discovery, through ongoing management and compliance, to rule recertification and secure decommissioning. How to Juniper Policy Optimization Learn how to achieve a clean and optimized security policy on your Juniper device Juniper Regulatory Compliance Learn how to prepare for a regulatory audit Juniper Risk Assessment Learn how to assess risk on your Juniper devices with AlgoSec See how Juniper Users Can Benefit from AlgoSec Schedule time with one of our experts

Contact Support Search the Knowledgebase, Submit a Service Request or Call Support by phone Contact support Please choose from the following options Search the knowledgebase Login Search our knowledgebase for solutions
to common issues
 Open a support case Login If you are an existing customer, partner or active evaluator, and you do not have an account on our portal, please register for access If you are not an existing customer or evaluator, please complete the below contact form
with any questions you may have Contact sales Contact sales Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* Long answer Send message

In our previous post we have provided some details about a new fork of Kinsing malware, a Linux malware that propagates across... Cloud Security Router Honeypot for an IRC Bot Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. glibc_2 Tags Share this article 9/13/20 Published In our previous post we have provided some details about a new fork of Kinsing malware, a Linux malware that propagates across misconfigured Docker platforms and compromises them with a coinminer. Several days ago, the attackers behind this malware have uploaded a new ELF executable b_armv7l into the compromised server dockerupdate[.]anondns[.]net . The executable b_armv7l is based on a known source of Tsunami (also known as Kaiten), and is built using uClibc toolchain: $ file b_armv7l b_armv7l: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, ARM, EABI4 version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked, interpreter /lib/ld-uClibc.so.0, with debug_info, not stripped Unlike glibc , the C library normally used with Linux distributions, uClibc is smaller and is designed for embedded Linux systems, such as IoT. Therefore, the malicious b_armv7l was built with a clear intention to install it on such devices as routers, firewalls, gateways, network cameras, NAS servers, etc. Some of the binary’s strings are encrypted. With the help of the HexRays decompiler , one could clearly see how they are decrypted: memcpy ( &key, "xm@_;w,B-Z*j?nvE|sq1o$3\"7zKC4ihgfe6cba~&5Dk2d!8+9Uy:" , 0x40u ) ; memcpy ( &alphabet, "0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. " , 0x40u ) ; for ( i = 0; i < = 64; ++i ){ if ( encoded [ j ] == key [ i ]) { if ( psw_or_srv ) decodedpsw [ k ] = alphabet [ i ] ; else decodedsrv [ k ] = alphabet [ i ] ; ++k; }} The string decryption routine is trivial — it simply replaces each encrypted string’s character found in the array key with a character at the same position, located in the array alphabet. Using this trick, the critical strings can be decrypted as: Variable Name Encoded String Decoded String decodedpsw $7|3vfaa~8 logmeINNOW decodedsrv $7?*$s7

Compliance made easy Pass your audits stress free AlgoSec Webinar Webinars Compliance made easy. Pass your audits stress-free. Don’t fail an audit ever again. Yes, it’s possible. It doesn’t matter what regulation you are talking about, whether your own internal compliance standard or a common global framework such as PCI DSS, SOX, HIPPA, SWIFT, or even HKMA. We’ll show you how. In this webinar, AlgoSec security expert Tal Dayan will reveal: The secrets to passing audits How to improve your compliance score How to always remain compliant January 27, 2021 Tal Dayan AlgoSec security expert Relevant resources Network Security Audit? Passing Your Next One with Flying Colors Keep Reading Network Security Audit? Passing Your Next One with Flying Colors Keep Reading Regulations and compliance for the data center - A Day in the Life Read Document Choose a better way to manage your network Choose a better way to manage your network Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

Explore Algosec's customer success stories to see how organizations worldwide improve security, compliance, and efficiency with our solutions. Orange Cyberdefense Furnishes Application Delivery and Network Automation Organization Orange Cyberdefense Industry Retail & Manufacturing Headquarters Multinational Download case study Share Customer
success stories "We cut the time it takes to implement firewall rules by at least 50%" Application owners for global retail chain get faster response times with application visibility and automated deployment. Orange Cyberdefense is the expert cybersecurity business unit of the Orange Group, providing managed security, managed threat detection & response services to organizations around the globe. They embed security into Orange Business Services solutions with more than 250 security researchers and analysts and 16 SOCs distributed around the world supporting customers in over 160 countries. The Challenge Orange Cyberdefense is an on-site consultant for a large retail chain with hundreds of stores and hundreds of thousands of employees spread out across the world.The client has over 2,500 multi-vendor firewalls and Layer 3 devices in their global data centers. They also run hundreds of mission-critical business services. Business services include supply chain management and ERP systems, global eCommerce operations, financial management systems, and much more. As a result, they had to cope with hundreds of change requests daily.Some of the challenges included: Lack of centralized management – Multiple vendors’ firewalls are deployed, which were implemented by multiple third-party vendors. There was no validation that rules were consistently applied across multiple vendor’s management consoles. Commissioning and decommissioning devices – A mix of multi-vendor new and legacy devices run in the data center and maintaining consistency across multiple vendors and multiple versions of devices was difficult. Lack of automation – Firewall communication and traffic flows were described in Excel sheets and needed to be manually updated whenever there was a change. Slow execution of change requests – Implementing firewall changes took over a week. Poorly implemented rules – The rules did not reflect what the requester asked for. They either allowed too much traffic in or were too narrow, not allowing the required traffic and thus needed to be re-implemented. The Solution The client searched for a solution that provided: Faster implementation of firewall changes. Comprehensive firewall support for a globally dispersed multi-vendor, hybrid estate. Automation of security policy change management and documentation of security policy changes. Visibility into their business applications and traffic flows. They implemented the AlgoSec Security Policy Management Solution, made up of AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer, AlgoSec FireFlow, and AlgoSec AppViz and AppChange (formerly AlgoSec BusinessFlow). AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer analyzes complex network security policies across on-premise, cloud, and hybrid networks. It automates and simplifies security operations, including troubleshooting, auditing and risk analysis. Using Firewall Analyzer, the client can optimize the configuration of firewalls, and network infrastructure to ensure security and compliance. AlgoSec FireFlow enables security staff to automate the entire security policy change process from design and submission to proactive risk analysis, implementation, validation, and auditing. Its intelligent, automated workflows save time and improve security by eliminating manual errors and reducing risk. AlgoSec AppViz and AppChange (formerly AlgoSec BusinessFlow) discover, identify, and map business applications, providing critical security information regarding the firewalls and firewall rules supporting each connectivity flow. With AlgoSec AppChange, changes can be made at the business application level, including application migrations, server deployment, and decommissioning projects. The Results Some of the ways the client benefits from using AlgoSec include: Greater transparency by providing a single source of truth that took into consideration the entire network estate. 50% reduction in the time needed to implement firewall rules. More communication between network security/IT staff and business application owners who are now able to submit change requests in business language and easily describe their needs, thus reducing misconfigurations and potential breaches. Better compliance reporting – with both an easy API integration and also audit-ready compliance reports. Automated change management – network changes are now recorded while being made – not managed with Excel. By using AlgoSec, application owners have more visibility into the network and are better able to trace what has changed within their business applications. “Documentation is several hundred percent better this way,” said Hans Broomé, Network and Security Consultant at Orange Cyberdefense. “With many different versions of the services, by using AlgoSec the IT team is confident that they are making changes to the correct version.” There were even unexpected gains, such as improved security management procedures. Change requests became more accurate as they gained visibility into the network and made the change request process more systematic and transparent. Requesters, as well as stakeholders such as their managers, have full visibility of their change request’s status and can verify that the request works as intended. Orange Cyberdefense is also impressed with the dedicated attention they receive from AlgoSec. AlgoSec’s support team is familiar with the global organization and provides dedicated attention tailored to their exact needs. They stay up to date with the AlgoSec solution’s latest capabilities, and the technical team maximizes their use of it thanks to an extensive training library. “The best is yet to come,” concluded Broomé. Schedule time with one of our experts

Discover key insights on cloud network security, its benefits, challenges, and best practices for protecting your cloud environment effectively. Cloud network security: Challenges and best practices What is cloud network security? Cloud network security refers to the measures used to protect public, private, and hybrid cloud networks. These measures include technology, services, processes, policies, and controls and can defend against data exposure or misuse. Why is cloud network security important? Cloud network security is important because of the wide range of threats to data and other cloud resources. Some of the most common include data breaches and exposure, malware, phishing, compromised APIs, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS), and DNS attacks, among others. In addition to defending against threat actors, cloud networks must also comply with an ever-growing number of regulations. A cloud-native security tool can provide the protection, incident response, and compliance that organizations need. Cloud security vs. network security Network security is a type of cloud security. If used in a hybrid system, it can rely on physical barriers and protections, whereas cloud security must exclusively use virtual solutions. In cloud computing, several organizations may share resources through infrastructure-as-a-service platforms like AWS EC2. Distributed data centers mean physical cybersecurity measures, like firewalls, must be replaced with virtual projections. There are three categories of cloud security: public, private, and hybrid cloud environments. Each offers its own set of challenges, which only increase in complexity for organizations with a multi-cloud environment. Schedule a Demo How does cloud network security work? Cloud network security routes traffic using software-defined networking. These protections are different from on-premise firewall systems and are virtualized and live in the cloud. The most secure platforms are built on a zero-trust security model, requiring authentication and verification for every connection. This helps protect cloud resources and defend them throughout the threat lifecycle. Schedule a Demo The benefits of cloud network security Cloud networks are inherently complex, and managing them using native tools can leave your organization vulnerable. Using a cloud network security solution offers several advantages. Improved protection The most important benefit of a secure cloud infrastructure is better protection. Managed permissions and orchestration can help prevent breaches and ensure better security across the system. Automated compliance A security solution can also help ensure compliance through automation that reviews policies for the most up-to-date regulatory and industry requirements and deploys the policy to multiple cloud platforms from a single place. Better visibility With a comprehensive solution, you can see all your properties—including on-premise and hybrid systems—in a single pane of glass. Improved visibility means recognizing new threats faster and resolving issues before they arise. Schedule a Demo Cloud network security challenges The cloud offers several benefits over traditional networks but also leads to unique vulnerabilities. Complexity across security control layers Cloud providers’ built-in security controls, such as security groups and network ACLs, impacts security posture. There is a need to protect cloud assets such as virtual machines, DBaaS, and serverless functions. Misconfigurations can introduce security risks across various assets, including IaaS and PaaS. Cloud and traditional firewall providers also offer advanced network security products (such as Azure Firewall, Palo Alto VM-Series, Check Point CloudGuard). Multiple public clouds Today’s environment uses multiple public clouds from AWS, Azure, and GCP. Security professionals are challenged by the need to understand their differences while managing them separately using multiple consoles and diverse tools. Multiple stakeholders Unlike on-premise networks, managing deployment is especially challenging in the cloud, where changes to configurations and security rules are often made by application developers, DevOps, and cloud teams. Schedule a Demo Key layers for cloud security Robust public cloud network security architecture must include four separate areas—layers that build upon each other for an effective network security solution. Cloud security architecture is fundamentally different from its on-premise counterpart. Cloud security challenges are met by a layered approach rather than a physical perimeter. Security for AWS, Azure, or any other public cloud employs four layers of increasing protection. Layer 1: Security groups Security groups form the first and most fundamental layer of cloud network security. Unlike traditional firewalls that use both allow and deny rules, security groups deny traffic by default and only use allow rules. These security groups are similar to the firewalls of the 90s in that they’re directly connected to servers (instances, in cloud architecture terms). If this first layer is penetrated, control of the associated security group is exposed. Layer 2: Network Access Control Lists (NACLs) Network Access Control Lists (NACLs) are used to provide AWS and Azure cloud security. Each NACL is connected to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) in AWS or VNet in Azure and controls all instances of that VPC or VNet. Centralized NACLs hold both allow and deny rules and make cloud security posture much stronger than Layer 1, making Layer 2 essential for cloud security compliance. Layer 3: Cloud vendor security solution Cloud security is a shared responsibility between the customer and the vendor, and today’s vendors include their own solutions, which must be integrated into the platform as a whole. For example, Microsoft’s Azure Firewall as a Service (FWaaS), a next-generation secure internet gateway, acts like a wall between the cloud itself and the internet. Layer 4: Third-party cloud security services Traditional firewall vendors, like solutions from Check Point (CloudGuard) and Palo Alto Networks (VM-Series), need to be integrated as well. These third parties create firewalls that stand between the public clouds and the outside world. They develop segmentation for the cloud’s inner perimeter like an on-premise network. This fourth layer is key for infrastructure built to defend against the most difficult hybrid cloud security challenges . Schedule a Demo Why AlgoSec AlgoSec Cloud offering provides application-based risk identification and security policy management across the multi-cloud estate. As organizations adopt cloud strategies and migrate applications to take advantage of cloud economies of scale, they face increased complexity and risk. Security controls and network architectures from leading cloud vendors are distinct and do not provide unified central cloud management. Cloud network security under one unified umbrella AlgoSec Cloud offering enables effective security management of the various security control layers across the multi-cloud estate. AlgoSec offers instant visibility, risk assessment, and central policy management , enabling a unified and secure security control posture, proactively detecting misconfigurations. Continuous visibility AlgoSec provides holistic visibility for all of your cloud accounts assets and security controls. Risk management Proactively detect misconfigurations to protect cloud assets, including cloud instances, databases, and serverless functions. Identify risky rules as well as their last usage date and confidently remove them. Tighten overall network security by mapping network risks to applications affected by these risks. Central management of security policies Manage network security controls, such as security groups and Azure Firewalls, in one system across multiple clouds, accounts, regions, and VPC/ VNETs. Manage similar security controls in a single security policy so you can save time and prevent misconfigurations. Policy cleanup As cloud security groups are constantly adjusted, they can rapidly bloat. This makes it difficult to maintain, increasing potential risk. With CloudFlow’s advanced rule cleanup capabilities, you can easily identify unused rules and remove them with confidence. Schedule a Demo Select a size What is cloud network security? How does cloud network security work? The benefits of cloud network security Cloud network security challenges Key layers for cloud security Why AlgoSec Get the latest insights from the experts 6 best practices to stay secure in the hybrid cloud Read more The enterprise guide to hybrid network management Read more Multi-Cloud Security Network Policy and Configuration Management Read more Choose a better way to manage your network

Explore Algosec's customer success stories to see how organizations worldwide improve security, compliance, and efficiency with our solutions. Dimension Data Enhances Delivery Of Managed Security Services With AlgoSec Organization DIMENSION DATA Industry Technology Headquarters Australia Download case study Share Customer
success stories "We were fortunate enough to get a double benefit from using AlgoSec in our environment — reducing costs to serve our clients, and expanding our service offerings" IT Solution Provider Streamlines and Automates Security Operations for Clients AlgoSec Business Impact Generate incremental revenue from new policy compliance management services Reduce cost of service for Managed Security Service offering Improve quality of service, assuring a direct and timely response to security issues Background Dimension Data, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Africa, provides global specialized IT services and solutions to help their clients plan, build, support and manage their IT infrastructures. The company serves over 6,000 clients in 58 countries and in all major industry verticals. Dimension Data serves 79% of the Global Fortune Top 100 and 63% of the Global Fortune 500. Challenge In an effort to bring greater efficiency and flexibility, Dimension Data Australia sought to apply security industry best practices and streamlined processes to its delivery methodology. Automation was identified as a key capability that would enable them to reduce service costs and increase quality of service. “The operational management of security infrastructure is quite labor intensive,” remarks Martin Schlatter, Security Services Product Manager at Dimension Data. “The principle reasons for automating managed services are reducing work time, freeing up people for other tasks, and leveraging expertise that is ‘built in’ the automated tool.” By doing this Dimension Data could offer better service to existing clients while expanding their client base. “Additionally, the increased appetite for the Managed Security Services offering has been fueled by an increasing focus on governance, risk management and compliance, and we are expected to deliver faster and more accurate visibility of the security and compliance posture of the network,” explains Schlatter. Solution Dimension Data selected the AlgoSec Security Management Solution as a part of their toolset to deliver their Managed Security Services, which include automated and fully integrated operational management of client security infrastructures. The intelligent automation at the heart of AlgoSec will enable Dimension Data’s team to easily and effectively perform change monitoring, risk assessment, compliance verification and policy optimization for their clients, and act upon the findings quickly. This includes getting rid of unused or obsolete rules in the policy, reordering rules to increase performance and identifying risky rules. Another key factor in the decision making process was the relationship between Dimension Data and AlgoSec. “AlgoSec was deemed most suitable to meet our delivery needs for Managed Services. We selected them for their specific technology fit, and flexibility to assist in growing our managed service business. The partnership element was eventually the overriding factor,” says Schlatter. Results With AlgoSec, Dimension Data is now able to deliver their clients a comprehensive view of the security posture of their network security devices. This is crucial to establishing a baseline understanding of a security network, which makes it possible to truly assess and remediate risks, errors and inefficiencies. The ability to automatically provide this type of information at the most accurate level provides a key competitive differentiator for the company and a large benefit for its clients. “The value-added contribution is saving time, in terms of automation,” remarked Schlatter. “We found a way to reduce costs by automating manual operational tasks. At the same time, we were fortunate enough to leverage AlgoSec to expand our service offerings, so we got a double benefit from using AlgoSec in our environment.” One of the major features of integrating AlgoSec into the Dimension Data solution is the ability to support multiple client domains from a single AlgoSec management console. “This scalable configuration has proven to be invaluable when managing multiple clients with complex multi-vendor, multi-device security environments,” says Schlatter. “It consolidates administrative tasks, cuts time and costs, and ensures proper administration and segregation of duties from our end.” AlgoSec enhances the Managed Security Services offerings by delivering comprehensive risk and compliance management. Dimension Data professionals can generate risk and audit-ready compliance reports in a fraction of the time and with much greater accuracy compared to traditional manual analysis. “Our clients who require ISO 27001 and PCI DSS accreditation have greatly benefitted from this,” said Schlatter. Schedule time with one of our experts