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Learn about the nuances of cloud network security and why it’s a strategic imperative. Cloud network security strategic imperative Select a size Which network Can AlgoSec be used for continuous compliance monitoring? Yes, AlgoSec supports continuous compliance monitoring. As organizations adapt their security policies to meet emerging threats and address new vulnerabilities, they must constantly verify these changes against the compliance frameworks they subscribe to. AlgoSec can generate risk assessment reports and conduct internal audits on-demand, allowing compliance officers to monitor compliance performance in real-time. Security professionals can also use AlgoSec to preview and simulate proposed changes to the organization’s security policies. This gives compliance officers a valuable degree of lead-time before planned changes impact regulatory guidelines and allows for continuous real-time monitoring. Cloud network security explained What is cloud network security? Core components of cloud network security Why is cloud network security critical? Recommendations for cloud network security How AlgoSec tackles complex cloud network security challenges Conclusion FAQs Get the latest insights from the experts Schedule time with 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 Continue

Automate network management and policy changes to increase efficiency, reduce errors, and ensure security compliance across your network infrastructure. Network management & policy change automation ---- ------- Schedule a Demo Select a size ----- Get the latest insights from the experts 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

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

Review top vulnerability management tools for 2025, including suggested applications and selection criteria, and learn how to minimize exposure to security threats. It covers network vulnerability tools, automated vulnerability management systems, open source vulnerability scanners, continuous monitoring solutions, and patch management and vulnerability scanning tools. The number of cyberattacks keeps increasing, and their associated cost shows no sign of slowing down. The global average cost of a data breach now stands at $4.4 million, according to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025. Meanwhile, the Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigation Report shows ransomware attacks caused 44% of all system-intrusion breaches. These data points underline that organizations must establish robust security measures early on to prevent future problems from occurring. This guide provides essential information about vulnerability management today through its presentation of top vulnerability management tools on the market for 2025. Top vulnerability management tools Select a size Which network Can AlgoSec be used for continuous compliance monitoring? Yes, AlgoSec supports continuous compliance monitoring. As organizations adapt their security policies to meet emerging threats and address new vulnerabilities, they must constantly verify these changes against the compliance frameworks they subscribe to. AlgoSec can generate risk assessment reports and conduct internal audits on-demand, allowing compliance officers to monitor compliance performance in real-time. Security professionals can also use AlgoSec to preview and simulate proposed changes to the organization’s security policies. This gives compliance officers a valuable degree of lead-time before planned changes impact regulatory guidelines and allows for continuous real-time monitoring. Vulnerability Management Tools for 2025: What to Use and Why Review top vulnerability management tools for 2025, including suggested applications and selection criteria, and learn how to minimize exposure to security threats. It covers network vulnerability tools, automated vulnerability management systems, open source vulnerability scanners, continuous monitoring solutions, and patch management and vulnerability scanning tools. The number of cyberattacks keeps increasing, and their associated cost shows no sign of slowing down. The global average cost of a data breach now stands at $4.4 million, according to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025 . Meanwhile, the Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigation Report shows ransomware attacks caused 44% of all system-intrusion breaches. These data points underline that organizations must establish robust security measures early on to prevent future problems from occurring. This guide provides essential information about vulnerability management today through its presentation of top vulnerability management tools on the market for 2025. What Is Vulnerability Management? Vulnerability management is a process of ongoing asset discovery to locate weaknesses, which are then evaluated according to their risk level and business value. This approach enables fast problem-solving and generates clear, easy-to-understand data for stakeholders. Key Features of Modern Vulnerability Management Tools Organizations require a vulnerability management platform that protects their data centers, multiple cloud services, and SaaS platforms through analytical and automated features. To find the right vulnerability management tool for your environment, you need to assess both network vulnerability tools and application-aware engines. What Is Asset Discovery in Vulnerability Management and Why Does It Matter? Asset discovery in vulnerability management requires organizations to identify all hardware and software components within their network infrastructure. This first step is critical, as it allows companies to understand their security vulnerabilities and create appropriate protection plans. There is no safeguarding the invisible. This is why your chosen toolset must automatically detect all endpoints, servers, containers, applications, and internet-accessible assets that exist within both cloud and on-premises environments. A unified inventory system that integrates multiple data sources enables vulnerability scans to detect more assets. This, in turn, minimizes the number of detection and identification issues that occur when assets exist outside of your system. Why Is Continuous Vulnerability Monitoring Essential in 2025? Vulnerability monitoring will continue to be necessary in 2025 and beyond because the method of point-in-time assessments does not identify changing risk factors that are fast-evolving. The market-leading security tools employ business-relevant threat intelligence to help teams detect weaknesses that create risk. They also provide documentation, which is key. Auditors, engineers, and executives require clear documentation to demonstrate how continuous vulnerability monitoring leads to correct change control procedures and proper prioritization. A key aspect of automated vulnerability management is the combination of vulnerability scanning with patch management to maximize system defenses. Automated Vulnerability Management: How Patch Management and Vulnerability Scanning Work Together Traditionally, organizations use automated vulnerability management to decrease MTTR by creating service tickets/change requests and deploying secure patch solutions. However, organizations can automatically respond to detected threats if vulnerability scanning systems maintain a close link to patch management systems. The practice of automated vulnerability management integrates the steps of patch approval with rollout and verification, creating a single operational workflow. This approach provides an automation-based vulnerability management process that operates during scheduled maintenance periods. At the same time, a solution’s documentation system produces results for both auditable and transparent outcome-tracking. Reporting and Analytics for Effective Vulnerability Management Programs Custom dashboards aren’t just for engineers. Executives rely on them as well. A tool’s reporting system needs to deliver exposure trend information alongside SLA performance data and straightforward resolution paths. Leading platforms display CVEs through business-oriented visualizations that show how attacks could affect specific applications. Comparing Network Vulnerability Tools and Open Source Vulnerability Scanners Enterprise-grade scalability in commercial network vulnerability tools comes from: Asset correlation Risk-based prioritization ITSM/CMDB integrations Advanced reporting Network vulnerability tools support broad discovery operations and program governance, while open-source scanners deliver fast and targeted vulnerability assessments for development pipeline testing. Open-source scanners enable teams to perform fast PR reviews and test new security policies within CI/CD environments. The validation process enables these policies to become active in enterprise-wide scans, which network vulnerability tools handle. What Are the Top 10 Vulnerability Management Tools? The following summary of these 10 solutions’ key characteristics and relevant applications will help you match the right vulnerability management tool to your specific infrastructure. Tool Key Highlights Best For Tenable Nessus Expert Deep-dive scanning for hosts & web apps, plus basic cloud/external checks; prioritization with EPSS/CVSS/VPR and 450+ templates Teams requiring thorough, traditional scanning with some modern additions Rapid7 InsightVM Prioritizes fixes based on real-world attacker behavior; great for team workflows Enterprises wanting to focus on the most likely threats and streamline IT tasks Qualys VMDR An all-in-one platform for discovery, prioritization, and patching Large organizations looking for a single, integrated tool for the whole process Wiz Agentless cloud security that maps out potential attack paths Cloud-first companies that need to see the bigger picture of their cloud risk Prisma Cloud Secures the entire development lifecycle (coding to deployment) Dev-heavy teams needing to align security across the entire build process CrowdStrike Falcon Adds real-time vulnerability scanning to CrowdStrike's endpoint protection platform Companies already using CrowdStrike for endpoint security Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management Native vulnerability management that's deeply integrated into the Microsoft ecosystem Organizations heavily invested in Microsoft products Orca Security Agentless scanning that pinpoints which vulnerabilities are actually exploitable Multi-cloud teams who want to quickly focus on the most critical, reachable risks Arctic Wolf Managed Risk Managed service with a concierge team that runs your vulnerability program for you Resource-constrained teams that want experts to handle vulnerability management Cisco Vulnerability Management (formerly Kenna Security) Uses data science to predict threats and suggest the most efficient fixes Organizations using multiple scanners that need a smart way to prioritize all the data Evaluating Vulnerability Management Solutions for Enterprises Enterprises need vulnerability management solutions that : Integrate with change workflows and CMDBs Expose robust APIs for automation and role‑based access controls Provide localized reporting and support delegated administration for global teams AlgoSec: A Leader in Vulnerability Management Solutions for Enterprises Getting a list of vulnerabilities from a scanner is just the first step. AlgoSec helps users understand and take action in the following ways: The platform provides context for all vulnerabilities in your system. Connect your current scanners to AlgoSec so it can identify and match its results to your operational business applications. See which specific services are affected by a server defect—not simply that you have a server problem. AlgoSec automates fixes without breaking things. The system not only produces automatic remediation rules, but its validation process verifies your changes to stop any accidental disruption of business operations. It helps you prioritize smarter. Develop a task list to match your organizational needs, allowing you to concentrate on the threats that endanger your essential applications the most. This saves time and eliminates unnecessary information. Choosing the right tool means moving beyond a simple list of flaws to understanding their real-world business impact. A context-aware approach is the key to managing risk effectively and ensuring your remediation efforts are both safe and efficient. Ready to see how an application-centric approach can boost your vulnerability management program? Learn more about AlgoSec and request a demo today! Get the latest insights from the experts Schedule time with 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 Continue

Streamline network management with AlgoSec Application Discovery. Gain visibility into application connectivity to optimize performance and enhance security policies. AlgoSec application discovery Enhance the discovery of your network applications ---- ------- Schedule a Demo Select a size ----- Get the latest insights from the experts Choose a better way to manage your network

Unlock comprehensive cloud security with AlgoSec s Prevasio Network Security Safeguard your network with ease Discover more now Cloud network topology aware Schedule a demo Watch a video Watch a video Cloud network configuration and security policy across the multi-cloud estate AI Powered applications discovery Gain visibility into your cloud applications and their dependencies. Never miss a critical app or connection again. Learn more Reduce cloud-network security risks exposure Lock down your cloud with flexible security & powerful risk detection. Get 150+ checks for total network protection. Focus on the threats that matter most to your business. Watch video Central management of security policies Manage all your security groups, firewalls, and network policies across clouds, accounts, and regions from one place. Reduce errors and save time with consistent security policies that protect your entire infrastructure. Watch video Reduce cloud attack surface Clean up your network security policies for improved performance and stronger protection. Our solution helps you identify unnecessary rules, tighten access controls, and ensure your network is running at its best. Watch video Get the latest insights from the experts Unveiling best practices for a resilient cloud security strategy Read More Shaping tomorrow: Leading the way in cloud security Read blog CSPM importance for CISOs. What security issues can be prevented\defended with CSPM? Read blog Schedule time and secure your cloud Schedule time and secure your cloud 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

Modernize your network with Cisco Nexus and ACI solutions for enhanced performance, scalability, and security in your data center and cloud environments. Modernize your network with Cisco Nexus & ACI Introduction If you still have Cisco Nexus 7000 devices in your environment, surely you have been inundated with end-of-life warnings and next-gen messaging touting the benefits of upgrading to Nexus 9000. Cisco Nexus 9000 offers cloud-scale technology, open and extensible programming with robust APIs, real-time analytics and telemetry, advanced centralized management, and full-stack automation and security with Cisco ACI and AlgoSec. There are clear benefits to modernizing your network, embracing digital transformation, and taking advantage of the full power of Cisco Nexus and Cisco ACI, and now you could add a whole new dimension to these and realize a higher ROI by also managing your network security. Cisco has partnered with AlgoSec to help companies modernize their network and take advantage of the full capabilities of Cisco Nexus and Cisco ACI, so customers can realize their ROI by addressing their applications network security needs when migrating from Nexus 7000 to Nexus 9000. Schedule a Demo Cover security while modernizing your network Modernizing your network using Nexus 9000 and the AlgoSec Security Management Suite empowers a secure digital transformation so you can cover your entire networking needs. The solution unlocks Cisco ACI’s potential by providing full visibility, automation, compliance, and microsegmentation capabilities from AlgoSec. With the joint solution, companies gain software-defined security for their software-defined network and entire multi-vendor hybrid network. Schedule a Demo Application-centric security With AlgoSec your application’s secure networking configurations can be migrated from Nexus to Cisco ACI in application centric mode — providing improved agility and manageability, along with new capabilities for risk and compliance. The integration of Cisco ACI with the AlgoSec Security Management Suite is a complete solution, enabling your organization with full visibility, visualization, and automation for the connected security of your entire network — including advanced change management, and detailed reporting capabilities. Schedule a Demo Enterprise-wide visibility & automation AlgoSec complements and expands Nexus 9000’s capabilities, offering full visibility into your entire hybrid multi-vendor network, network security policy automation, compliance, and security policy enforcement. Security policy changes can be implemented automatically on your network with zero-touch automation. The intelligent automation workflow automatically pushes security policy changes to your entire network and enables automated deployment of contracts, EPGs, and filters on Cisco ACI. Connectivity can also be deployed at the business application level. This allows companies to use a single process to deploy security policies across their entire data center. Gain native visibility into your Cisco ACI network topology while tying the ACI fabric into the rest of the data center. AlgoSec provides a complete network topology map for your entire network. Users can search across multi-site Cisco ACI estates for tenants, endpoints, contracts, EPGs, and more. Schedule a Demo Proactive & continuous compliance Get a complete picture of your compliance posture so that you can be confident in your network’s compliance. AlgoSec generates automatic audit-ready compliance reports on your entire hybrid network, including Cisco ACI tenants, for major regulations, flags issues upon changes, uncovers gaps, and even remediates problems, ensuring continuous compliance over your entire network. Schedule a Demo Enforce micro-segmentation policies over your entire network Enforce Cisco Secure Workload-enforced micro-segmentation policies beyond the native software and hardware sensors, extending segmentation policies to all supported on-premises, cloud, and SDN technologies. In cases where Cisco Secure Workload alone cannot enforce micro-segmentation policies on workloads, AlgoSec can orchestrate the micro-segmentation policies as firewall rules. Therefore, you can maintain unified security policies across your entire network environment. Schedule a Demo See it in action Convinced that it is time to harness the full power of migrating to Nexus 9000? Schedule a personal demo to see how AlgoSec makes the transition flawless. Schedule a Demo Select a size Introduction Cover security while modernizing your network Application-centric security Enterprise-wide visibility & automation Proactive & continuous compliance Enforce micro-segmentation policies over your entire network See it in action Get the latest insights from the experts Choose a better way to manage your network

Discover everything you need to know about Network Security Policy Management (NSPM) solutions, including their benefits, features, and how they streamline security operations. Everything you need to know about NSPM solutions | AlgoSec Overview In this IT Central Station Peer Paper, learn the key factors driving selection of Network Security Policy Management solutions based on actual user feedback. Schedule a Demo Abstract Network Security Policy Management (NSPM) solution selection factors need to align with business needs. Security shouldn’t be a barrier to the business, but frequently, security needs are shortchanged to ensure business agility. Ideally, this tradeoff should not exist. Network and security managers thus look for NSPM solutions that can make the business run better by efficiently automating network security policy management, improving visibility in network traffic and rules, and facilitating compliance. This paper offers insights and feedback from real users, who discuss what went into their NSPM selection process. Schedule a Demo Introduction What constitutes a good Network Security Policy Management (NSPM) solution? Selection criteria relate to Information Technology (IT) and security, but both tie into the business. The technical qualities of an NSPM solution should support existing business processes and help the business move forward. Security should not get in the way of business agility. Indeed, business and IT stakeholders are increasingly recognizing that security risks have a clear financial impact on your business – from reputational damage, to lost business and lower corporate valuations. Breaches are costly and time-consuming to remediate. The loss from a data breach or outage is real. The right NSPM solution enables the business to achieve its strategic and operational goals while cost-effectively mitigating risk. In this paper, enterprise IT professionals discuss how the right NSPM solution addresses such challenges through greater visibility into the network, policy automation and compliance. Their insights come from reviews of the AlgoSec NSPM solution, published on IT Central Station. Schedule a Demo The continuing evolution of NSPM Network security managers face pressure on multiple fronts. They’re dealing with increased network complexity. There are growing global compliance requirements and rules to track. The network itself now spans on-premises, public clouds, private clouds and everything in between. At the same time, the business wants to accelerate time-to-market, increase agility, produce more innovative applications and on and on—all without suffering a data breach or outage. Aligning security with businesses requirements in NSPM requires automation. Old, manual processes that rely on Visio and Excel are unable to keep up with the pace of business changes. The new generation of NSPM solutions gives network security managers and network administrators the tools they need to deliver what the business wants—without overspending or stretching network operations teams beyond reason. They do this by unifying visibility, policy automation, and compliance. All of this is happening in a complex environment. To stay secure and agile, the business needs its NSPM solution to automate the policy change process, conduct continuous network analysis, and monitor the network across the cloud and on-premises data center. Figure 1 depicts some of the elements the NSPM solution must interact with to realize such functions. Figure 1: NSPM solutions must provide visibility and automation for a wide range of network hardware, software and functional areas—on top of physical networks, private clouds frequently running software-defined networks (SDNs), and public cloud infrastructure. Schedule a Demo Challenges inherent in selecting an NSPM solution There is no NSPM solution that satisfies all needs. Every organization has different technical and business requirements and security cultures. Solutions have to fit the network, business strategies, and existing business processes. However, when evaluating an NSPM solution, there are four critical issues: Dealing with misconfigurations – Manual processes frequently lead to misconfigurations. According to industry data, nearly all firewall breaches are caused by misconfigurations, not flaws. Automating previously-manual processes results in fewer mistakes and misconfigurations. Automation as a strategy – Network policy automation is not an end unto itself. Rather, it supports the business strategy like maintaining security, ensuring SLAs, increasing cooperation and reducing friction between departments. It improves competitive differentiation through better customer engagement, e.g., by moving applications to the cloud. Network policy automation aids regulatory compliance, and frees IT time from housekeeping so it can be applied to digital transformation and supporting strategic initiatives. Understanding visibility requirements – Powerful NSPM tools give network admins and security managers new depths of visibility into both network devices and business applications. By understanding their traffic flows across multi-vendor and hybrid devices, they can plug security holes, troubleshoot more easily, and discover applications and services. Compliance requirements – Meeting an audit requirement often consumes all the IT department’s resources as they focus on auditing. Organizations need to determine their regulatory compliance requirements, decide how much time they want to spend preparing for audits, and figure out how important continuous compliance is to them. They need to make sure that new changes do not violate internal or regulatory compliance requirements. Schedule a Demo NSPM solution selection factors Members of IT Central Station, an industry site that features candid discussions and peer-to-peer user reviews from enterprise technology professionals, weighed numerous factors in their processes of selecting an NSPM solution. As they described in reviews of AlgoSec, a key consideration was the alignment of network security with business objectives. Their assessments touched on a wide variety of issues. These included the solution’s ability to reduce misconfigurations during the process of digital transformation when assets move some of their data to the cloud and organizations embrace hybrid networks. NSPM user reviews also discussed the efficiency of network management operations and team performance. Visibility and automation were significant factors affecting selection of an NSPM solution. Users want visibility into the network, traffic, and applications. They want to see what is happening with rules and applications while also monitoring policy changes. Regarding automation, what mattered to users was the ability to automate rules management, as well as configuration and change management. “Zero-touch” automation was considered useful, as was the ability to automate a multi-vendor environment. Compliance is the other main driver of NSPM selection. Users rely on their solutions to facilitate compliance, including reporting. These needs include ensuring a state of continuous compliance as well as ensuring and demonstrating audit-ready regulatory compliance for major regulations such as PCI DSS, GDPR, and SOX. Users also have to ensure and demonstrate audit readiness for internal compliance requirements. Get a Demo Schedule a Demo Network security policy as a business issue Policies governing the network are inherently business-facing. Even when they address entirely technical matters, a business objective is ultimately driving the policy process. For example, an IP network expert at a comms service provider with more than 200 employees described the value of AlgoSec by commenting, “It provides faster go to market with fewer resources. In one system, users can request access through the firewall for business services, which can be approved by the appropriate team and can be implemented automatically by the system itself.” IT Central Station members spoke to the need to align network security with business objectives. An AlgoSec user at an energy/utilities company with over 10,000 employees remarked, “With AlgoSec, we can show a view of firewall compliance that is clean and easy to read and present. This also helps our business units ensure their policies are clean. With that data, we can show management that the firewalls connected to our network, but owned by other business units, meet our standards.” A network engineer at a tech services company with over 10,000 employees, shared that AlgoSec “helps us deploy new business applications quickly and securely. It ties cyber threats directly to critical business processes.” Enabling digital transformation and cloud migrations As network managers and security teams grapple with digital transformation and cloud initiatives, they want an NSPM solution that will facilitate the process. As an AlgoSec user put it, “We see the value… for organizations involved in digital transformation projects migrating to public/ private/hybrid cloud models.” A director of information security operations at a consumer products company with over 1,000 employees, similarly shared that AlgoSec helped him with cloud support , spanning both native and hybrid environments. Optimizing team performance Network operations and security managers are keenly aware of team performance and its impact on the broader business. Budget-cutting pressure is relentless, while skills shortages potentially hamper effective operations. SLAs are a constant pressure. At the same time, the faster the team, the more agile the business. For these reasons, users view team performance optimization as a selection factor for an NSPM solution. For instance, an IT technical consultant at a manufacturing company with over 10,000 employees said that AlgoSec FireFlow “increases business efficiency and helps avoid bottlenecks in our NOC [Network Operations Center] team.” A security engineer at a financial services firm with more than 500 employees had a similar experience. He said, “Since we deployed AlgoSec, we have been able to assign more of our time to what really matters . It now takes less than half of the time it took before we had this tool to deploy the flows requested by the business.” Previously, this had been a “very painful job,” as he put it. “Now,” he added, “We just put the source and destination into the AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer and most of the job for the flows is done.” Another AlgoSec user found that the solution let him “increase the effectiveness of the team, allowing them to prioritize more complex and business-critical tasks in a faster manner.” Schedule a Demo Visibility Being able to align network security with business priorities depends on seeing what’s happening across the network as well as within its policies and rules. A manager of network service delivery at a financial services firm with over 10,000 employees summed up the issue when he said, “It is worth spending the cost for visibility on security .” A security engineer at a manufacturing company with over 1,000 employees, echoed this sentiment, commenting, “I think we have a great ROI due to the improved visibility and management that the solution now provides us.” Visibility into network and traffic The network itself is the starting point of business-oriented NSPM. Network managers must see how traffic and network policies affect the network and their applications. Without the right tooling, however, much of the network can remain hidden. To this point, an AlgoSec user at a company with over 10,000 employees said, “I use this solution to have full visibility of the network , to simulate traffic queries, and to generate security reports according to the security policies of my company. The most valuable features are the network map, which provides the full visibility of the network, and the security reports.” Another AlgoSec user spoke about the benefits of the network map, saying, it was “a very good thing to get a clear view of every single region in your network.” A lead security infrastructure consultant at a financial services firm with over 10,000 employees, added: “We also use AlgoSec to get better visibility into our traffic flows , to optimize our firewalls rules, and to analyze risks.” An AlgoSec user at a company with over 10,000 employees noted, “This solution provides visibility and comprehension of the network in our organization. It assists us in network security reviews and audits. In the end, a lot of time, we add context and build a security matrix matching our own standards.” A senior technical and integration designer at a retailer with over 10,000 employees further remarked that “AlgoSec provided a much easier way to process FCRs [Firewall Change Requests] and get visibility into traffic .” He contrasted this capability with his experience with previous vendors, a situation where, as he said, “we had to guess what was going on with our traffic and we were not able to act accordingly.” Get a Demo Visibility into applications Network managers need to understand the impact of policy changes on business-critical network applications. Security policies affect application migrations as well as initiatives to establish network segmentation. In this sense, visibility into applications on the network is essential for aligning network security policy with business objectives. The network engineer addressed the issue by stating, “It [AlgoSec] automatically discovers applications and their connectivity flows, then associates connectivity with their underlying firewall rules.” For a system architect at a school with more than 500 employees, the benefit came from the solution’s traffic simulation query. In his case, this “helps to understand which rules match or don’t match for a specific traffic pattern, helping troubleshoot application issues .” “I have found the firewall optimization feature to be very valuable because most developers don’t know the ports or services their applications are running ,” said an AlgoSec user. He then added, “After running the rules on any services for a short while, AlgoSec helps get the right service ports and IP addresses.” A network manager at a financial services firm with over 1,000 employees felt that AlgoSec has enabled his team to analyze rules to check access for an application or user. He related, “Breaking down a rule to specify used objects within groups and protocols used has proved invaluable for us to narrow exposure to potential threats.” Visibility into rules NSPM users want visibility into rules. According to an AlgoSec user, the solution “provides great visibility into your firewall rules , thereby allowing you to eliminate redundant or overlapping rules.” In particular, visibility into rules saved time by allowing his administrators to test network traffic and pinpoint which rules were being triggered for a particular traffic flow. A technical presales engineer at a tech services company with more than 500 employees, described the value of AlgoSec’s policy tightening feature, which gave him visibility into ‘any to any’ rules. The tool could tell him which sources and destinations were used as well as the actual traffic from overly permissive rules . From this, he said, “We are able to tighten the policy of the firewall.” Visibility into changes Policy changes are a potential source of risk exposure, especially in a large organization where team members may not be aware of others’ actions. IT Central Station members highlighted this capability in their assessments of NSPM solutions. “Now, we can easily track the changes in policies,” said a network security engineer at a financial services firm with over 10,000 employees. “With every change, AlgoSec automatically sends an email to the IT audit team. It increases our visibility of changes in every policy.” “The compliance module provides full visibility of the risk required in firewall change requests ,” said the manager of network service delivery. An AlgoSec user at a company with over 10,000 employees felt that “AlgoSec also allows us to have a history of changes .” He believed the history was especially useful in the event of an outage or an unwanted change. For another AlgoSec user, “Policy optimization, visibility, and a faster change management process has reduced unnecessary times required for manually changing processes. The resources are now utilized more effectively for other areas.” Schedule a Demo Automation IT Central Station members stressed the importance of automation capabilities in selecting an NSPM solution. Reliance on manual processes is unsustainable. Experience shows that manual policy management leads to mistakes, misconfigurations, and missed SLAs. As the IT technical consultant pointed out, with AlgoSec, “we have eliminated any human mistakes that we have dealt with in the past and now we want to avoid as we are moving toward a completely automated network.” Manual processes negatively affect agility as well. The issue is particularly salient today, as companies expect network operations to be as lean as possible. Automated rules management AlgoSec users are putting the solution to work in automating rules management. A network and security engineer said, “We are also using AlgoSec to automate machine provisioning (creation of new rules associated with that machine) and machine decommissioning (removal of rules associated with that machine).” This capability is viewed as a positive attribute in an NSPM solution. According to an AlgoSec user, “We are currently in a rule base performance improvement process and AlgoSec is an invaluable tool to accomplish this. Furthermore, we are starting rule creation automation , which will also provide some relief on our workload.” Other notable comments about rule management automation include: “My organization has used Firewall Analyzer for many years to simplify and automate rule set management across an estate of hundreds of Check Point firewalls. Key functionality provided covers compliance reporting and identification of duplicate and unused, as well as risky rules.” – Security consultant at a financial services firm with over 1,000 employees “We recently moved our data center to a new location, and we migrated our firewalls from one vendor to a different vendor. AlgoSec helped us tremendously to clean up shadow rules , unused objects even before moving to a new vendor.” – AlgoSec user at a healthcare company with over 1,000 employees “Our primary use case is to clean up firewall rules of migration from Cisco ASA to another firewall vendor. We try to get rid of old rules and get these converted into new rules which apply better to our environment.” – AlgoSec User Automated configuration and change management Being able to automate configuration and change management saves time. As a result, it’s a driver of preference for NSPM solutions. “Automated change notification is a must and is critical in maintaining a safe environment and compliance,” said an AlgoSec user. An information security specialist at a company with over 10,000 employees also spoke to this benefit of AlgoSec when he said, “The best feature for us is the ability to automate the change requests that come through our service desk, which is done via the tool’s intelligence to analyze the conditional rules.” In his case, as he put it, “This used to be a big time sink for the guys which is now less of an issue. This means that the company can claim back valuable man-hours for other means (also showing a labor cost saving to the board).” Zero-touch automation To achieve the productivity gains desired by network security and operations managers, an NSPM solution should enable automation with as few hours as possible. The network engineer acknowledged AlgoSec in this regard, saying, “AlgoSec delivers a rich set of change management workflows and enables zero-touch change processes if no risks are identified.” A global network security engineer similarly noted, “Initial deployment was straightforward . The FireFlow workflow can be configured to match the existing flow – customizing this to match any workflow permutations takes the most time.” Automating the multi-vendor environment Network security and operations environments are often multi-vendor in nature. They invariably have to support firewalls from Check Point, Fortinet, and Palo Alto as well as a host of other technologies, as shown in Figure 2. For this reason, users prefer NSPM solutions that work well with more than one vendor platform. An IT Security Engineer III at a software company with over 10,000 employees, shared how he had previously spent time manually looking through rule bases trying to find risk rules. “Now we see it via AlgoSec,” he said, adding, “It also helps because we see those risks across multiple vendors .” This reduced the potential for error, in his view. A senior consultant at a consultancy said, “We use this solution for the management of firewalls on a client with a multi-vendor landscape .” An AlgoSec user at an energy/utilities company with over 1,000 employees valued AlgoSec’s “ability to manage multiple vendor firewall policies and traditional firewalls with an intelligent way to prevent cyberattacks and reduce outages.” The AlgoSec user at the energy/utilities company further noted, “We are moving towards an automated environment so the ability to work with Ansible, ServiceNow, and Palo Alto gives us the ability to automate our firewall policy creation. And it does so in a manner where we do not have to worry about a policy being created that may put our organization at risk.” Figure 2: Some of the platforms and technologies with which an NSPM solution should integrate Schedule a Demo Compliance An NSPM solution must make it easier to enforce the network-level policies required for compliance with government regulations, such as Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and PCI DSS, than is possible without the solution. NSPM should also make it simpler to bring the network into compliance with internal-facing security policies and rules, e.g., “Routers may not be set to factory defaults.” These expectations are increasingly relevant as organizations adopt continuous compliance—no longer treating audits as a point-in-time exercise but rather working to adhere to policies and controls and continually maintaining compliance, even during frequent and extensive network changes. For example, a security consultant in a financial services firm with over 1,000 employees said, “Compliance and risk reporting are the most valuable features of the product.” A Global Network Solution Architect at AXA, an insurance company with over 10,000 employees, used AlgoSec for firewall rules compliance with global security policies. He relied on the solution “to ensure global policies are applied to all regional firewalls, provide auditing and compliance.” Firewall compliance Network managers need to demonstrate that their firewalls comply with policies established to meet the audit requirements of regulations like SOX and HIPAA. This is a familiar aspect of network management and security, but one that gets revisited regularly as users try to make the process more efficient. In this context, the Prudential manager of network service delivery stated, “The compliance module is one of the best features which can help anyone to perform security review with predefined security matrix configurations. The compliance module can save a lot of time for security reviews and provide full visibility of the risk required in firewall change requests.” The security engineer said, “It’s a great tool when preparing for audits and ensuring your firewalls are in compliance .” Regulatory compliance Companies that are obligated to comply with government regulations benefit from automated policy management. The network engineer, for example, found that using an NSPM solution reduced his audit preparation efforts and costs drastically while enabling his team to maintain continuous compliance. An AlgoSec user also felt the solution helped in maintaining and providing regulatory compliance metrics and optimizing the overall security of the organization. The PCI DSS compliance standard, required for companies that process credit card transactions, emerged as a frequent use case for NSPM: “The baseline of in-built policies such as PCI DSS helps us maintain good security ratings in compliance with regulatory standards.” – Security operations manager at a financial services firm with more than 200 employees “I work at a multi-vendor firewall environment. AlgoSec is primarily used to see what firewall policies are in place, as well as PCI compliance ” – Senior firewall engineer at a tech consulting company with over 1,000 employees “It is very useful for PCI DSS compliance .” – Presales manager at a small company Internal Compliance IT Central Station members discussed their internal compliance needs as well. The network manager placed this issue into context by saying, “The risk and compliance area is key to ensuring we conform to company regulations . Having a number of compliance options to baseline ensures that we get the basics right before looking at advanced risks and remediation.” Addressing this point, the security engineer said, “We also need the audit report and risk assessment features to send to our InfoSec team so that they can use it in our audit documentation . This is also very important because it significantly reduces our workload and makes it very easy to have the documentation ready to show to our auditors.” The network and security engineer was pleased that AlgoSec enabled his team to provide reports to auditors “without losing a single day from the network support department.” He said, “We simply provide AlgoSec reports and analysis.” Another AlgoSec user acknowledged AlgoSec’s ability to help him prepare for the audit in a short time and assist with continuous compliance . The network manager added, “The risk and compliance area is key to ensuring we conform to company regulations .” A network administrator at a government agency with over 10,000 employees, simply stated, “For us, it is a great management and audit tool .” Schedule a Demo Conclusion Many factors come into play in the selection of a network security policy management solution. In a business environment, where companies want to be agile, users want solutions that offer visibility into traffic and applications. For IT Central Station members, a good solution automates rules management along with configuration and change management. The best solution will also facilitate compliance, both internal and regulatory. With these qualities, an NSPM will be able to align security with business and make sure that your network adheres to your stated security policies. Schedule a Demo About IT Central Station User reviews, candid discussions, and more for enterprise technology professionals. The Internet has completely changed the way we make buying decisions. We now use ratings and review sites to see what other real users think before we buy electronics, book a hotel, visit a doctor or choose a restaurant. But in the world of enterprise technology, most of the information online and in your inbox comes from vendors. What you really want is objective information from other users. IT Central Station provides technology professionals with a community platform to share information about enterprise solutions. IT Central Station is committed to offering user-contributed information that is valuable, objective, and relevant. We validate all reviewers with a triple authentication process, and protect your privacy by providing an environment where you can post anonymously and freely express your views. As a result, the community becomes a valuable resource, ensuring you get access to the right information and connect to the right people, whenever you need it. www.itcentralstation.com IT Central Station does not endorse or recommend any products or services. The views and opinions of reviewers quoted in this document, IT Central Station websites, and IT Central Station materials do not reflect the opinions of IT Central Station. Schedule a Demo About AlgoSec AlgoSec enables the world’s largest organizations to align business and security strategies, and manage their network security based on what matters most — the applications that power their businesses. Through a single pane of glass, the AlgoSec Security Management Solution provides holistic, business-level visibility across the entire network security infrastructure, including business applications and their connectivity flows — in the cloud and across SDN and on-premise networks. With AlgoSec users can auto-discover and migrate application connectivity, proactively analyze risk from the business perspective, tie cyber-attacks to business processes and intelligently automate time-consuming security changes— all zero-touch, and seamlessly orchestrated across any heterogeneous environment. Over 1,800 leading organizations, including 20 Fortune 50 companies, have relied on AlgoSec to drive business agility, security and compliance. AlgoSec has provided the industry’s only money-back guarantee since 2005. Let's start your journey to our business-centric network security. Schedule a Demo Select a size Overview Abstract Introduction The continuing evolution of NSPM Challenges inherent in selecting an NSPM solution NSPM solution selection factors Network security policy as a business issue Visibility Automation Compliance Conclusion About IT Central Station About AlgoSec Get the latest insights from the experts Choose a better way to manage your network

Learn how firewall rules secure your network from cyber threats. Explore types, best practices, and management strategies to optimize your firewall security. Firewall rules & requirements (inbound vs. outbound) How to secure your network from threats? The cybersecurity landscape is increasingly volatile, with a massive rise in cyberattacks. Malicious cyber actors are relentlessly scouring the internet for vulnerable networks. Any company that wants to keep its network secure must implement a network security solution – a firewall. Cyber attackers keep evolving and finding ways to compromise security systems. As a result, companies need to implement and maintain security best practices. Installing a firewall is not enough; you have to take a step further to ensure the firewall rules are up-to-date and properly managed. If you want to learn how firewall rules work and secure your network from threats, keep reading! This article covers everything you need to know, including types of firewall rules, examples of firewall rules, and firewall rule best practices. Schedule a Demo What are firewall rules? Firewall rules are the major components of firewall policies that determine which types of traffic your firewall allows in and out of your network, and which are blocked. They are access control mechanisms that firewalls use to protect your network from being infiltrated by malicious or unauthorized traffic. Firewall rules examine the control information in individual packets, and either block or allow them based on a set of rules or predetermined criteria. These predetermined criteria or rule components include a source IP address, a destination IP address, ports, protocol type (TCP, UDP, or ICMP), and services. Firewall rules control how the firewalls prevent malicious programs and unauthorized traffic from compromising your network. So properly managing your firewall rules across your infrastructures is instrumental to securing your network from threats. Schedule a Demo How do firewall rules work? A firewall examines each incoming and outgoing data packet and matches it against the firewall rules. A packet is allowed to go through to its destination if it matches one of the rules that allow traffic. If a packet matches none of the rulesor hit a rule with deny, it is rejected. The rejection or mismatch is reported if the firewall is configured to do so. Firewalls are programmed to work with access control lists (ACLs). ACLs contain lists of permissions that determine network traffic that is allowed or blocked. An access control list details the conditions a data packet must meet before the ACL action (allow, deny, or reject) can be executed. To help you understand how firewall rules work, here’s a practical example: if a firewall rule states that traffic to destination N should be allowed only if it is from IP address M, the firewall will check the packet source and destination of incoming packets, and allow packets that meet the M & N rule to go through. If its packet’s destination is N but its source is unidentified or different from M, it is blocked. Packets are checked against firewall rules from top to bottom, and the first rule that matches the packet overrides the other rules below. The last rule is Deny Rest. This means that all packets not expressly permitted by the rules are blocked. You can create a firewall rule in pfSense. pfSense is an open-source firewall and router with unified threat management, load balancing, multi-WAN, a DNS Resolver, and a VPN. It supports a wide range of network technologies, including IPv4 & IPv6 addresses and pfBlockerNG. Other firewalls you can use to create firewall rules include Zenarmor, Windows Defender, and iptables. Schedule a Demo Why are firewall rules important? Firewall rules help network administrators to regulate access to networks. With firewall rules, you can determine what is allowed in and out of your network. For example, they prevent dangerous files like worms and viruses from accessing your network and consuming bandwidth. When it comes to protecting devices that operate within your network, firewall rules establish an essential line of defense. Firewalls (and other security measures like endpoint protection and security certifications) prevent malicious actors from accessing and compromising devices connected to your network or operating inside your network’s environment. Firewall rules help you comply with regulatory standards. Depending on your industry, relevant regulatory agencies expect your company to maintain a certain level of security. For example, if your business is located in the EU region or collects personal data of EU citizens, it is mandated to comply with GDPR. Schedule a Demo What are the main types of firewall rules? There are various types of firewall rules. They are categorized based on the type of security architecture under consideration. That being said, here are some of the major types of firewall rules: 1. Access rule As the name implies, this firewall rule blocks or grants access to inbound and outbound traffic based on certain conditions. The source address, destination address, port number, and protocol are key information that the access rule evaluates to determine whether access should be given or denied. 2. Network address translation (NAT) rule NAT helps you hide the original IP address of a private network – enabling you to protect your network. It makes traffic routing easier and smoothens the inflow & outflow of traffic to and from your network. 3. Application level gateways This type of firewall rule enables network administrators to implement policies that protect your internal network. Application-level gateways function as shields or gatekeepers between your internal network and the public internet. Administrators use them to regulate access to public networks, block some sites, limit access to certain content, and regulate devices allowed to access your network. 4. Stateful packet filtering This rule evaluates data packets and filters them against preset conditions. The traffic is denied access if it fails to meet the requirements outlined by the predetermined security criteria. 5. Circle-level gateways Circle-level gateways do not filter individual packets but rather monitor TCP handshakes to determine whether a session is legitimate and the remote system is considered trusted. Consequently, these gateways provide anonymity to your internal network. Schedule a Demo What is an example of a firewall rule? Firewall rules frequently consist of a source address, source port, destination address, destination port, and an action that determines whether to Allow or Deny the packet. In the following firewall ruleset example, the firewall is never directly accessed from the public network. This is because hackers who can directly access the firewall, can modify or delete rules and allow unwanted travel. Source addressSource portDestination addressDestination portAction AnyAny10.10.10.1AnyDenyAnyAny10.10.10.2AnyDeny10.10.10.1AnyAnyAnyDeny10.10.10.2AnyAnyAnyDeny In the following firewall ruleset example, all traffic from the trusted network is allowed out. This ruleset should be placed below the ruleset above. Since firewall rules are checked from top to bottom, specific rules should be placed before rules that are more general. Source addressSource portDestination addressDestination portAction 10.10.10.0AnyAnyAnyAllow Schedule a Demo What are the best ways to manage firewall rules? Effective management of firewall rules is necessary to avoid conflicting configurations and ensure your security infrastructure is powerful enough to ward off malicious attacks. To manage firewall rules better, do the following: ● Maintain proper documentation Properly document policies, rules, and workflows. It’s difficult for your network administrators to stay organized and manage firewall rules without proper documentation. Implement a strict documentation policy that mandates administrators to document policies and configuration changes. This improves visibility and ensures seamless continuity even if a key network operator leaves the company. ● Assign tasks with caution Ensure that only well-trained network operators have the privilege to assign and alter firewall rules. Allowing everyone on your security team to assign and change firewall rules increases the chances of misconfiguration. Giving such a privilege to a select few does the opposite and makes containing mismanagement easier. ● Use a standardized naming convention It’s easy to get confused about which configuration does what. This is more likely to happen where there is no naming convention. To avoid conflicting configurations, name each rule to clarify its purpose. By clearly defining the rules, conflicts can be easily resolved. ● Flag temporary rules Some rules are created to function just for a while – temporary rules. To keep things simple and ‘neat,’ flag temporary rules so they can be eliminated when they are no longer required. ● Order your rules Order rules in a specific pattern. For example, begin with global rules and narrow down to user-specific rules. ● Use a firewall management solution Many administrators use a firewall management and orchestration solution to streamline the firewall rule management process. The solution integrates with your firewall and uses built-in automation for managing firewall settings and configurations from a single dashboard. A firewall management tool helps you automate activities, gain visibility on all firewall rules, optimize firewall rules, remove rule anomalies, generate reports, etc. Schedule a Demo What are the best practices for firewall rules? To ensure your firewall works properly and offers the best security possible, there are some key best practices you have to follow when configuring and managing firewall rules: Review the firewall rules regularly The cyber threat landscape is always changing. Therefore, you must regularly review the firewall rules to ensure they provide optimal security against threats. Reviewing firewall rules helps you to be several steps ahead of malicious cyber actors, remove rule anomalies, and maintain compliance. Cyber attackers are relentlessly devising new ways to compromise security systems, infiltrate networks & subnets, and wreak havoc. You need to update the firewall rules regularly to counter new attacks. Obsolete rules can be maneuvered and the firewall compromised. You have to keep evolving the rules to stay ahead of malicious actors. Remove ineffective, redundant firewall rules. Are there rules that are no longer needed? Are there overlapping rules that are taking up space and confusing your network administrators? Look out for unnecessary configurations and remove them to free up the system and avoid confusion. In addition to helping you keep your network safe, reviewing firewall rules regularly also allows you to maintain compliance with regulatory standards such as HIPAA and GDPR. Keep tabs on firewall logs Keeping an eye on the firewall log helps administrators to monitor traffic flow, identify suspicious activities, and proactively fix challenges. Monitoring firewall logs gives you visibility into your infrastructure, enabling you to get to know your network users and the nature of their activities. Reduce complexity by categorizing firewall rules Make firewall rule structure simple and easy to manage by grouping rules with similar characteristics. This approach reduces configuration complexity, improves ease of administration, and optimizes firewall performance. Implement least-privileged access Do not grant users more privileges than necessary to perform their tasks. This ensures that only an authorized user can create a new rule, change a security policy, or gain access to specific resources. Block high-risk ports Blocking some ports can significantly decrease the risk of a network breach. The following table outlines the ports you should block as recommended by the SANS Institute . The table features services, TCP port, UDP port, port number, and port range. ServicePortPort number NetBIOS in Windows NTTCP and UDP135NetBIOS in Windows NTUDP137 and 138TFTP daemonUDP69HTTP (except to external web services)TCP80SSL (except to external web servers)TCP443Lockd (Linux DoS vulnerability)TCP & UDP4045Common high-order HTTP portsTCP8000, 8080, 8888LDAPTCP & UDP389IMAPTCP143SOCKSTCP1080SNMPUDP161 & 162SyslogUDP514Cisco AUX port (binary)TCP6001NFSTCP & UDP2049X WindowsTCP & UDP6000 – 6255 Schedule a Demo How can AlgoSec help you manage your firewall rules better? Managing firewall rules manually can be overwhelming and time-consuming – especially when dealing with multiple firewall solutions. With the help of a firewall management solution, you easily configure firewall rules and manage configurations from a single dashboard. This is where AlgoSec comes in! AlgoSec’s powerful firewall management solution integrates with your firewalls to deliver unified firewall policy management from a single location, thus streamlining the entire process. With AlgoSec, you can maintain clear visibility of your firewall ruleset, automate the management process, assess risk & optimize rulesets, streamline audit preparation & ensure compliance, and use APIs to access many features through web services. Schedule a Demo Select a size How to secure your network from threats? What are firewall rules? How do firewall rules work? Why are firewall rules important? What are the main types of firewall rules? What is an example of a firewall rule? What are the best ways to manage firewall rules? What are the best practices for firewall rules? How can AlgoSec help you manage your firewall rules better? 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 how to move applications to the cloud seamlessly. Explore best practices for cloud migration, minimizing downtime, and optimizing your cloud environment Cloud migration: How to move applications to the cloud Introduction Responsiveness to the ever-growing demand coming from the business is redefining IT processes and technologies. One way IT can improve responsiveness and business agility is by moving business applications to the cloud. In the cloud, businesses increase their agility while reducing costs. But in the process of migrating applications to the cloud, network security is often neglected. When this happens, applications are deployed in the cloud with inadequate security and compliance measures, or, conversely, the security team steps in and halts the migration process. This puts the company at risk. On the one hand, inadequate security makes it easier for hackers to access the network and mount an attack against the company – exposing the company to financial losses and legal repercussions. On the other hand, if the business is unable to respond to market demands in a timely fashion, there are clear financial implications. In this paper, we take a deep dive into the process that enterprise organizations take when approaching a migration project. We look at the challenges associated with migration projects and discuss a systematic process that organizations should embrace when approaching these types of projects. Schedule a Demo Advantages and security challenges of the cloud There are multiple advantages to adopting a cloud architecture and migrating applications to it, but there are also security concerns that need to be taken into consideration. Below are the top four advantages and the security challenge that accompanies each. Security and data protection When adopting public cloud computing, data itself is much more accessible, no matter where it is located. Users can access the data they need from any location and device. An additional benefit relates to disaster recovery processes that include out-of-the-box backup and restore functionality. In the cloud, there is a need to maintain additional servers in a remote location. However, these advantages do not come without a cost. Once the data is no longer kept on-premises, security must be tightened. The closed garden we had when data resided on servers protected by firewalls in our facilities, is gone. Additional security controls must be employed. Special consideration should be given to upholding regulatory requirements regarding the data itself. There are best practices to uphold, as well as financial penalties if organizations do not comply with them. Business agility Spinning up a server in the cloud is a matter of minutes. Cloud computing is considered an enabler for digital transformation, as businesses work to be more agile and accommodating to their customers’ needs. All you need is a credit card. No hardware is required to be purchased, shipped or connected to your data center. The ease of spinning up a new cloud server makes shadow IT possible. But this is also a security problem. It is hard to control the security aspect of each cloud server if you are unaware of it. Therefore, visibility and strong prefrail security measures such as identity management and cloud firewalls that protect access from the internet, are needed. For each cloud server, you need to set an allowed connectivity baseline and incorporate it into the sever creation process. Financial benefits The cloud offers zero maintenance costs and zero capital costs. Additional financial gains should be taken into consideration such as the reduction in IT support costs and the flexibility offered by cloud server usage of paying only for what you consume. This means you don’t have to purchase expensive hardware needed during peak times only. Of course, there are also hidden costs when migrating to the cloud. Usage needs to be monitored and optimized and your cloud assets need to be monitored and maintained. Additional security measures need to be put in place. This includes purchasing additional software as well as hiring additional personnel proficient in securing a cloud architecture. Faster time to market The cloud, coupled with DevOps practices and tools, delivers a flexible framework that enables companies to deliver innovations faster to market. However, there are lingering questions about the impact on security. With multiple functional teams collaborating on development, and so many moving parts in the process, security is often not incorporated into the release process. Rather it’s tacked on at the end. And this is where you need a security policy automation that supports the DevOps methodology. The solution needs to be able to automatically copy the firewall rules and then make the necessary modifications to map rules to the new objects – for each new environment in the DevOps lifecycle. With the right automation solution, security can be baked into the release process. Get a Demo Schedule a Demo The shared responsibility model Public cloud security is the responsibility of both the cloud vendor and cloud customers. This joint ownership of security is often called the shared responsibility model. On one side you have security of the cloud infrastructure itself. Security OF the cloud The cloud vendor is responsible for securing the infrastructure that runs all the services offered in the cloud. This includes both software-related services such as compute, storage, database, and networking as well as hardware services. The cloud vendor is also responsible for securing the physical facilities themselves. On the other side, you have security within the cloud accounts. Security IN the cloud Cloud customers are responsible for the security of the services they consume. For example, when using Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) the customer needs to perform all the necessary security configuration and management tasks. Any software or utility that the customer installs should be followed by configuring all relevant security controls, including security groups, third-party firewalls and other necessary security configurations. Cloud customers are responsible for managing and securing the data that resides in the consumed cloud service. Figure 1: Shared responsibility model Schedule a Demo Cloud network security controls Data center network security is already quite complex. Customers generally utilize multiple vendors to manage their network security, including SDNs, such as Cisco ACI and VMWare NSX. Adding cloud network security controls to the mix raises the complexity up several notches. Cloud network security consists of multi-layered security controls. You have the cloud vendor infrastructure controls spanning across asset types, such as instances, databases, storage, and accounts; and across configuration types, such as deployment location, security groups, and more. You also have cloud providers’ security products, such as Azure Firewall and AWS WAF. And on top all of that, third-party vendors have not left the cloud network security controls ring and are providing dedicated firewalls for the cloud, such as CloudGuard by Check Point, V-Series by Palo Alto Networks and more. When migrating an application to the cloud it is important to determine how you are going to guard your cloud assets. What mix of security controls are you going to utilize to secure your data? Schedule a Demo Visibility into what you have is key for cloud migration Gain visibility into which applications your organization has Obtaining an inventory of applications is the foundation of your security and essential for your cloud migration. The process of discovering all the applications used by your business is not a trivial task. Most businesses have two types of applications – enterprise and departmental. Enterprise applications, which are the more complex applications in your data center, usually serve many business units and can span multiple geographies and even company subsidiaries. In most cases, the IT team is well-aware of them. While documentation of these applications and their connectivity requirements may not be perfect, that is a good starting point for the migration process. Note that there may still be a need to update the documentation. Many departments or business units purchase their department applications such as Business Intelligence solutions or project management tools. Some of these applications may be SaaS while others are installed on corporate servers. For these types of applications, it is likely that documentation never existed. Fortunately, in most cases, their architecture isn’t complex. It should be relatively easy to obtain the necessary connectivity information needed to migrate them to the cloud. The key here is to know that these applications exist. There are two ways to generate a list of applications. The first requires using consultants to conduct thorough interviews with the various stakeholders in each department and each geography. A second, more cost-effective and efficient way, is to use visibility and automation solutions such as AlgoSec’s AppViz and AppChange. Tools like AlgoSec’s AppViz help discover, identify, and map business applications on your network. Once the list of applications – the foundation – is in place, you can move onto the next stage in the process of closing the security gap as you migrate to the cloud: understanding each application’s attributes, such as the number of servers, the associated business processes and the network connectivity requirements. These attributes help determine the complexity involved in migrating applications. Gain visibility into your current network and its security elements Several attributes can affect the complexity of migrating an application to the cloud, including the application’s network connectivity requirements and the firewall rules that allow/deny that connectivity. A mapping of the network connectivity yields a deeper understanding of network traffic complexity which, in turn, provides insight into the flows you will need to migrate and maintain with the application in the cloud (see Figure 2). Additionally, this information will tell you how many applications are dependent on a specific server. The more applications a server serves, the harder it is to migrate one of them. It may be necessary to migrate the server itself or to migrate multiple applications at the same time. Mapping the firewall rules provides insight into the security measures you will need to put in place once the application has been migrated to the cloud. As a rule of thumb, the more firewall rules are required, the greater the complexity. A mapping of the firewall rules enables you to identify and decommission firewall rules that are no longer necessary post-migration. How do you generate documentation of application connectivity? The obvious choice is to employ a solution that automatically maps the various network traffic flows, servers and firewall rules for each application. If you do not have access to such an automation solution, then manual documenting, however tedious, will provide the necessary information. Schedule a Demo Which applications should I move first? Applications that store data about personal information When an application holds sensitive data such as personal information it is worth thinking twice before moving it to the cloud. In most cases, data privacy laws mandate where personal data should be stored, and when the information can be collected, processed, or communicated. Over 80 countries and territories have adopted comprehensive data protection laws. Most of Europe has already adopted comprehensive data protection laws such as GDPR. Many Latin American, Asian, and African countries have done so as well. Many US states also have data protection regulations such as the California Consumer Privacy Act and the New York SHIELD Act. It is worthwhile checking what is legally allowed before moving such an application to a cloud, as well as considering the cloud’s geographical location. Highly-regulated applications An additional issue to look out for is whether the application is subject to regulatory requirements such as HIPPA or requires PCI DSS compliance. If the answer is yes, you must find out the security compliance status of that application and whether moving it to the cloud would violate that status. HIPPA, for example, requires accountability practices on all LANs, WANs, and for users accessing the network remotely through a Virtual Private Network (VPN). PCI compliance requires, for example, a firewall at each internet connection and between any DMZ and the internal network zone. Applications subject to these and similar regulations are not the best candidates, to say the least, for migration to the cloud. Applications already exposed to the internet On the other hand, if an application has elements that are already exposed to the internet, such as the web server in Figure 2 below, that’s a good indication that maybe some of it, if not all, can be moved to the cloud for the elasticity and cost savings gain. For these applications, you have most probably already implemented strong security inside the application server, backed with strong security limitations in front of and behind the web-facing interface. Adopting these strong limitations also when moving the workload to the cloud will ensure the security of the server and of the internal network behind it. Using network segmentation as a guide Finally, if you manage your network segmentation correctly, the servers and applications that reside in the less isolated zones are the best candidates for moving to the more open cloud. For example, applications and servers in a zone with only one firewall that acts as a barrier between the zone and the internet are good candidates for migration. Whereas entities in protected zones such as server group 1 in Figure 2, which reside behind several firewalls, should remain in your on-premise data center. Figure 2: Network segmentation Schedule a Demo Migration is only the beginning Whether you move all your applications to the cloud or just a few of them, and whether you use one or multiple cloud vendors, you now need to manage and maintain security and compliance in the cloud just as you did in your on-premise network over which you have complete control. Establishing a route from a server in the cloud to a server on the on-premise network requires an intimate understanding of both the cloud security controls and the on-premise security devices. If there are separate cloud and on-premise network security teams, as is the norm in many businesses, collaboration between the teams is needed which, of course, adds its own complexity. Once applications are deployed in the cloud, you will likely want to be able to move between cloud providers ‘at the speed of the cloud’ to avoid vendor lock-in and to minimize costs. While you might be led to believe that this is a simple requirement, in reality each cloud provider has its own unique network security controls with which you need to familiarize yourself. There are several ways to manage security across the hybrid cloud environment. You can manage the environment manually, which is slow, time-consuming, and error-prone. You can use the cloud provider’s native controls to manage the cloud network security in addition to the existing tools and methodology you currently use for your on-premise environment. However, bear in mind that cloud security controls do not provide a holistic view of security across your entire estate and their limited capabilities may not sufficiently support your business’s security posture. Alternatively, there are third party automated network security policy management solutions that span the entire hybrid environment, which can assist in managing your entire network security. Schedule a Demo Migrate with AlgoSec The AlgoSec platform makes it easy to support your cloud migration journey, ensuring that migration does not block critical business services while meeting compliance requirements. AlgoSec’s powerful Application Discovery capabilities help you understand the network flows in your organization. You can effectively connect the recognized traffic flows to the business applications that use them. AlgoSec manages the network security policy across your hybrid network estate and proactively checks every proposed firewall rule change request against your network security strategy to ensure that the change doesn’t introduce risk or violate compliance requirements. Schedule a Demo About AlgoSec AlgoSec, a global cybersecurity leader, empowers organizations to secure application connectivity and cloud-native applications throughout their multi-cloud and hybrid network. Trusted by more than 1,800 of the world’s leading organizations, AlgoSec’s application-centric approach enables to securely accelerate business application deployment by centrally managing application connectivity and security policies across the public clouds, private clouds, containers, and on-premises networks. Using its unique vendor-agnostic deep algorithm for intelligent change management automation, AlgoSec enables acceleration of digital transformation projects, helps prevent business application downtime and substantially reduces manual work and exposure to security risks. AlgoSec’s policy management and CNAPP platforms provide a single source for visibility into security and compliance issues within cloud-native applications as well as across the hybrid network environment, to ensure ongoing adherence to internet security standards, industry, and internal regulations. Learn how AlgoSec enables application owners, information security experts, DevSecOps and cloud security teams to deploy business applications up to 10 times faster while maintaining security at www.algosec.com . Let's start your journey to our business-centric network security. Schedule a Demo Select a size Introduction Advantages and security challenges of the cloud The shared responsibility model Cloud network security controls Visibility into what you have is key for cloud migration Which applications should I move first? Migration is only the beginning Migrate with AlgoSec About AlgoSec Get the latest insights from the experts Choose a better way to manage your network

Learn why network security policy management is crucial for insurance companies to safeguard sensitive data, ensure compliance, and mitigate cyber risks effectively. Why Insurance Companies Need Network Security Policy Management Opening Insurance institutions face two major network security related challenges while working to serve their customers: the constant demand to improve in order to successfully compete in the market, and regulatory compliance. Yet, when it comes to security, the InfoSec team often uses slow, manual (and error prone) processes to make the necessary network security changes – thereby delaying the release of a new competitive application or feature to market. To overcome these challenges, insurance institutions must implement a network security policy management solution Schedule a Demo Introduction In order to maintain a competitive advantage, information security teams at insurance companies must be able to support business transformation initiatives and deploy new applications or updated functionality to market quickly and securely. Most IT departments use automation tools to assist them with many aspects of their work – including managing software changes or provisioning storage. Automation allows them to support the fast pace required, ensure quality and maintain compliance with industry regulations. However, when it comes to security, oftentimes the InfoSec team still makes the necessary network security changes using manual processes. This is mostly due to the perceived complexity of the segmented network infrastructure; the large number of firewalls and network security devices (from multiple vendors) that are typically deployed across an insurance company’s network, as well as the extensive compliance requirements to which insurance companies are subjected. As a result, the InfoSec team is often perceived as a bottleneck to progress – holding back the release of a new competitive application or feature to market. This white paper discusses the challenges facing InfoSec teams today. It then explains how a network security management solution delivers critical automation that help transform the InfoSec team from a business inhibitor to a business enabler. Schedule a Demo Network security challenges for insurance companies Insurance companies face two key network security related challenges in their mission to serve their customers: regulatory compliance and a continual demand for changes in order to compete in the market. The number of regulations that insurance companies are required to uphold has significantly increased over the years. They include GLBA, GDPR, BASEL II, SOX, Dodd-Frank, PCI-DSS and many others. While these regulations aim to provide best practices that help both the insurance company and their customers, they require considerable effort to maintain, particularly with regards to network security. The second challenge that impacts network security, is the constant demand for changes. In recent years, the demand for innovation coupled with competition from agile and disruptive insurtech companies is putting considerable pressure on insurance companies. As a result, insurance companies are constantly seeking ways to improve the way they interact with their customers while becoming more efficient. This means that there is now an ever-present need for change in a typically conservative industry which has previously been slow and reluctant to embrace change! Managing network security changes efficiently and effectively across today’s complex network environments requires automation. Yet, while IT teams have embraced automation to handle many of their tasks, the InfoSec team has not. In the following section, we discuss ways to utilize automation to manage security changes and manage the ever-increasing demands of industry regulations. Schedule a Demo Automated network security policy management To tackle these challenges the InfoSec team need automation to effectively manage the demands of regulatory compliance as well as keep up with the volume of network security policy changes. Managing compliance with industry regulations As part of compliance requirements most regulations require full visibility into the security posture, regular audits, and documentation of any changes. Visibility of the security posture: The first step to achieving visibility is to identify all the applications that support customer transactions and manage customer information. The next step is to classify them based on the relevant regulations, such as PCI for applications that manage cardholder information. There are tools that can handle this process automatically, including the discovery process, which saves considerable time. Moreover, automation tools can help with documenting the entire environment, including the network security device configurations and security policies – which is a key part of regulatory compliance. In addition to supporting compliance requirements, this visibility and transparency exposes any gaps and risks in your network security, and thus helps to make your network secure. Streamlined audits: Whether internal or external, audits eat up considerable resources. The InfoSec team currently needs to spend significant time and effort generating reports that document their security posture and prove compliance with every regulation – time that could be better spent focusing on securing the network or responding to business requests. Automation can handle all these processes, and generate self-documenting, audit-ready reports out of the box. Documenting compliance: Most network security management solutions review all changes during design and deployment to ensure that they comply with the industry regulations. As part of this process they document and provide a full audit trail of the change, thereby automating the requirement for change documentation. Get a Demo Managing the constant barrage of change requests An automation solution is paramount for tackling the frequent change requests that are typically required in the insurance industry. An automation solution enables the InfoSec team to focus on the impact and risk of the change as well as ensure that all changes are necessary (typically around 30% of change requests are unnecessary). An automation solution must: Ensure that the network security policy change request will not breach the compliance posture Automatically map the network route for any planned changes and identify the firewall, routers and switches along that route that need to be changed Assess all the risks of a security change. These include regulatory compliance risks as well as internal risks Understand the details of each firewall rule change request and determine whether a change is really needed, whether a change to an existing rule will be sufficient or if there is a need to create a new rule as part of the change request. This process reduces the overall number of rules and helps optimize the security ruleset Be able to automatically deploy changes directly in firewalls Schedule a Demo Summary Insurance companies are constantly seeking to better serve their customers and maintain a competitive edge through new technology innovations. Yet they often fall behind on delivering these new innovations into production. Their network and security operations team are hampered by manual and error-prone security change management processes coupled with the ever-increasing demands of industry regulations, which impact time-to-market. Automated network security management solutions help streamline the auditing process and ensure continuous compliance as well as significantly simplify and speed up the process of managing network security changes. Additional resources Network Security Policy Management Lifecycle PCI DSS: Automate Audits and Ensure Continuous Compliance Schedule a Demo About AlgoSec The leading provider of business-driven security management solutions, AlgoSec helps the world’s largest organizations align security with their business processes. With AlgoSec, users can discover, map and migrate business application connectivity, proactively analyze risk from the business perspective, tie cyber-attacks to business processes and intelligently automate network security changes with zero touch – across their cloud, SDN and on-premise networks. Over 1,500 enterprises, including 20 Fortune 50 companies, utilize AlgoSec’s solutions to make their organizations more agile, more secure and more compliant – all the time. Since its inception, AlgoSec has provided the industry’s only money-back guarantee. Request a demo Let's start your journey to our business-centric network security. Schedule a Demo Select a size Opening Introduction Network security challenges for insurance companies Automated network security policy management Summary About AlgoSec Get the latest insights from the experts Choose a better way to manage your network