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The cloud's come a long way, baby.  Remember when it was just a buzzword tossed around in boardrooms? Now, it's the engine powering our... Cloud Network Security The shocking truth about Network Cloud Security in 2025 Iris Stein 2 min read Iris Stein Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 2/10/25 Published The cloud's come a long way, baby. Remember when it was just a buzzword tossed around in boardrooms? Now, it's the engine powering our digital world. But this rapid evolution has left many cloud network security managers grappling with a new reality – and a bit of an identity crisis. Feeling the heat? You're not alone. The demands on cloud security professionals are skyrocketing. We're expected to be masters of hybrid environments, navigate a widening skills gap, and stay ahead of threats evolving at warp speed. Let's break down the challenges: Hybrid is the new normal: Gartner predicts that by 2025, a whopping 90% of organizations will be running hybrid cloud environments. This means juggling the complexities of both on-premises and cloud security, demanding a broader skillset and a more holistic approach. Forget silos – we need to be fluent in both worlds. The skills gap is a chasm: (ISC)²'s 2022 Cybersecurity Workforce Study revealed a global cybersecurity workforce gap of 3.4 million. This talent shortage puts immense pressure on existing security professionals to do more with less. We're stretched thin, and something's gotta give. Threats are evolving faster than ever: The cloud introduces new attack vectors and vulnerabilities we haven't even imagined yet. McAfee reported a staggering 630% increase in cloud-native attacks in 2022. Staying ahead of these threats requires constant vigilance, continuous learning, and a proactive mindset. Level up your cloud security game So, how can you thrive in this chaotic environment and ensure your career (and your company's security posture) doesn't go down in flames? Here's your survival guide: Automate or die: Manual processes are a relic of the past. Embrace automation tools to manage complex security policies, respond to threats faster, and free up your time for strategic initiatives. Think of it as your force multiplier in the fight against complexity. Become a cloud-native ninja: Deepen your understanding of cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP. Master their security features, best practices, and quirks. The more you know, the more you can protect. Sharpen your soft skills: Technical chops alone won't cut it. Communication, collaboration, and problem-solving are critical. You need to clearly articulate security risks to stakeholders, build bridges with different teams, and drive solutions. Never stop learning: The cloud is a moving target. Continuous learning is no longer optional – it's essential. Attend conferences, devour online courses, and stay informed about the latest security trends and technologies. Complacency is the enemy. Introducing AlgoSec Cloud Enterprise (ACE): Your cloud security wingman Let's face it, managing security across a hybrid cloud environment can feel like herding cats. That's where AlgoSec Cloud Enterprise (ACE) steps in. ACE is a comprehensive cloud network security suite that gives you the visibility, automation, and control you need to secure your applications and keep the business humming. Gain X-Ray Vision into Your Hybrid Cloud: See everything, know everything. ACE gives you complete visibility across your entire environment, from on-premises servers to cloud platforms. No more blind spots, no more surprises. Enforce Security Policies Like a Boss: Consistent security policies are the bedrock of a strong security posture. ACE makes it easy to define and enforce policies across all your applications, no matter where they reside. Conquer Compliance with Confidence: Staying compliant can feel like a never-ending struggle. ACE simplifies compliance management across your hybrid environment, helping you meet regulatory requirements without breaking a sweat. Accelerate App Delivery Without Sacrificing Security: In today's fast-paced world, speed is key. ACE empowers you to accelerate application delivery without compromising security. Move fast, break things – but not your security posture. Proactive Risk Prevention: ACE goes beyond basic security checks with over 150+ network security policy risk checks, proactively identifying and mitigating potential vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Ready to unlock the true power of the cloud while fortifying your defenses? Learn more about AlgoSec Cloud Enterprise today and take control of your cloud security destiny. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Multi-cloud environments create complex IT architectures that are hard to secure. Although cloud computing creates numerous advantages... Cloud Security 3 Proven Tips to Finding the Right CSPM Solution Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 11/24/22 Published Multi-cloud environments create complex IT architectures that are hard to secure. Although cloud computing creates numerous advantages for companies, it also increases the risk of data breaches. Did you know that you can mitigate these risks with a CSPM? Rony Moshkovitch, Prevasio’s co-founder, discusses why modern organizations need to opt for a CSPM solution when migrating to the cloud and also offers three powerful tips to finding and implementing the right one. Cloud Security Can Get Messy if You Let it A cloud-based IT infrastructure can lower your IT costs, boost your agility, flexibility, and scalability, and enhance business resilience. These great advantages notwithstanding, the cloud also has one serious drawback: it is not easy to secure. When you move from an on-premise infrastructure to the cloud, the size of your digital footprint expands. This can attract hackers on the prowl who are looking for the first opportunity to compromise your assets or steal your data. Cloud security solutions include multiple elements that must be managed and protected, such as microservices, containers, and serverless functions. These elements increase cloud complexity, reduce visibility into the cloud estate, and make it harder to secure. For all these reasons, security issues arise in the cloud, increasing the risk of breaches that may result in financial losses, legal liabilities, or reputational damage. To protect the complex and fluid cloud environment, sophisticated automation is essential. Enter cloud security posture management. How to Identify and Implement the Right CSPM Solution 1) It must offer a flat learning curve to accelerate time to value: The CSPM solution can be easy to implement, adopt, and use. It should not burden your security team. Rather, it should simplify cloud security by providing non-intrusive, agentless scans of all cloud accounts, services, and assets. It should also provide actionable information in a single-pane-of-glass view that clearly reveals what needs to be remediated in order to strengthen your cloud security posture. In addition, the solution should generate reports that are easy to understand and share. 2) It must support non-intrusive, agentless, static and dynamic analyses: Some CSPM solutions only support static scans, leaving dynamic scans to other intrusive solutions. The problem with the latter is that they require agents to be deployed, managed, and updated for every scan, increasing the organization’s technical debt and forcing security teams to spend expensive (and scarce) resources on solution management. The best way to minimize the debt and the management burden on security teams is to choose a CSPM that can scan for threats in an agentless manner. It should also perform agentless dynamic analyses on all container applications and images that can reveal valuable information about exposed network ports and other risks. 3) It must be reasonably priced: CSPM is important but it shouldn’t burn a hole in your pocket. The solution should fit your security budget and match your organization’s size, cloud environment complexity, and cloud asset usage. Also, look for a vendor that provides a transparent license model and dynamic security features instead of just dynamic, expensive billing (that could reduce your ability to control your cloud costs). Conclusion and next steps The global CSPM market is set to double from $4.2 billion in 2022 to $8.6 billion by 2027. Already, many CSPM vendors and solutions are available. In order to select the best solution for your organization, make sure to consider the three tips discussed here. Need more tailored advice about the security needs of your enterprise cloud? Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Cloud and Hybrid Environments: The State of Security Download PDF Schedule time with one of our 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

Explore Algosec's customer success stories to see how organizations worldwide improve security, compliance, and efficiency with our solutions. International Components Company Strengthens Network Security & Reduces Risks Organization Components Company Industry Retail & Manufacturing Headquarters International Download case study Share Customer
success stories "We quickly identified some unused rules, which we were able to safely remove. We're confident in the fact that we’re closing paths and we’ve also quickly managed to get compliance going,” says the company’s Head of Security Architecture." A leading international components company automates security policy change management and eliminates duplicate rules. BACKGROUND The company is a leading company specializing in high–performance components and sub-systems for the aerospace, defense, and energy markets. Backed by over a century of expertise, the company deliver solutions for the most challenging environments, enabling safe, cost-effective flight, power, and defense systems. CHALLENGE The company’s firewalls were growing consistently. There had not been enough insight and analysis into their network over the years, leading to a bloated and redundant network infrastructure. Firewalls and infrastructure did not get the care and attention they needed. Some of their challenges included: Legacy firewalls that had not been adequately maintained. Unused or overly permissive rules, which left open many security holes. Difficulty identifying and quantifying network risk. Change requests for functionality already covered by existing rules. SOLUTION The client searched for a vendor that understood their environment and challenges and could integrate into their existing solutions. They would need to offer: Faster implementation of firewall changes. Comprehensive firewall support. Automation of security policy change management. Visibility into their business applications and traffic flows. They implemented the AlgoSec Security Policy Management Solution, made up of AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer and AlgoSec FireFlow. AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer ensures security and compliance by providing visibility and analysis into complex network security policies. AlgoSec FireFlow improves security and saves security staffs’ time by automating the entire security policy change process, eliminating manual errors, and reducing risk. RESULTS By using the AlgoSec Security Management Solution, the customer gained: Greater insight and oversight into their firewalls and other network devices. Identification of risky rules and other holes in their network security policy. Audits and accountability into their network security policy changes. They were able to ensure ongoing compliance and make sure that rules submitted did not introduce additional risk. Identification and elimination of duplicate rules. The customer is also impressed with the dedicated attention they receive from AlgoSec. AlgoSec’s support team is familiar with their challenges and provides attention tailored to their exact needs. Schedule time with one of our experts

The company received an 89 percent Willingness to Recommend score based on reviews AlgoSec Recognized with Established Vendor Designation in 2024 Gartner® Peer Insights™ Voice of the Customer for Network Automation Platforms The company received an 89 percent Willingness to Recommend score based on reviews June 11, 2024 Speak to one of our experts RIDGEFIELD PARK, NJ – June 11, 2024 – AlgoSec , a global cybersecurity leader, today announced it has been named an Established Vendor in the 2024 Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the Customer for Network Automation Platforms. The Voice of the Customer report synthesizes Gartner Peer Insights’ reviews into insights for IT decision makers. The report details that 89% of AlgoSec end-users are willing to recommend its solutions. AlgoSec received a composite rating of 4.3 based on objective reviews by validated users and customers on: Product Capabilities (4.6/5), Sales Experience (4.45), Deployment Experience (4.6/5) and Support Experience (4.5/5). “The expansion of networks from the data center to cloud and SASE architectures adds new levels of complexity that demand next-generation network security to ensure critical business applications don’t expose organizations to added risk. At the same time, orchestration and automation are vital to keep pace in a constantly evolving landscape,” said Avishai Wool , Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, AlgoSec. “Gartner’s Established Partner designation underscores AlgoSec’s commitment to guiding organizations on their network automation journey. Our certified framework brings together solid security policies, ongoing training, smart technology investments and collaboration between internal and external stakeholders.” Achieving IT security and compliance goals, at scale, is only possible through extensive integration options, total visibility and intelligent automation. The AlgoSec platform is purposely built to simplify and automate security policy management on-premise and in the cloud. Integrated change management automation monitors if security processes remain effective as organization’s requirements evolve, often resulting in real-time implementation of policy changes vs. days. This level of automation frees up team members and resources to focus on what matters most: ensuring the network is secure. To learn more visit: https://www.algosec.com/products/fireflow/ About the Report Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the Customer for Network Automation Platforms is a document synthesizing Gartner Peer Insights’ reviews into insights for IT decision makers. This aggregated peer perspective, along with the individual detailed reviews, is complementary to Gartner expert research and can play a key role in your buying process, as it focuses on direct peer experiences of implementing and operating a solution. In this document, only vendors with 20 or more eligible published reviews during the specified 18-month submission period are included. 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 https://www.algosec.com . Gartner disclaimer GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark, and PEER INSIGHTS is a trademark and service mark, of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner Peer Insights content consists of the opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences with the vendors listed on the platform, should not be construed as statements of fact, nor do they represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in this content nor makes any warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this content, about its accuracy or completeness, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Security Policy Management with Professor Wool Firewall Management 201 Firewall Management with Professor Wool is a whiteboard-style series of lessons that examine the challenges of and provide technical tips for managing security policies in evolving enterprise networks and data centers. Lesson 1 In this lesson, Professor Wool discusses his research on different firewall misconfigurations and provides tips for preventing the most common risks. Examining the Most Common Firewall Misconfigurations Watch Lesson 2 In this lesson, Professor Wool examines the challenges of managing firewall change requests and provides tips on how to automate the entire workflow. Automating the Firewall Change Control Process Watch Lesson 3 In this lesson, Professor Wool offers some recommendations for simplifying firewall management overhead by defining and enforcing object naming conventions. Using Object Naming Conventions to Reduce Firewall Management Overhead Watch Lesson 4 In this lesson, Professor Wool examines some tips for including firewall rule recertification as part of your change management process, including questions you should be asking and be able to answer as well as guidance on how to effectively recertify firewall rules Tips for Firewall Rule Recertification Watch Lesson 5 In this lesson, Professor Wool examines how virtualization, outsourcing of data centers, worker mobility and the consumerization of IT have all played a role in dissolving the network perimeter and what you can do to regain control. Managing Firewall Policies in a Disappearing Network Perimeter Watch Lesson 6 In this lesson, Professor Wool examines some of the challenges when it comes to managing routers and access control lists (ACLs) and provides recommendations for including routers as part of your overall security policy with tips on change management, auditing and ACL optimization. Analyzing Routers as Part of Your Security Policy Watch Lesson 7 In this lesson, Professor Wool examines the complex challenges of accurately simulating network routing, specifically drilling into three options for extracting the routing information from your network: SNMP, SSH and HSRP or VRPP. Examining the Challenges of Accurately Simulating Network Routing Watch Lesson 8 In this lesson, Professor Wool examines the complex challenges of accurately simulating network routing, specifically drilling into three options for extracting the routing information from your network: SNMP, SSH and HSRP or VRPP. NAT Considerations When Managing Your Security Policy Watch Lesson 9 In this lesson, Professor Wool explains how you can create templates - using network objects - for different types of services and network access which are reused by many different servers in your data center. Using this technique will save you from writing new firewall rules each time you provision or change a server, reduce errors, and allow you to provision and expand your server estate more quickly. How to Structure Network Objects to Plan for Future Policy Growth Watch Lesson 10 In this lesson, Professor Wool examines the challenges of migrating business applications and physical data centers to a private cloud and offers tips to conduct these migrations without the risk of outages. Tips to Simplify Migrations to a Virtual Data Center Watch Lesson 11 In this lesson, Professor Wool provides the example of a virtualized private cloud which uses hypervisor technology to connect to the outside world via a firewall. If all worksloads within the private cloud share the same security requirements, this set up is adequate. But what happens if you want to run workloads with different security requirements within the cloud? Professor Wool explains the different options for filtering traffic within a private cloud, and discusses the challenges and solutions for managing them. Tips for Filtering Traffic within a Private Cloud Watch Lesson 12 In this lesson Professor Wool discusses ways to ensure that your security policy on your primary site and on your disaster recovery (DR) site are always sync. He presents multiple scenarios: where the DR and primary site use the exact same firewalls, where different vendor solutions or different models are used on the DR site, and where the IP address is or is not the same on the two sites. Managing Your Security Policy for Disaster Recovery Watch Lesson 13 In this lesson, Professor Wool highlights the challenges, benefits and trade-offs of utilizing zero-touch automation for security policy change management. He explains how, using conditional logic, its possible to significantly speed up security policy change management while maintaining control and ensuring accuracy throughout the process. Zero-Touch Change Management with Checks and Balances Watch Lesson 14 Many organizations have different types of firewalls from multiple vendors, which typically means there is no single source for naming and managing network objects. This ends up creating duplication, confusion, mistakes and network connectivity problems especially when a new change request is generated and you need to know which network object to refer to. In this lesson Profession Wool provides tips and best practices for how to synchronize network objects in a multi-vendor environment for both legacy scenarios, and greenfield scenarios. Synchronized Object Management in a Multi-Vendor Environment Watch Lesson 15 Many organizations have both a firewall management system as well as a CMDB, yet these systems do not communicate with each other and their data is not synchronized. This becomes a problem when making security policy change requests, and typically someone needs to manually translate the names used by in the firewall management system to the name in the CMDB, which is a slow and error-prone process, in order for the change request to work. In this lesson Professor Wool provides tips on how to use a network security policy management to coordinate between the two system, match the object names, and then automatically populate the change management process with the correct names and definitions. How to Synchronize Object Management with a CMDB Watch Lesson 16 Some companies use tools to automatically convert firewall rules from an old firewall, due to be retired, to a new firewall. In this lesson, Professor Wool explains why this process can be risky and provides some specific technical examples. He then presents a more realistic way to manage the firewall rule migration process that involves stages and checks and balances to ensure a smooth, secure transition to the new firewall that maintains secure connectivity. How to Take Control of a Firewall Migration Project Watch Lesson 17 PCI-DSS 3.2 regulation requirement 6.1 mandates that organizations establish a process for identifying security vulnerabilities on the servers that are within the scope of PCI. In this new lesson, Professor Wool explains how to address this requirement by presenting vulnerability data by both the servers and the by business processes that rely on each server. He discusses why this method is important and how it allows companies to achieve compliance while ensuring ongoing business operations. PCI – Linking Vulnerabilities to Business Applications Watch Lesson 18 Collaboration tools such as Slack provide a convenient way to have group discussions and complete collaborative business tasks. Now, these automated chatbots can be used for answering questions and handling tasks for development, IT and infosecurity teams. For example, enterprises can use chatbots to automate information-sharing across silos, such as between IT and application owners. So rather than having to call somebody and ask them “Is that system up? What happened to my security change request?” and so on, tracking helpdesk issues and the status of help requests can become much more accessible and responsive. Chatbots also make access to siloed resources more democratic and more widely available across the organization (subject, of course to the necessary access rights). In this video, Prof. Wool discusses how automated chatbots can be used to help a wide range of users for their security policy management tasks – thereby improving service to stakeholders and helping to accelerate security policy change processes across the enterprise. Sharing Network Security Information with the Wider IT Community With Team Collaboration Tools Watch Have a Question for Professor Wool? Ask him now Choose a better way to manage your network Choose a better way to manage your network Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

Explore Algosec's customer success stories to see how organizations worldwide improve security, compliance, and efficiency with our solutions. Global Energy Group Streamlines Change Requests Process Organization Energy Group Industry Utilities & Energy Headquarters International Download case study Share Customer
success stories "Now we can do a firewall change in around one hour. Before, it took five days or more with 20 engineers. Today, we do the same job, but much quicker, with 4 people - resulting in happier customers,” says the Security Service Delivery Manager. “One of the best things you win in the end, is the cost. With 500 changes on a firewall a month, that’s significant.” IT Integrator Gets Faster Implementation of Firewall Changes – Leading to Greater Efficiency and Lower Costs BACKGROUND The company is the IT integrator for a large energy group, which offers low-carbon energy and services. The group’s purpose is to act to accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral world, through reduced energy consumption and more environmentally friendly solutions, reconciling economic performance with a positive impact on people and the planet. The IT integrator of the group designs, implements and operates IT solutions for all its business units and provides applications and infrastructure services. It includes four “families” of services: Digital and IT Consulting, Digital Workplace, Cloud Infrastructures, and Network and Cybersecurity, and Agile business solutions. CHALLENGES This large group (with 170,000 employees) had a complex network with multiple elements in the firewall. With 240 firewall change requests and 500 changes a month, they needed an easier and faster way to manage these changes, ensuring their business applications functioned properly while maintaining their security posture. The main challenges were: Large network with lots of rules. Slow execution of change requests. Change requests were very labor intensive. SOLUTION With 500 monthly firewall changes, the customer was searching for a solution that provided: Faster implementation of firewall changes. Clear workflow and easier change management processes. Comprehensive firewall support. Visibility into their business applications and traffic flows. The client chose AlgoSec for its workflow solution, requiring a tool that would help the customer seamlessly submit the request and enable the engineer to implement the optimal changes to the firewall. They implemented the AlgoSec Security Policy Management Solution, made up of AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer, AlgoSec FireFlow, and AlgoSec AppViz and AppChange (formerly AlgoSec BusinessFlow). AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer ensures security and compliance by providing visibility and analysis into complex network security policies. AlgoSec FireFlow improves security and saves security staffs’ time by automating the entire security policy change process, eliminating manual errors, and reducing risk. AlgoSec AppViz provides critical security information regarding the firewalls and firewall rules supporting each connectivity flow by letting users discover, identify, and map business applications. AlgoSec AppChange empowers customers to make changes at the business application level, including application migrations, server deployment, and decommissioning projects. RESULTS “We do the job quicker, with less people. With 500 changes on a firewall a month, that’s significant. I recommend AlgoSec as it gives a quick solution for the request and analysis,” said the Security Service Delivery Manager. By using the AlgoSec Security Management Solution, the customer gained: Greater insight and oversight into their firewalls and other network devices. Identification of risky rules and other holes in their network security policy. Easier cleanup process due to greater visibility. 80% reduction in manpower. Faster implementation of policy changes – from five days to one hour. Schedule time with one of our experts

Manage Network Security Policies From Within Servicenow Download PDF Schedule time with one of our 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

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

It goes without saying that security is the cornerstone of any organization today. This includes ensuring access to corporate data is... Firewall Change Management Firewall migration tips & best practices Joanne Godfrey 2 min read Joanne Godfrey Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. firewallmigration Tags Share this article 8/18/14 Published It goes without saying that security is the cornerstone of any organization today. This includes ensuring access to corporate data is secured, connectivity to the data center from both internal and external users is secured, and that critical security updates are installed. Now comes the big question: what if you have to migrate your security policy to a new platform? With cloud computing and distributed data centers across the world nothing in technology is ever constant anymore. So how do you control and manage a firewall migration? What if you use multiple vendors’ solutions with both virtual and physical appliances? A firewall migration can be as simple as moving from one model to another, or a lot more complicated. As an experienced cloud architect, I’ve been a part of a number of firewall migration projects. Here are three tips to help make your firewall migration project a little bit easier. Create powerful firewall and security visibility map. All aspects of your firewall must be documented and well planned before doing a migration, and you must plan for both current as well as future needs. Start by gathering information: create a visual, dynamic map of your firewall architecture and traffic, which should include all technical connectivity data. Understand, document and prepare policy migration. Once you have your visual firewall map it’s time to look under the hood. One firewall might be easy, but is it ever really just one security appliance? The dynamic nature of the modern data center means that multiple security vendors can live under one roof. So how do you create a policy migration plan around heterogeneous platforms? You need to identify and document all the security policies and services and network algorithms for each firewall end-point. Analyze business impact and create a migration path. How do your applications interact with various security policies? Do you have specific business units relying on specific firewall traffic? How are various data centers being segmented by your security policies? Migrating a firewall will have a business-wide impact. You must ensure that this impact is absolutely minimal. You need to understand how your entire business model interacts with firewall and security technologies and if any piece of the business is forgotten technological headaches may be the least of your worries. Migrating a firewall doesn’t have to be hard, but it must be well planned. With so much information traversing the modern data center, it’s imperative to have complete visibility across the security architecture. Ultimately, with the right tools to help you plan, map and actually implement a firewall change process, and lots of cups of coffee, you can greatly reduce security migration complexity. #FirewallMigration Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call