Upgrading your cybersecurity posture: SD-WAN, anti-DDOS and more

One of the biggest concerns for remote and hybrid teams is cybersecurity.

The nature of remote work opens up new security challenges and vulnerabilities that companies must prepare for to keep their network safe. But with so many options out there, what are the best upgrades for your business?

Let’s walk through some of the different network security options out there so you can make the right choice for your business.

SD-WAN

Let’s start with SD-WAN. A software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) is a virtual wide area network (WAN) that can virtualize and combine together any type of network transport, such as:

• Multiprotocol label switching (MPLS)
• Internet
• Cellular
• Satellite

It applies the principles of software-defined networking (SDN) to corporate WANs. The managerial control of the WAN is separated from its underlying network infrastructure. This means the most important management is conducted in software instead of in hardware.

But how does that translate to helping your business? SD-WAN helps guarantee a reliable connection when it counts, meaning you can avoid dropped VoIP calls, as well as low resolutions when using web and video conferencing. The predictable performance of an SD-WAN is crucial when taking on remote business meetings or sales pitches.

Moreover, SD-WAN offers heightened security for your connection when compared to broadband, using encryption alongside existing security integrations that protect cloud-bound traffic. SD-WAN ultimately makes for a safer, more reliable experience for you and your team.

DDOS Security

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are major threats to your network and networks everywhere, and they’re only becoming more common. A DDoS attack is an attempt to overload a server or online service unavailable by overwhelming it with junk traffic from multiple sources.

It’s essentially a way for malicious traffic to bulldoze through your defenses and give hackers access to sensitive information and company resources. And with so many new vulnerabilities presented by employees working remotely on their own networks, DDoS protection should be a top priority.

Proper DDoS threat protection has the ability to detect the difference between normal and malicious traffic. It can also defend against bots, botnets, cyber threats and keeps track of it all with advanced reporting and monitoring.

Phishing protection

It’s likely that, with a hybrid or remote team, you’re sending and receiving more emails than you ever have before. And more emails means more opportunities for phishing attacks to take place. There has been a record growth in attacks within the last few years, showing that 66% of malware is installed via malicious email attachments.

From impersonating those in leadership roles to falsifying email addresses, it can be difficult for end users to tell the difference between a real and illegitimate email. With phishing protection, you can put a stop to the confusion and the security risk that comes with it.

Phishing protection offers effective training for end users to be able to identify the signs of a phishing attack, as well as automated reporting so you have visibility into any malicious activity happening on your network.

Managed Firewall

Modern operating systems come with some level of built-in firewall protection, but not all firewalls are created equal. Firewalls can bottleneck network performance, making pages load at a crawl and hindering download speeds and, by extension, slowing your productivity.

Managed firewalls allow you to proactively control where and how protection is placed, so it won’t cause unnecessary slowdowns in applications. They feature a streamlined architecture using packet processing to deliver protection and visibility, enabling rock-solid defense without a noticeable hit to performance.

The firewall is “managed” by active security personnel, who track any incoming security risks that could compromise your system. If anything unusual is picked up, like unexpected traffic or a questionable file, you’ll be notified immediately.

A managed firewall provides visibility into into several kinds of risks, including:

• Risky users
• Unwanted applications
• Suspicious payloads
• Persistent threats

Managed firewalls use a visual dashboard to expose hidden risks and report them with on-box and cloud reporting.

Endpoint protection

Ransomware attacks increased by 485% in 2020 compared to 2019, says Bitdefender’s 2020 Consumer Threat Landscape Report. With ransomware attacks being reported left and right, you want to make sure your business is protected with the latest network security technology. Endpoint Protection can prevent ransomware attacks as well as malware.

Endpoint protection, or endpoint security, is used to secure the end-user. This is done by creating a layer of protection on endpoints, such as servers, desktops, laptops and mobile devices. It’s often used in tandem with an antivirus, making for a full spectrum of coverage.

It’s common for most users to have some level of antivirus software installed, but antivirus solutions often don’t protect against targeted attacks, exploits and data leakage. That’s where endpoint security excels.

Synchronized security

Synchronized security means security solutions can talk to each other, allowing your managed firewall and endpoint security to work together and provide you with comprehensive protection. You’ll never have to worry about whether you’re safe from certain types of attacks or malicious applications and executables.

When Telesystem’s Managed Firewall and Endpoint Protection solutions are deployed together, they utilize Synchronized Security to respond to malicious attacks by sharing real-time information between the endpoints and the firewall.

And this is extremely useful, given that your hybrid or remote team likely means you have a large increase in endpoints, with everyone on the team using multiple devices to perform tasks.

Whether your team is working in in the office, at home or on the go, Telesystem helps provide peace of mind for this anytime/anywhere connectivity. Contact our experts today to learn more about how we can help keep your business’s network secure