Enterprise IT teams are constantly struggling with the inherent complexities of their environment. Multiple interconnected networks and hundreds to thousands of devices ranging from next-generation to legacy make this a challenge. Toss in some remote work solutions and some cloud environments for fun; it all becomes devilishly complicated. And a security nightmare. The complex nature of enterprise environments limits visibility and creates a series of dependencies that can lead to mistakes or accidents while managing security policy. As a result, organizations find themselves vulnerable to security incidents or unexpected network disruptions and outages.
Security teams increasingly recognize Security Policy Orchestration solutions as essential tools. Moving away from a device-level focus and individual rule and policy implementation, SPO enables organizations to work at the environment level, developing regulations and policies based on a cohesive security strategy.
Use Cases for Security Policy Orchestration
- Single Point of Control: Security Policy Orchestration offers a centralized platform that combines data from all parts of an organization's environment into one platform. Then, the environment can be visualized, understood, and acted on. Organizations can manage and enforce security policies across various network devices and applications through a single tool. This avoids information silos and blind spots while simplifying the administration process and enhances the effectiveness of security measures.
- Change Management: Managing changes in security policies can be complex, especially in dynamic IT environments. Network dependencies and interrelated systems can lead to unintended consequences from rule changes. SPO platforms offer network visibility and modeling that allows for automated testing and validations of policies to ensure they work as intended. Meanwhile, they can also integrate up-to-date threat intelligence and security standards to ensure effective rule changes and updates.
- Bridging Network and Environment Gaps: SPO acts as a bridge to integrate disparate systems in complex IT landscapes that include both on-premises and cloud-based solutions. It enables seamless orchestration of security policies across different network environments, ensuring a cohesive security posture.
- Auditing and Compliance: SPO tools comprehensively log and track network changes to enable easy and robust auditing capabilities. They enable real-time visibility into policy configurations and modifications and allow for rapid remediation of any shortfalls. Additionally, many SPO solutions come with rulesets pre-developed to follow cybersecurity regulations and standards such as NIST, HIPAA, or GDPR, and provide a straightforward way to develop rules that comply with an organization's risk management strategy.
Why You Should Consider SPO
Considering the complexities of modern IT environments, Security Policy Orchestration solutions solve various core
problems many securities teams face.
- Faster: SPO enables the rapid rollout of security policies across your network. Fast policy changes help keep your organization agile and responsive to business needs while reducing exposure to new threats.
- Safer: SPO solutions limit human error in the policy change management process and leverage threat intelligence. Using an SPO tool can reduce the risk of hostile cyber breaches and unintentional network disruptions.
- Easier: Managing security policies can be a complex and daunting task. SPO offers a single point of control, simplifying workflow for change management while creating robust auditing capabilities.
Conclusion
Security Policy Orchestration solutions are a game changer in increasingly complicated IT and security landscapes. They address intricate issues of managing diverse network environments and offer a streamlined, secure, and simplified approach to policy management.
If you want to dive deeper into how SPO can help your organization, check out our brochure for more details and information. If you have any questions or need more personalized guidance, talk to one of our advisors today.