Paul Hooper“. . . security spend is going up, but at the same time, so are the number of breaches . . .”
I discussed this dichotomy with the NYSE’s Dan Sampson, and drew a somewhat obvious conclusion: the current approach is not working; and something’s got to change. Our choices are fright, flight, or fight. And Gigamon chooses fight.
In “The New Front Lines of Cybersecurity” and “The Past, Present, and Future of Network Security,” Sampson describes how today’s attack surface is ballooning. With the proliferation of mobile devices, increasing reliance on cloud technology, and growing complexity of supply chains, organizations are no longer solely engaging the enemy at their network’s edge, but on multiple new fronts, including within the network itself.
And it’s here, within the network, that Gigamon sees the best opportunity to turn the tables on cybercriminals. Even as they become more creative and sophisticated in their methods of network penetration, once in, hackers must be subtle, cautious and silent to avoid detection. A single dropped breadcrumb can foil an entire attack, when – and only when – an organization has a holistic view of their infrastructure.
It’s all about pervasive visibility, which Sampson highlights as an absolute need – a prerequisite of not only network integrity, but also for business strategy and performance.
The relationship between security and visibility is symbiotic, built around both effectiveness and efficiency. What is critical is that the flow of information to security appliances is calibrated and controlled to ensure they maximize effectiveness and efficiency. By shaping, profiling and characterizing the traffic stream to ensure tools get the right volume of data, at the right time, from the right location, the efficiency and effectiveness of security devices improve dramatically.
And this is where we’re making the choice to fight, and fight smart.
We thank Sampson and the NYSE for trumpeting the #wefightsmart call to arms. Along with a supporting league of the world’s leading security vendors, our aim is to change the cybersecurity game by fighting smarter. By combining technologies, we can improve visibility into the traffic flowing through and across networks, reveal threats earlier, and isolate and eliminate them faster.
What’s your choice? Will you join us as #wefightsmart?
