Security Overview
Users face multiple threats—from credential theft (like Mimikatz, password spray, or breach harvesting) to malware (viruses, ransomware, and the like), to phishing (gaining access to a user’s computer and credentials) and infrastructure attacks (including improperly-secured virtual machines and resources in Azure). Good security practice requires more than a username and password, a layered approach, employing solutions and policies, to ensure you have the right level of security for your business.
NetSpeeds’ three phased approach is set out below.
Network Security
Consists of policies and practices adopted to prevent and monitor unauthorised access, misuse, modification, or denial of a computer network and network accessible resources.
Network security starts with Authentication, commonly with a username and password. This is termed as one-factor authentication, NetSpeed recommend a password management solution coupled two-factor Authentication (Multi-Factor Authentication) as a minimum requirement today.
Once a user has been authenticated your firewall enforces access policies to determine what services are accessible by users. This doesn’t protect your network from computer worms, Trojans and ransomeware to address these risks gateway anti-virus and Intrusion Prevention system are required.
Network Access Control (NAC) should also be considered as it allows NetSpeed to define and implement policies aimed at enhancing your network security. For example, policies that prevent devices with out of date patches or endpoint security from accessing the network and placing other computers at risk of cross contamination.
Endpoint Security is required for all devices on your network, it operates on a client and server model. It has evolved over the years away from limited antivirus software and into a more advanced, comprehensive defense. This includes next-generation antivirus, threat detection, investigation, and response, device management, data leak protection (DLP) and other considerations to face evolving threats.
NetSpeed have partnered with leading vendors such as Solarwinds (passportal), SonicWALL(firewalls), Aruba Networks (NAC) and Microsoft (Windows Defender) to deliver a layered approach to securing your network.
User Authentication and Conditional Access
Focusing on password rules, rather than things that can really help – like multi-factor authentication (MFA), or great threat detection – is just a distraction. According to Alex Weinert, Director of Identity Security at Microsoft, your account is more than 99.9% less likely to be compromised if you use MFA.
The modern security perimeter now extends beyond an organisation's network to include user and device identity. Today NetSpeed face two challanges on your behalf:
Empower users to be productive wherever and whenever
Protect the organisation's assets
By using Multi-Factor Authentication and Conditional Access policies, we can apply the right access controls when needed to keep your organisation secure and stay out of your user’s way when not needed. Conditional Access policies are enforced after the first-factor authentication has been completed. Conditional Access is not intended as an organisation's first line of defense for scenarios like denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, but can use signals from these events to determine access.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-factor authentication is a process where a user is prompted during the sign-in process for an additional form of identification, such as to enter a code on their mobile phone or to provide a fingerprint scan.
If you only use a password to authenticate a user, it leaves an insecure vector for attack. If the password is weak or has been exposed elsewhere, is it really the user signing in with the username and password, or is it an attacker? When you require a second form of authentication, security is increased as this additional factor isn't something that's easy for an attacker to obtain or duplicate.
Conditional Access Policies
Conditional Access policies at their simplest are if-then statements, if a user wants to access a resource, then they must complete an action. Example: A payroll manager wants to access the payroll application and is required to perform multi-factor authentication to access it.
Many organisations have common access concerns that Conditional Access policies can help with such as:
Blocking or granting access from specific locations
Blocking risky sign-in behaviors
Requiring organisation-managed devices for specific applications
Device Management & Monitoring
As your MSP, our top priority is effectively managing your network and technology assets to keep them safe and optimised so you stay productive. To do this we leverage Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM).
We can address potential issues before they become a problem because we have the ability to monitor your businesses’ devices, applications, and systems continuously. In fact, we can fix up many common issues proactively before they actually affect your network.
For a more secure environment, we use RMM to automate software patching of devices and applications. We track the status of all devices to ensure all devices are properly supported.
The ability to do real-time monitoring means we can keep all of your technology assets (devices, networks) running smoothly 24/7/365. RMM is always on: keeping your servers, mission-critical computers, and other devices up and running and fully productive.
RMM enables us to remotely support any device, from any location, within moments—we don’t need to be onsite to fix issues or errors. With instant and remote access from anywhere, we have the ability to run scripts and execute tasks, even after business hours if necessary to avoid disruption.
With automated remediation capabilities, we can programme the system to automatically fix commonly encountered issues with zero interruption to anyone in your business.
We can provide detailed reports that are easy to understand and are relevant to your business. These reports identify what devices are having the most issues or aren’t up to date with security patches or are coming out of warranty. Our goal is to give you the information you need to make informed business decisions supported by data.
RMM gives us the visibility and control we need to effectively manage all aspects of your IT service delivery, including hardware and software inventory, licensing, monitoring events, response times, resource utilisation, life cycle management and every aspect of your IT environment. We’re confident we can keep your technology assets optimised, eliminate disruptions to your operations and to ensure the safety of your business data.