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The Top 4 Network Management Issues Your Company Needs to Be Aware Of

by ZPE Systems | Jul 29, 2021 | Remote Network Management

Two engineers dealing with network management issues at a server rack in a data center

Managing today’s enterprise network is more challenging than ever before. Most network infrastructure is no longer centralized, and we frequently need to incorporate cloud, SaaS, and other third-party services and technologies into our network architecture and management strategies. Plus, almost all business operations rely on the availability and performance of network services, which means any latency or downtime can lead to severe business losses.

Let’s take a closer look at the top network management issues that enterprise IT teams face, and discuss practical tools and methodologies you can use to overcome them.

Top 4 network management issues and how to overcome them

1. Network security

Security remains one of the most significant issues in enterprise network management, and it continues to grow more challenging every day. Every new device you connect increases your attack surface, giving hackers another potential access point to your network.

Your enterprise will soon find that attempting to reduce or defend an ever-increasing attack surface is no longer a feasible network security strategy. Instead, you should focus on identifying your protect surface – the business-critical data, applications, assets, and services (or DAAS, for short) that are most valuable to hackers and most important to your enterprise. Then, you can implement a “micro-perimeter” of security controls,and policies around each protect surface. By focusing on small, limited protect surfaces instead of one large attack surface, you can ensure that your DAAS are identified and protected by the security policies and controls that are best suited to the job

Another network security issue is that cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated and difficult to detect. Old signature-based firewalls and anti-malware programs are now less effective due to an increase in zero-day exploits and other novel malware that doesn’t fit established patterns. Luckily, network security tools and appliances are evolving to address these types of threats. For example, some intrusion detection and prevention systems and next-generation firewalls use neural networks and other machine learning technologies to monitor network traffic, analyze user and device behavior, and detect and respond to signs of a breach.

It’s important to remember that security tools are only part of the equation—you also need comprehensive security policies and user guidelines, as well as a robust set of plans and procedures in place. Hence, your teams know what to do in the event of a breach.

2. Visibility control

It’s impossible to successfully manage a complex network without complete visibility on all of your network devices, users, data, and applications. For large enterprises, this becomes extra challenging when some or all your network infrastructure resides in the cloud. Different cloud providers offer different monitoring levels and visibility on their platforms. Without visibility of your entire network, your risk of performance issues, outages, and security breaches increases.

To overcome this issue, you need a comprehensive network monitoring solution that can automatically detect and add any new users, devices, or software that connect to your network, so you have immediate visibility. Your monitoring tools should also allow you to examine all network traffic and transactions so any unusual or suspicious behavior can be flagged, investigated, and mediated before any real damage is done. Suppose you’re running a cloud, hybrid, or multi-cloud infrastructure. In that case, you should ensure your network monitoring solution can integrate with and provide complete visibility on all your cloud environments, rather than patching together multiple tools.

Implementing a platform-agnostic network monitoring solution with automation functionality will simplify your network management and ensure no parts of your infrastructure are left in the dark.

3. Network performance

Businesses can’t run efficiently unless their networks are operating at peak performance. However, today’s networks need to handle traffic from more devices while being available 24/7. Plus, network devices are processing more data and performing complex operations to meet market demands.

The key for large enterprises with complex network infrastructures is automation. Companies can efficiently automate many network performance monitoring tasks, alarms, and mitigation tools to ensure issues are detected and resolved as quickly as possible without any risk of human error. Some examples of network infrastructure automation tools include Ansible, Chef, and Puppet.

When implementing an automated solution, it’s essential to establish your environment’s unique network performance baselines and set priority levels for specific performance metrics that are more or less important to your organization. Your network isn’t the same as anyone else’s, so optimal performance for your enterprise may not look the same as anyone else’s either.

4. Configuration management

Every new device and account connected to your network must be configured correctly to avoid performance issues and security vulnerabilities. Configuration management is easy enough on a small local area network (LAN) with a handful of devices, but modern enterprise networks are significantly more complicated.

Misconfigured network devices and accounts can introduce significant risks to your network. A recent study in Europe found that 82% of security vulnerabilities were caused by misconfiguration of user accounts, firewalls, and other network objects. However, as our network infrastructure becomes more convoluted, it’s difficult for engineers to learn and remember the specific configurations for all of our accounts and devices. Just like performance monitoring, enterprises are also turning to automation to help overcome this network management issue.

Automated configuration management tools allow engineers to apply configurations to new devices with a single button press, removing human error from the equation. Automated identity and access management (IAM) solutions give you the same capabilities and user accounts, and access permissions.

In addition, many DevOps teams are turning to infrastructure as code (IaC) methodologies and tools. Infrastructure configurations are written as automated code deployed to devices as needed, eliminating the need for complicated documentation and manual setups.

You can use network automation tools to execute simple management tasks. However, if you’re interested in applying automation to entire processes and workloads, you need to consider orchestration. Network orchestration, also known as software-defined networking (SDN), uses a network controller to “orchestrate” the automatic configuration and management of network devices, applications, and services. Network orchestration simplifies network management for IT teams and provides a more seamless end-user experience.

Discover the right solutions for your network management issues

As your networks grow more complex, managing issues escalates as well. Large and growing enterprises must be aware of the most common network management issues to discover the right solutions for any specific complication they need to prevent.

An automated and comprehensive network monitoring solution is crucial for overcoming network performance, management, visibility, and security complications. ZPE Systems Nodegrid is an innovative network management solution that can help you address the most common vulnerabilities.

Want to learn more about ZPE Systems?

Contact us today or visit our products page for more information on how ZPE Systems Nodegrid can help solve any network management issues you need to tackle.

Zero Trust Security for IoT: How to Secure Your Network

by ZPE Systems | Jul 27, 2021 | Zero Trust Security

Zero trust and IoT concepts connected in an optical network

The internet of things (IoT) is driving companies to rethink how they secure their networks. When you introduce unmanaged, internet-connected smart devices to your network, you’re also introducing many new potential access points for malicious actors to breach your security.

For example, hackers frequently target IoT smart devices like security cameras, printers, or even smart coffee machines that are forgotten about or left unsecured, then use those devices as a gateway to the rest of your network. That’s where zero trust security for IoT can help.

Zero trust is a relatively new security model based on the principle of “never trust, always verify.” Unlike a traditional castle-and-moat security architecture, in which the users and devices within a network’s perimeter are automatically trusted, zero trust requires the verification of all users and devices every single time they connect, even from inside the “moat.”

Some enterprises have already adopted zero trust security for their users, but it can also apply to IoT devices. Here are the best practices and considerations for implementing zero trust security for IoT.

Best practices of implementing Zero Trust Security for IoT

There are essential practices, challenges, and considerations you need to be aware of before implementing zero trust security for IoT, including:

Starting with the basics

Before you apply zero trust to IoT smart devices, you need a solid foundation in the basics of zero trust security for users. These are the fundamental requirements for managing zero trust security for users:

First, implementing a zero trust methodology requires a culture shift within your organization, which can be a gradual process. You will need to create and apply robust administrative policies governing network access and permissions and train your IT teams and end-users on following those policies.
Second, you need to implement the tools and technologies required to verify user identities, obtain visibility on any devices those users connect to the network and make automatic access decisions using real-time risk analysis.

Expanding Zero Trust Security to IoT

After establishing zero trust security for your users and their devices, you need to expand it to include unmanaged, non-user devices. To do so, you need zero trust identity management tools to register devices and issue credentials automatically and to provide passwordless authentication.

Device visibility

To successfully employ zero trust security for IoT, you need complete visibility into all your devices. First, you need to discover and inventory all your IoT devices, including those at remote branch locations. You should track device information such as serial numbers, software and firmware versions, and operating system configurations. You also need to assess and log the security risk profile of each IoT device that connects to your network, so you know which security controls to apply.

When performance issues or bugs start to occur frequently, it could be a sign of malware or a security breach; additionally, a device that’s not functioning properly could be more vulnerable to attack. To establish and maintain zero trust security for IoT, you need device health monitoring that can automatically detect issues and flag them for remediation. Some advanced solutions can also automatically block an affected device from further connection attempts or automatically execute remediation tasks without human intervention.

Many IoT device management platforms offer device visibility functionality – for example, Azure, Google, and AWS all include discovery and monitoring features as part of their IoT offerings. Some endpoint security solutions,, include IoT device monitoring and security features, so you may want to evaluate your current security platform to see if you can add or activate this functionality. Or, since you’re implementing an entirely new security methodology to your IoT environment, you may want to look into a zero trust security and monitoring solution that’s designed specifically for IoT, such as Palo Alto Networks IoT Security.

Principle of least privilege (PoLP)

Zero trust security is used frequently in conjunction with the principle of least privilege (PoLP), which states that any user or device should only receive the bare minimum access privileges required to complete their job functions. To implement PoLP for IoT, you must determine the minimum amount of network access needed for each device to perform its functions and then limit its potential privileges accordingly. One way to achieve this is by implementing identity and access management (IAM) tools and policies that support zero trust and PoLP for devices.

In addition to PoLP, zero trust security frequently uses device segmentation. Essentially, you fence IoT devices into zones, only allowing them to request access to network resources within their assigned zone. Additionally, segmenting your IoT devices will enable you to create micro-perimeters, another cornerstone of zero trust security.

Essentially, each network segment gets a specific set of security controls and policies designed around the individual needs and risk profile of the IoT devices in that zone. Those controls and policies create a micro-perimeter that protects your IoT devices and limits their network access. This means you’re also limiting the amount of damage that hackers can cause to your network if one of those devices is compromised. One popular tool for creating network segments, establishing micro-perimeters, and monitoring and controlling access requests and network traffic is a next-generation firewall.

Security monitoring

Last but certainly not least, you need security monitoring for all of your IoT devices. With unmanaged smart devices, you need to ensure that security issues can be detected and remediated automatically. It might be days or weeks before a human comes into contact with one of those devices. For example, several years ago, attackers could breach a casino’s network security by hacking a smart sensor in a fish tank – the kind of device that employees don’t usually think about or work with regularly.

There are various zero trust security monitoring solutions designed specifically for IoT, like Palo Alto Networks’ IoT Security mentioned earlier. You can also use devices such as intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) or next-generation firewalls to monitor devices and network traffic. In addition to monitoring, your zero trust security solution for IoT needs to incorporate as much automation as possible so threats can be detected, isolated, and remediated even if nobody’s around to push a button or unplug a device manually.

The challenge of implementing Zero Trust Security for IoT

One of the biggest reasons zero trust security initiatives eventually fail is that adherence tends to drop off as soon as it becomes inconvenient. This is especially true for zero trust security with IoT. Maintaining zero trust for remote, unmanaged devices can be logistically challenging.

That’s why so many of the best practices involve using specialized tools to automate and simplify the management of zero trust security for IoT. In conclusion, the simpler it is to manage, the more likely you are to maintain it.

ZPE Systems Nodegrid can help you overcome the challenges of zero trust security for IoT.

Want to learn more? Contact us today or visit our products page for more information on how ZPE Systems Nodegrid can simplify your zero trust security for IoT deployments.

3 Ways Your Critical Remote Infrastructure Is Costing You

by ZPE Systems | Jul 8, 2021 | Pillar 2 - Critical Remote, SD-WAN, Videos, Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP)

It’s easy to imagine all the ways that downtime can throw a wrench into your critical remote infrastructure operations. Things like scaling, service outages, and tedious management are just part of the job. No matter how much these stand in the way of business, there’s not much that you can do about them, right?

Not quite. In this post, we’ll explore three reasons your complex critical remote infrastructure is costing you, and how Nodegrid is the simple solution that helps you save.

If you’re short on time, here’s a two-minute video explaining how you can cut through the complexity of managing your network.

Deploying critical remote infrastructure

You’re probably familiar with long deployment times for your critical remote infrastructure. Manually provisioning and setting up networks consumes a lot of time and resources. The obvious costs here are the staff wages and device shipping expenses; however, the not-so-obvious cost is the business opportunity that you miss. The longer it takes you to deploy, the longer your location goes without meeting demand or generating revenue.

How can you minimize this cost? By using zero touch provisioning.

Zero touch provisioning uses automation to automatically configure and build your networks. Instead of putting staff on site to manually set up each device in your stack, you can instruct even unskilled staff to simply plug in and boot your devices. Zero touch provisioning does the rest of the work and can bring you online in hours.

Not all zero touch provisioning is the same, though. Most vendors only allow you to use it for their devices or products, which means unless you standardize on their offerings, you’re going to be limited in terms of what systems and services you can automatically deploy. On top of this, you still need to pre-configure devices and put sensitive info at risk, as well as perform manual orchestration and firmware updates.

This is where Nodegrid sets itself apart. Because it features the vendor-neutral Nodegrid OS, it allows you to use your choice of automation tools as well as build custom scripts to orchestrate across devices and environments. This means you can use true zero touch provisioning that extends to every part of your infrastructure — from configuring end devices from different vendors, to bootstrapping VMs, activating service licenses, and setting up your entire network. It offers airtight security as well, because you can completely provision bare-metal devices via ZPE Cloud.

When it comes to your critical remote infrastructure, Nodegrid is your go-to solution for fast, complete, and secure network deployments.

Keeping critical remote infrastructure online

How often does your critical remote infrastructure go offline? When it does, you can suffer losses at a rate of $5,000 or more per minute, according to Gartner. And this only covers the monetary portion. You also need to consider the reputation damage, degradation of trust, and decreased customer satisfaction that result from sudden outages.

If you’re familiar with redundant solutions, you know that these can be a life saver — but on the other hand, they come with two times the number of solutions that you need to purchase, deploy, and manage.

You typically need to deploy two boxes for each function you wish to add redundancy to, and connect them in a high availability configuration. In other words, two firewalls, two routers, two SD-WAN boxes, etc. All this means the initial and ongoing burden of redundancy can be…off-putting.

However, Nodegrid devices feature a powerful hypervisor that allows you to deploy virtualized network functions (VNFs). The onboard, multi-core Intel CPU and Linux-based Nodegrid OS provide you with enough resources to spin up VMs, guest operating systems, applications, and Docker containers directly on Nodegrid appliances. Instead of spending tons of money on more devices that clutter your infrastructure and management efforts, you can host firewalls, virtual routers, SD-WAN solutions, and custom and third-party solutions on one box. You can easily shrink a redundant setup of six devices into two Nodegrid boxes.

Beyond covering your network services with redundancy, Nodegrid also gives you built-in 5G/4G LTE connectivity available via two and four SIM cards, respectively. You don’t have to worry about a main line outage taking down an entire office or store location. Nodegrid automatically switches to your backup cellular connections, so you can keep critical remote infrastructure online and operations running.

Responding to critical remote infrastructure problems

It can be difficult to manage critical remote infrastructure because it’s, well, remote. You may have store locations that are very far away from any skilled IT staff. Or you may operate in an industry such as utilities or oil and gas, where you have critical components distributed across power grids or offshore drilling platforms.

Unless you have a robust remote management tool in place, you’re losing time and money responding to problems. This also means the user experience suffers and is difficult to optimize.

For your business, the losses can start to pile up even before an issue is reported. Your efforts are pulled into managing and dispatching IT teams for on-site support, while users and customers put up with poor network performance or even complete outages.

But when you use Nodegrid and ZPE Cloud, you gain in-depth management capabilities that allow you to fully support your network from a distance. You can save significantly on operational costs by reducing or eliminating the need to roll support trucks. That’s because ZPE Cloud gives you a complete view of your distributed infrastructure, and gives you convenient remote access to manage all your solutions. Use your browser to securely connect without a VPN. You can instantly troubleshoot issues and even reboot devices from thousands of miles away.

Want more tactics to help you reduce downtime?

Watch our free webinar to see how you can cut downtime 50% or more using a Fortune 500 strategy.

ZPE Systems Announces Nodegrid Serial Console Plus, a High-density, Cellular-enabled Serial Console for Datacenters and Critical Remote Locations

by ZPE Systems | Jun 19, 2021 | Modernize Legacy Environments, News & Announcements, Press Releases

Fremont, CA, June 22, 2021 – ZPE Systems adds to their lineup of datacenter infrastructure management solutions with the Nodegrid Serial Console Plus (NSCP). Like previous generations of Nodegrid Serial Console, the NSCP is a high-density appliance that streamlines infrastructure management at scale, now with the added benefits of built-in 5G/4G LTE cellular and Wi-Fi for increased availability. Organizations can stop juggling separate cellular and out-of-band devices, and can instead get these capabilities in one NSCP device.

Featuring up to 96 serial ports, built-in 5G/4G LTE and Wi-Fi capabilities, 2 SFP+ and 2 GbE ports, and Intel x86-64bit CPU, the NSCP gives network admins, service providers, and customers reliable, centralized management of their large-scale datacenter environments and critical remote infrastructures.

The world’s largest tech and financial companies already use the Nodegrid Serial Console Plus, and organizations implementing the NSCP can expect secure deployments using the hardware-encrypted disk; automated and simplified management that scales to millions of nodes; and increased availability through optional Wi-Fi and 5G/4G LTE backup connections from their choice of carriers.

“Nodegrid Serial Console Plus is the perfect solution for adding resilience to datacenters, colocations, and critical remote infrastructure locations,” says Arnaldo Zimmermann, Co-founder and CEO of ZPE Systems. “Our customers — including the largest companies in the world — love how easy it is to deploy one solution that gives them everything needed for refreshes or new installs. There’s no shopping for additional failover or out-of-band devices. The NSCP puts all that into a single, 1U box.”

NSCP is four times faster than the previous generation of Nodegrid Serial Console, and includes Nodegrid OS v5.2, the latest version of ZPE’s secure, Linux-based operating system.

Nodegrid OS v5.2 automates scaling with support for zero touch provisioning and containerization using Docker, Kubernetes, and LXC containers. The operating system also accommodates failover and out-of-band management through a variety of link types, including via the built-in 5G/4G LTE module. Nodegrid OS v5.2 improves upon previous releases with features that include:

Flexible automation via Ansible Server native integration, with support for Ansible, Chef, Puppet, Python, and RESTful scripts in addition to CLI options
Added security via enhanced UEFI Secure Boot with self-encrypted disk in all platforms
Easier extensibility via improved management of guest operating systems, NFV layer, and Docker containers
More traceability via geofencing, with self-guard notifications and actionable protection
Better connectivity via support for WireGuard tunnels, in addition to IPsec
Improved accessibility via new cloud applications available on ZPE Cloud

Nodegrid OS v5.2 also seamlessly integrates with the company’s management products: Nodegrid Manager, for centralized control of datacenter clusters; and ZPE Cloud, for secure, cloud-based management of distributed remote networks.

Nodegrid Serial Console Plus and Nodegrid OS v5.2 are now available. To place an order or learn more, visit the Nodegrid Serial Console Plus product page.

About ZPE Systems, Inc.

ZPE Systems frees enterprises from today’s networking challenges.

Nodegrid’s Intel-based serial consoles & modular services routers deliver power to datacenter & branch applications, while the Linux-based Nodegrid OS replaces vendor lock-in with limitless flexibility. With ZPE Cloud for fast & secure provisioning, this platform streamlines networking using virtualization, prevents downtime using automation, and offers convenience via remote management capabilities.

Intel-based serial consoles & modular services routers deliver unparalleled power to datacenter & branch applications, while the Linux-based Nodegrid OS replaces vendor lock-in with limitless flexibility. With ZPE Cloud for fast & secure provisioning, it’s the only networking platform to streamline the stack using virtualization, prevent downtime using automation, and offer convenience using in-depth remote management capabilities.

ZPE collaborates with best-in-class technology partners, to add value by integrating with SD-WAN, firewall, IoT, and other solutions. The world’s top companies trust ZPE Systems to provide advanced out-of-band management, Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platforms, and SD-Branch networking.

Top companies trust ZPE Systems to provide advanced out-of-band management, Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platforms, and SD-Branch networking.

ZPE Systems is based in Fremont, California with offices worldwide. Visit ZPE Systems website at
www.zpesystems.com.

Zero Trust Architecture: What to Know About the Latest Cybersecurity Executive Order and How to Implement It

by ZPE Systems | Jun 14, 2021 | SD-WAN, User Management, Zero Trust Security

Without a zero trust architecture in place, your business might suffer a setback of $4 million or more due to cybercrime. That’s how much the Colonial Pipeline recently paid out after hackers shut down their oil delivery infrastructure and held its restoration for ransom (reference at bottom). The reality is, this is just a drop in the bucket when it comes to risks and losses overall, but it’s why cybersecurity and zero trust are again in the national spotlight.

On May 12, the President acknowledged the importance of protecting public and private sectors from incidents like these, by signing an executive order to improve the nation’s cybersecurity. One of the order’s main callings is for organizations to adopt a zero trust architecture.

In this post, we’ll examine some goals of this executive order and how it seeks to improve cybersecurity for both public and private entities.

But first, let’s recap zero trust and why it’s critical to protecting more than just sensitive data.

What is zero trust architecture?

A zero trust architecture is made up of systems that verify every user, device, application, etc. that tries to access a business’ IT resources. In networking, this involves creating micro-segments or perimeters within each network, and continuously verifying who and what is granted access.

The philosophy behind zero trust architecture is fundamentally this: trust nothing, because threats are everywhere, always.

Here’s a brief rundown of zero trust’s guiding principles:

Always verify — Treat every user, device, application, etc. as untrusted, and always verify to determine access.
Deny by default — Assume that your environment is already under attack, and continuously monitor for anomalies and malicious activities.
Grant least-privilege access — Allow users, devices, applications, etc. access to only the minimum resources needed to perform their jobs.

Zero trust isn’t a turnkey solution, nor does it rely on a single technology. Instead, it involves transforming network security by taking a holistic approach to safeguard every network interaction. This includes implementing hardware, software, and virtual solutions built with security in mind — from Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs), to multi-factor authentication and user access rights — as well as transforming security processes in your organization.

For a closer look at zero trust architecture and its origins, read our previous post.

Does zero trust architecture matter that much?

Zero trust architecture is key to protecting both public and private sector organizations. Though it can be more difficult to measure how attacks impact less tangible things like public safety or brand reputation, the cybersecurity risks are apparent just by looking at monetary losses.

In 2020, cybercrime cost businesses and consumers billions of dollars in the United States alone. In California for example, total financial losses reported as a result of cybercrime totaled more than $621 million, with leading types of crime including phishing, extortion, data breach, identity theft, and misrepresentation, among others. Other states including Colorado, Ohio, and New York ranked with staggeringly high losses as well, which ranged from $100 million to over $400 million.

Aside from causing financial damages, cyberattacks can open the door to allowing very sensitive info to fall into the wrong hands, which can jeopardize public safety and economic stability. Just imagine what malicious actors could do with classified government information or access to public or private infrastructure.

In early 2020, the major IT firm SolarWinds was attacked by hackers using malicious code. They successfully created a backdoor to access information and systems belonging to 18,000 SolarWinds customers, which include Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. The attackers were able to spy on customers and infect even more with malware.
In early 2021, hackers attacked on-prem versions of Microsoft Exchange Server using zero day exploits (flaws that haven’t yet been patched by the vendor). They were able to access email accounts and install web shell malware that gave them ongoing admin access to victims’ servers. It’s reported that more than 250,000 organizations have been affected worldwide.
In May 2021, hackers gained access to the Colonial Pipeline and shut down oil delivery. For six days, the 5,500-mile-long pipeline was offline. Because it carries 45% of the fuel used on the U.S. East Coast, fuel prices skyrocketed before a $4.4 million ransom payment was made to unlock the compromised systems and restore fuel flow.

These attacks and others could have been prevented — or at least dramatically reduced through better containment — with zero trust architecture in place.

For example, if a hacker attempted to embed malicious code into a device, this device would already be trusted in a traditional network security model. This implicit trust would allow the malicious code to go unnoticed, giving the hacker remote access to sensitive information and systems. But with zero trust architecture, implicit trust is eliminated. In this example, the hacker might still be able to remotely access the device, but micro-segmentation would deny access to other devices, and continuous monitoring and analytics would alert company staff to the anomalous activity. In essence, zero trust would contain the threat and help the organization pinpoint the system that requires attention, without having to suffer potentially catastrophic losses.

For all of these reasons, comprehensive cybersecurity is a must-have for organizations. The President’s executive order aims to help catalyze the rapid adoption of better cyber protection methods such as zero trust.

What does the cybersecurity executive order do?

The Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity seeks to improve protection for federal government networks, and in turn encourage private entities to do the same for their own networks. To achieve these goals, the executive order focuses on three major areas:

Removing barriers to threat information sharing Until now, contractual barriers often prevented companies from sharing information with the government about cyber threats that compromised their security. The executive order removes these barriers, and also requires companies to share information regarding security breaches that could impact government networks.
Bringing stronger cybersecurity standards to the federal government
Systems have historically become compromised due to outdated security models and best practices. The executive order seeks to modernize cybersecurity for the federal government, through the adoption of secure cloud services, zero trust architecture, and multi-factor authentication and encryption. The order attaches a specific time period (see below) by which federal agencies must develop plans for implementing these approaches.
Improving software supply chain security
Software is inevitably shipped with vulnerabilities that can pose significant danger of being exploited. The executive order combats this by establishing baseline security standards for software developed and sold to the government. The order calls for the creation of a pilot program for an ‘energy star’ type of label that will allow organizations to easily determine whether software has been created securely. Additionally, the order creates a concurrent public-private process to foster secure software development; incentivizes the market with federal procurement; and requires developers to maintain greater software visibility and make security data publicly available.

Specifically regarding zero trust, the order states that within 60 days, the head of each federal agency must develop a plan to implement zero trust architecture. The order also states that within 90 days, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) must assist the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Administrator of General Services to develop a federal cloud-security strategy and issue appropriate guidance to government-wide agencies. In all, these efforts will modernize the federal government’s cybersecurity as agencies move to cloud services and require more comprehensive network protection.

With the federal government leading the charge, the President hopes that private sector organizations will follow by implementing their own zero trust architectures and best practices. The executive order encourages these efforts through additional steps and resources, which include:

Creating a review board— The order calls for the creation of a cybersecurity safety review board. This board will be responsible for analyzing cyber incidents and making concrete recommendations that will improve security.
Creating a playbook — The order requires the creation of a standard playbook for responding to cyber incidents. This playbook will ensure government agencies can take uniform steps to identify and mitigate threats, and will also serve as a template for private sector entities to create their own playbooks.
Enabling better detection — The order calls for enabling government-wide endpoint detection, response systems, and information sharing to improve detection of cybersecurity incidents on government networks.
Creating log requirements— The order calls for improving investigative and remediation capabilities, through the creation of cybersecurity event log requirements for federal departments and agencies.

How can you implement zero trust?

Remember that implementing a zero trust architecture isn’t as simple as deploying a piece of hardware or software. Because the threat landscape is constantly evolving, you need to take a holistic approach in transforming your security from the inside out. Despite the risks that seem to loom larger with every passing day and make you anxious to fortify your networks, keep in mind that achieving zero trust is a gradual process. Here are some tips to help you overcome common challenges:

Think processes

Implement gradually — Zero trust is a reimagining of your network security model, so you need to implement it gradually at the process level. This will help you identify what needs urgent attention while also preventing you from making widespread changes that can create security gaps.
Perform routine maintenance — From a security standpoint, your requirements are constantly changing (adding customers, adjusting user access rights, etc.). Routine maintenance ensures that you don’t leave vulnerabilities on your network when, say, a new customer requires user group access, or one of your employees moves to a different department.
Consider employee productivity — If you’re a little too ambitious to implement zero trust, you could end up causing issues that affect your employees’ ability to do their jobs. Again, take time to gradually implement your zero trust architecture, so that you don’t inadvertently lock out an entire department or blacklist the wrong mail server.

Think technologies

Zero trust equipment and applications — Without the right infrastructure components in place, zero trust is only an idea. Bring it to life by deploying equipment and applications that can enforce multi-factor authentication, verify identities, and allow access only as needed.
Identity and access management for all equipment — A critical component of zero trust is being able to determine who needs access to your infrastructure. Because you need to limit admission on a need-to-know basis, your design and security teams need the appropriate tools that will allow them to map user access, and also precisely identify users and applications.
Complete and cloud-enabled security stack — Gone are the days of simply plugging into firewall devices for total security. With cloud models and distributed networks and staff, you need end-to-end security offered by segmentation capabilities, and also solutions such as Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). These give you the ability to provide secure, least-privilege access, whether users try to connect from HQ or using airport Wi-Fi on another continent.
Infrastructure edge platform to isolate, and connect it all — In order to bring everything together and remain in control of your solutions, you need a robust and secure edge platform. Not only will this help you securely fuse together your zero trust architecture components, but it will provide you with protected out-of-band management of your infrastructure. A truly powerful edge platform will also accommodate additional workloads to help detect, analyze, and automatically respond to threats.

Get serious about these zero trust technologies

With cyberattacks on the rise, tomorrow is too late to start thinking about zero trust architecture. Recent executive action means it’s time to get serious about fortifying networks and the sensitive data they handle. Read our next post for a deeper dive into the technologies that can save you from crippling ransomware and malicious attacks.

Questions? Contact us with your concerns about zero trust or to see a free demo.

Colonial Pipeline ransom:
Exclusive | Colonial Pipeline CEO Tells Why He Paid Hackers a $4.4 Million Ransom – WSJ

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