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IT Security is only as Strong as the Weakest Link
By Hormazd Romer, senior director of product marketing at Accellion
A security system is only as strong as its weakest link. That’s one of the lessons
enterprise IT teams can learn from the recent spate of security breaches.
If partners can connect to an enterprise’s internal network, or enterprise
employees regularly exchange files with partners, then the weakest link might be
on a partner’s network.
Obviously, an enterprise IT team will never be able to conduct continuous
security audits of all its partner networks. Nor will they likely be able to forbid
all communications with outsiders like partners. Business must get done, and
business frequently involves collaboration with partners outside the enterprise.
So enterprise IT organisations must accommodate external communications
without jeopardising security or employee productivity.
When designing and implementing enterprise security solutions, IT architects
and security teams should begin by assuming that partner networks are unsafe.
They should assume that inbound communications could carry malware, and
that external communications might leak confidential data. They should then
implement a secure communications solution that makes communication fast
and convenient for employees, while taking every prudent measure to reduce
risks and minimise the chance for attack.
We recommend that enterprises follow these best practices when evaluating and
implementing security solutions for inter-organisation communications:
•
Keep control, and stay vigilant. Implement solutions that enable IT
administrators, security teams, and compliance teams to monitor and
restrict communications, including ad hoc communications with partners.
Just because information is flowing outside the enterprise does not mean
that IT teams should cede oversight and control. Look for solutions that
let you monitor and control access to files, even if that access is by
external users who do not have credentials in internal directories such as
Active Directory.
•
Make secure communication easy and convenient. If the solution you
put in place is easy to use, employees and partners will not be tempted to
look for a potentially risky work-around. Instead they will work with the
convenient, centrally monitored solution you have provided. Encourage
secure habits by making security easy.
•
Make sure security encompasses mobile computing. Like your own
employees, your partners’ employees are increasingly using mobile
devices to create content and to share it. Future-proof your security
solution by providing employees and partners with a security solution for
mobile communications.
•
Implement real-time AV scanning at all touchpoints. Enterprises
should ensure that file sharing, email, and other partner communications
channels incorporate real-time AV scanning so malware can be stopped at
the network perimeter. Don’t let inbound communications become a new
weak link in your enterprise’s own network defenses.
By taking a systematic approach for partner communications, enterprise IT
teams can reduce security risks while keeping partnerships productive and
profitable.