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How To Win Today's Security Battles
By Joe Fisher, SVP, Product & Solutions Marketing, Axway
Security Overview
Take a look at how business is done today, and you'll find it's all about communication and the exchange of data. A vast amount of this data is confidential and sensitive, particularly in industries like financial services and healthcare. Unfortunately, most mechanisms for exchanging this data are not entirely secure.
Risk
It is typical for an enterprise to attempt to mitigate data leakage risks with expensive security systems such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems, and then to put holes in those systems for email, Internet access and FTP. Though this cripples the security systems in place, many companies do not compensate with sufficient changes in their security profiles. They become vulnerable to attacks and data leakage.
When companies do lose vital customer data, such as credit card numbers or Social Security numbers, that security failure becomes a major international news story. Consumers lose trust, asking, "Can I trust my healthcare to an organization that just lost all that private customer information?" or "Should I continue banking with this institution that just got hacked?"
An organization that has pieced together fifteen disparate solutions over time is going to find compliance initiatives difficult and expensive.
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Compliance
The challenge for most companies is having a solid, comprehensive, regulatory compliance strategy. Organizations need to know how their employees communicate; that is, how they access and use information.
They also need to avoid the "band-aid approach" to security, which commonly puts companies at risk of non-compliance. For example, an organization that has pieced together fifteen disparate solutions over time is going to find compliance initiatives difficult and expensive to manage. In addition, changes in global regulations such as Single Euro Payment Area (SEPA) and the Payment Services Directive (PSD) in Europe are forcing organizations to create comprehensive compliance strategies. Axway solutions such as Axway Secure Messenger™, Axway SecureTransport™ and Axway MFT™ help organizations monitor and track communications as part of their compliance strategy.
The Technology of Security
In the past, technology has taken a siloed, point approach to solving security problems. With this approach costs can soar, and there's no level of governance to keep security under control. A large organization with a group of point solutions solving various security problems will have issues with interoperability, maintenance, expense and more.
The security solutions industry needs to focus less on blocking and protection, and more on enabling data.
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Solutions Today
Many solutions on the market today are focused on the network layer as opposed to the contents of the data being protected. No one has asked: What is the data? Where is it going? What is being done with it when it arrives? The more intelligence we have about the data, the more we can build content-based solutions. The security solutions industry needs to focus less on blocking and protection, and more on enabling data. A good example of this: the security at Fort Knox (the United States Bullion Depository) is legendary, from its granite walls to its 22-ton door to its sophisticated security system and armed guards. In order for gold and other treasure to be secured at Fort Knox, it must be transported there using a guarded yet clear route that assures fast, safe delivery. Then the treasure must be allowed to pass through the gates and into the vault for protection. Throughout the process, the treasure is enabled and protected at the same time.
Ad Hoc File Transfer
Much of the world's communication is comprised of email and file transfer. Analysts estimate that the size of those file transfers is growing at about 200% per year due to file content and the complexity of the applications creating them. Regular email can't handle these large files, and other mechanisms such as FTP, Webmail services, and physical media mailing can be unmanageable, time consuming and insecure.
The solution many organizations turn to is ad hoc file transfer. Ad hoc file transfer solutions enable a business to communicate with partners, customers, suppliers, etc., and conduct business over the Internet securely. It enables the business to move faster, not having to rely on outside methods to communicate and get business done. Axway's managed file transfer (MFT) solutions, such as Axway SecureTransport and Axway MFT, enable companies to conduct business in an ad hoc fashion.
Our Strategy
When choosing a security solutions provider, ask yourself, "Does this company solve my problems of today? Do they have the sensibility and forward-thinking ability to solve my problems of tomorrow? Does this company have the platform, framework, vision and strategy that align with my company?"
At Axway, we believe in the need to drive toward convergence, to make organizations more efficient, more secure, and allow them to provide better service to their customer base. Our view is that a combination of security, visibility and community are what will win today's battles - and tomorrow's too.
The risks companies face are changing as the economic and business landscape continues to be volatile. Data losses occur more and more every day, and many organizations don't even realize they're happening. However, security is not a negative thing—security can enable your business to move and grow faster, while building trust within your communities and around the world.
To start your security strategy, visit Axway's Internet Communications Security Solutions for the Enterprise.
| | Joe Fisher is Senior Vice President of Product and Solutions Marketing at Axway.
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