Introduction
In today's connected world, network security is paramount. Security breaches can cause a significant amount of damage, both financially and reputation-wise. One of the most effective ways to enhance network security is the implementation of network segmentation. However, this can impact network functionality; therefore, it’s essential to analyze the trade-offs and ensure balance between security and functionality.
What is network segmentation?
Network segmentation is the act of dividing a network into smaller, isolated segments. Each segment is then secured through different security measures, protocols and firewall rules to control traffic. By doing so, it limits the potential impact of a security breach and makes it easier to manage network access and monitor traffic.
Networks are traditionally segmented into local area networks (LANs) and divided based on different geographies, departments, or functions. It can also be implemented across the Data Centers, Cloud environments and IoT networks, enabling tighter security controls to be applied to specific workloads or devices.
Security
Network segmentation enhances network security by reducing the attack surface and mitigating the impact of breaches, unauthorized access or malware spreading within multiple segments or zones.
A report by IBM, "Cost of a Data Breach Report 2021" states that the average cost of a data breach is now $4.24 million, with the average time taken to identify and contain a data breach being 287 days. Network segmentation could help reduce these figures significantly, with the ability to identify and contain breaches quicker.
Functionality
A trade-off between security and functionality always exists. Network segmentation can decrease network functionality by limits access and can increase the complexity of network administration.
The impact on functionality depends on how the network segmentation is designed, implemented, and managed. The impact could include the inability to share data or applications between different segments resulting in extra cost associated with data replication or maintenance of multiple versions of applications.
Industry Standards
There are industry standards available for network segmentation; however, different sectors may have unique regulatory or compliance requirements. For instance, Financial services organizations follow the PCI-DSS compliance standard and must ensure network segmentation is configured and maintained at the required frequency.
Conclusion
Network segmentation is an effective way to enhance network security. Proper design and implementation are essential to balance security with functionality.
If you are not sure which security options are right for your organization, it's always best to seek guidance from experts.
References
- IBM. (2021). Cost of a Data Breach Report 2021. [https://www.ibm.com/security/digital-assets/cost-data-breach-report/#/]
- PCI Security Standards Council. (2017). Understanding Segmentation in the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. [https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/documents/Understanding_Segmentation_in_the_PCI_DSS.pdf]
Flare Compare Team. (2022). Network Segmentation Balancing Security Vs Functionality. [https://flarecompare.com/blog/network-segmentation-balancing-security-vs-functionality]