cirosec – Internal Security

In the past, IT security was mostly associated with firewalls at external network transitions. As soon as one attempts to improve security within larger company networks, however, one encounters problems which can no longer be solved using the established firewall technique.

Firewalls control the transition between networks with different security levels at the network level. Clear boundaries between a trusted, secure internal area and the outside world are becoming less and less common, however. Instead of barricading themselves in, larger companies must communicate with their customers and suppliers more and more. The larger a corporate network becomes, the harder the "internal" network becomes to monitor and manage. Instant messaging, peer-to-peer file sharing, disgruntled, dissatisfied or careless employees, partner companies, external consultants, home offices, WLANs and much more make the enclosed "internal" company network increasingly unrealistic. Now the question is: how to secure important systems and sensitive data without resorting to a "defense perimeter".

We would be happy to explain the various approaches to you, including the advantages and disadvantages of everything from classic firewalls to network-based and host-based intrusion prevention systems and vulnerability management solutions.