IT leaders face three primary challenges in today’s rapidly evolving technology landscape. The first of these is the amplified cyber risk stemming from the organization’s increased reliance on the internet, the cloud, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms.
The second challenge relates to rising operational expenses due to the widespread dispersal of applications, devices, and users.
Lastly, maintaining stride with the accelerated pace of technological advancements—such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine-to-machine interactions, and the Internet of Things (IoT)—is becoming increasingly demanding. These innovations necessitate an expansion in high-quality bandwidth, enhanced visibility, and robust control.
Cyber threats are constant in a world of hybrid work, multicloud, and systemic disruption. As IT leaders search for innovative ways to reduce these risks, they must also maintain secure connections between end users and corporate resources, as well as across the digital supply chain. In doing so, they are recognizing how the integration of networking and security can improve security efficacy, experience, and economics.
Mitigating macro risk
Secure networking describes the on-premises and cloud convergence of networking and security functions. This convergence is occurring due to an increase in users, devices, applications, and data located outside the corporate boundaries. This shift is further driven by organizations continuing to transition toward cloud computing, edge computing, and SaaS.
In fact, our latest Global Networking Trends Report identifies 2024 as the year in which there will be more workloads hosted in third-party or cloud environments than on-premises. This means most network traffic now flows from remote users, devices, and branch offices to the cloud, expanding beyond an organization’s central data center.
The change in network traffic patterns and proliferation of connections and endpoints has led to the emergence of three essential and closely related network security concepts: secure access service edge (SASE), security service edge (SSE), and zero-trust security.
All three of these emerging concepts can provide the foundation for a unified and agile secure network infrastructure, but they must be combined with further capabilities to achieve more consistent and scalable operations and deliver the predictable quality of experience that end users expect.
Automation and orchestration, for example, are critical for streamlining and enhancing security processes, such as incident response and threat detection. Deploying a common policy across access controls ensures consistent enforcement at any point of connection in highly distributed IT environments.
Other key operational capabilities include using identity and network access control to create a secure perimeter for all users, devices, and applications, irrespective of their location, and deploying macro- and micro-segmentation to isolate critical assets and reduce the attack surface.
In addition, pooling telemetry data across networks and endpoints and applying advanced AI and machine learning (ML) techniques makes it possible to proactively detect anomalies and identify threats faster across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments.
Transformation through simplification
Secure networking presents IT leaders with a compelling solution to combat the ever-expanding threat landscape, especially as emerging technologies like generative AI introduce new attack vectors and self-evolving malware, which can often go undetected by existing security deployments. It also addresses the urgent need to accelerate digital transformation and deliver greater business agility and resilience in the face of heightened systemic disruption and growing IT complexity.
Organizations have continued to invest in digital and business transformation to improve the customer experience, enable real-time business intelligence and customer insight, and increase business workflow automation. Cloud computing and modern application development are central to meeting these objectives, but they have also introduced further complexity.
An in-depth survey of 740 senior IT professionals conducted by TechTarget’s Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) found that more than half believe that their IT environment is more complex than it was just a few years ago due to the increase in remote and hybrid work and cybersecurity threats. They also cite talent recruitment and retention as a key challenge for managing cyber resilience, as well as the malaise caused by uncontrolled tool sprawl.
McKinsey & Company estimates that an organization can have more than 100 third-party security tools in use. This can lead to greater exposure to risk and attack, given that security teams lack a unified view of their IT environment, must switch constantly between management consoles, and configure controls manually. When security measures cause issues, such as added latency or performance degradation, or prevent end users from accessing applications, the user may resort to bypassing security measures altogether.
Right security. Right place. Right time.
Secure networking provides the opportunity to converge the capabilities needed to drive digital and business transformation under a single, cloud-centric management platform. Taking a platform-based approach reduces operational complexity by replacing multiple security appliances and systems with simpler, cloud-based tools. It also allows additional capabilities to be supported, such as digital experience monitoring (DEM) and assurance.
Simplifying operations is essential for easing the burden placed on overstretched networking and security teams and helps eliminate security incidents and performance issues arising from human error or inaction. It also empowers IT teams with the agility they need to respond to new cyber threats and new user requirements quickly when they arise by providing the right security in the right place and at the right time.
Crucially, embracing a platform approach to secure networking ensures IT leaders have the flexibility to chart their organization’s path to convergence based on its unique functional requirements, preferred consumption models, and business objectives.
Whether you require on-premises delivery, cloud-enabled delivery, or anything in between, choosing a strategic technology partner with the portfolio depth and breadth to meet you where you are will move you beyond technology silos with secure networking solutions that are simpler, outcome-driven, and converged.
Discover how Cisco Secure Networking helps protect your people, applications, and data from macro risks.
