Security is a constant battle for government organizations. Agencies have to safeguard critical applications and information, contain breaches, isolate hackers, and manage and secure IoT. And they have to do that while meeting a myriad of compliance and regulatory obligations.
In the three previous blogs, we’ve covered physical, network and cyber security best practices. While each of these tactics is important to overall government security, none of them can do the job alone. Agencies must use a combination of physical, cyber and network security to safeguard their “everywhere perimeter.”
To create and deploy a comprehensive security strategy – with all three dimensions included – follow these best practices:
First, map your network. You can’t secure anything if you don’t know where and what it is. Make sure you have full visibility into your entire network, including those physical connected devices and users who connect virtually. That’s a critical first step to understanding just how far your “everywhere perimeter” reaches and what you’ll need to secure it.
Then, consider how you can reorganize internally to make sure physical, cyber and network priorities are all evaluated simultaneously. This will most likely start prior to procurement. Make sure your security personnel are involved from the get-go. Anyone who touches security devices, breach resolution and impact should be working as a team on decisions to purchase new technologies.
Finally, use your understanding of your network – informed by these joint conversations between teams – to apply the right technologies to your security needs.
Agencies are realizing that there is too much at stake to leave their buildings, intellectual property, assets and personnel at risk. If you have inventory, valuable assets, sensitive information, foot traffic, contract employees, or unattended areas, your information and physical security are at risk.
Vigilant Platforms, a division of Alliance Technology Group, has expertise that extends from the data center to the edge devices including the network infrastructure, data storage, data retrieval, and multi-layer analytics. No matter what your agency looks like, Vigilant Platforms can assess your existing security posture and develop a comprehensive action plan that will remediate threats while maximizing investment protection and satisfying RMF requirements.
The days of one-off security tactics are gone. To prepare your agency’s “everywhere perimeter” for the complex threat landscape of today, start thinking of security holistically. Physical, network, and cybersecurity must be seamlessly connected to secure government.
For more information about Alliance and how we can help your agency to fortify all aspects of your security, contact VPsales@alliance-it.com.