Network segmentation is a tool that organizations can use to reinforce their cyber security. It works by separating the network into smaller and easy-to-manage sections (subnets). Businesses can stop traffic in one part by running network segmentation. When a cyberattack or any malicious activity occurs in one part, network segmentation prevents it from spreading to other parts. It is like preventing a contagious disease.
It is more difficult to manage and monitor all activities of users at big companies. You know that personal development experts recommend dividing your assignments into smaller pieces to do your work easily and effectively. So, network segmentation does the same job in companies and diminishes the shortcomings of branch traffic. By dividing a company’s network into smaller pieces, traffic can be observed and managed effectively.
The main purpose of dividing a network is to reduce the damages of ransomware or any cyber-attack. To run their business effectively and bypass the massive harms of inevitable attacks, organizations need network segmentation. Especially, when it comes to larger businesses that have so many branches with more employees, segmentation in networking can be considered a must.
Types of Network Segmentation
- Physical Segmentation
To divide a network into segments, two techniques can be used. The first one is physical segmentation which separates the network into physical subnets. In a physical network segmentation, firewalls are used. Firewalls confine the cyberattack risked area and prevent damages from infecting other segments. Using firewalls can be costly due to the number of firewalls that companies need to use.
- Virtual Segmentation
Virtual segmentation is less costly because it does not need to invest in hardware or wiring. By using virtual LANs or subnets, new segments in the network are created. To perform virtual segmentation, businesses need to create new access control lists for each network device.
Security Benefits of a Network Segmentation
- Provides Management of Insider Threats
When mentioned about cyber threats or leakages, the first thing that comes into mind is external threats but businesses miss that not all malicious activities come from the outside. On purpose or by negligence, internal or compromised employees can lead to massive damage to the company’s security.
To prevent internal threats and decrease the risk of damage, organizations use the Zero Trust approach. The Zero Trust approach eliminates the perception that inside activities can not be harmful and only external threats can damage the company. Many of the companies experienced that granting limitless access to their employees to reach company resources, ended in compromising on cybersecurity at the end of the day.
From this perspective, network segmentation enhances the practice of the Zero Trust approach by providing small sections to apply it. By using this, companies can extend their visibility of internal activities. Even if there is an insider error at the company, it will be easier to control and fix it.
- Prevents the Risk of Spreading
As the network is divided into smaller segments, malicious attacks can no longer spread to the other systems. Thanks to network segmentation, the domino effect can be prevented by controlling an attack in one segment before it impacts another. Managing the effects of an issue makes fixing the errors easier. Preventing damage from spreading reduces material harm and reputational loss so its benefits for the company can not be ignored.
- Facilitates the Regulatory Compliance
Companies have obligations to keep their businesses compliant with the regulations that regulate work functioning. But not each branch or segment has regulations so, separating the network into smaller segments decreases the scope of regulatory obligations. Since harmonizing the business with regulations is costly for the businesses, decreasing the scope of compliance will be profitable for them.
- Enhanced the Ability of Threat Detection
Advanced ability to monitor a system enables a company to identify the root of a problem and take action before it spreads and causes more harm. Network segmentation helps an organization to get to know its scope and identify the potential risk of an attack. It is important to detect a threat because the sooner the company recognizes the threat the better it takes an action to prevent it from spreading and causing more harm.
- Increases Data Privacy
Compromising a company’s data might be the worst idea in such a data-based world. Businesses keep so much private and important data. To run their businesses, employees need to access this data storage. But it does not mean that each employee should have access to each data center. Providing employees with limited data access is crucial for companies to protect their data privacy. Companies provide their employees with an access privilege needed to function in their work.
Thus, companies will have an idea about who has access permission to which data and when a cyberattack occurs, it will be easy for companies to control it.
At this point network segmentation comes to the stage and enables organizations to see their branches and parts. The more businesses monitor their employees and their activities in detail, the more they have an idea about crisis moments.
Network Segmentation vs Micro-Segmentation
You have seen that both segmentation and micro-segmentation are used in security cases. You need to know that they are not the same thing. Network segmentation provides north-south protection. It evaluates the users whether they are in the identified place that is considered trusted or not. If the user is standing in the safe area, network segmentation pre-accepts that this user is trusted. But, it leads to many security breaches. On the other hand, micro-segmentation regulates east-west traffic and creates Zero Trust security by considering trust non, verify all. In a micro-segmentation, users are not considered as trusted even if they are in specific network areas.
In Conclusion
Network segmentation is used to enhance businesses’ cyber security by giving them a space to evaluate their organization system. Businesses can create an architecture that divides their network into small segments which are easy to monitor and manage. The main purpose of using network segmentation in organizations is to eliminate the inevitable risks of cyber threats and perform their businesses effectively.
Author:
G Cooney
Network security specialist
