Traditionally, for most enterprises, security has focused on protecting the perimeter, while networking has managed what happens inside the firewall. But now that employees log in from anywhere and use cloud-based SaaS and AI, that distinction no longer reflects reality.
“When organizations used to think of security, they said, ‘Well, firewalls are security,'” says Madani Adjali, VP of product management for HPE Networking. But Adjali says that the castle-and-moat model no longer holds.
Instead, he says, security needs to be “at every layer of the network.” Networking and security must work together to maintain usability while protecting against attacks.
“Up until 2020, there were a lot of conversations about the network being perimeter-less, but not a whole lot of action,” Adjali says. With the pandemic-fueled explosion in remote working, suddenly, “the network doesn’t exist in the way we used to think… [it] extends into the home.”
This expanded network undermined the firewall model, abetted by increased use of public cloud and SaaS services. Questions of connectivity and security go hand in hand: How can a business ensure its workers can access the applications and resources they need, seamlessly, without putting valuable data at risk?
Converging the functions
Traditionally, security teams monitored north-south (in and out) traffic, while networking managed east-west (within the network).
But with users and resources scattered across campuses, branches, and the cloud, across different cities and states, monitoring is infinitely more complicated. “How can you secure your network if you don’t know what’s on your network?” Adjali says.
“Security says, ‘Hey, all the way down to that access edge, I need better visibility and control,’ and the network has to deliver,” he says.
This is one of the reasons enterprises are increasingly adopting Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architectures that unify network security and connectivity, while controlling access at the cloud edge — connecting any user with any application from anywhere.
SASE platforms also offer a unified console, meaning both networking and security have total visibility into and control over the network.
Such consolidation is essential for implementing Zero Trust strategies, which are increasingly necessary in the hybrid-working, SaaS, and AI threat landscape.
Under Zero Trust, access between users and applications or resources is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, using a combination of identity (who or what is requesting access) and policy (what level of access that subject should have) rather than granting broad access based solely on location.
It is a prime example of how connectivity and defense must work together — and why consolidation matters not just to IT but to the wider business.
AI has only amplified the need for Zero Trust strategies. Organizations must understand who is using AI tools and how company data is being exposed, while also defending against attackers using AI to make their campaigns more sophisticated.
Most people assume that defending against AI is simply a matter of speed, but defense begins with visibility: identifying and tracking potentially compromised devices on the network while using segmentation to limit lateral movement and potential blast radius.
Reducing friction
Today’s enterprises are increasingly built upon their networks. Network friction and slowdown translate into delays and frustration for staff.
Even so, Adjali says, “I have yet to find an organization that says their IT and security teams are getting bigger.” Adopting SASE can help those teams — or a consolidated department — do more with less by replacing disjointed, fragmented software with a streamlined suite of right-sized solutions.
“SASE is not one product,” Adjali says. “SASE is a toolbox of capabilities.”
Security practitioners may be happier using AI as an assistant — detecting anomalous behavior or uncovering outdated or inconsistent policy — but the flexibility is there for greater automation as the technology matures.
In either case, both lenses can be trained on the same, complete set of information, prioritizing performance and security simultaneously, rather than one at the expense of the other.
Framework for the future
Few things are more important to contemporary enterprises than a secure, high-performing network. Easy access, fast connection, protection against an expanded threat landscape, and the ability to recover quickly should anything happen are all essential for maintaining business operations.
The castle and moat are from another era. What’s needed now is a dynamic, flexible framework that can adapt in real time, and over time, making room for new solutions as they become available. This is an opportunity for a self-driving network that delivers autonomous protection — a network with security built in, enabling organizations to defend at machine speed.
And within that framework, networking and security are no longer separate functions — they are two sides of the same coin.
Discover how HPE can help simplify network management, strengthen security, and improve visibility across your entire enterprise.
This sponsored post was created by BI Studios with HPE.
