Almost 80% of CIOs have expressed the importance of solutions with integrated visibility, which improve network management and optimization and help achieve the security objectives of their organizations. These are the main conclusions of an Infoblox study conducted in collaboration with Forrester Consulting, which highlights the importance of having complete network visibility in order to ensure a strong security posture in their organizations. Among the most important conclusions of this study, based on surveys of 423 IT managers from companies belonging to the consumer goods, professional services, retail, financial services, healthcare and industrial sectors around the world, are:
· More investment in network visibility. IT departments are increasing their investments in solutions that provide network visibility. 97% of respondents say they have already invested or plan to invest in new visibility tools/technologies over the next three years, and 61% plan to invest in network device discovery and identification tools as well.
· Visibility, key to strengthening the security posture. The demand for solutions that improve network visibility is increasing. Nearly 80% of respondents have expressed an interest in solutions with built-in visibility, which improve network management and optimization and help achieve their organization’s security goals. The importance that respondents give to breaking down silos or watertight compartments within their IT infrastructures is especially relevant. 75% of those surveyed state that this problem is present in their organization.
· More responsiveness. Having more network visibility improves your security posture and your ability to respond to security incidents. This is stated by 81% of respondents who agree that better network visibility would also improve their organization’s security posture and capabilities.
CIOs highlight the importance of having complete network visibility in order to ensure a strong security posture in their organizations
Overall, the survey has shown that there is a significant synergy between visibility and network security, with 98% of respondents saying they are already making security investments to complement their other investments to evolve their networks. Investment in discovery solutions (61% of respondents) ranked first for investments in network infrastructure as a means of bolstering security capabilities.
Recommendations to strengthen the security posture
The study also includes a series of recommendations, such as:
– Implement a “Zero Trust” strategy based on identities
– Standardization of critical solutions, like the DDI services that organizations already use for network connectivity along with DNS security to speed up threat hunting.
– Educate and empower your IT teams in these solutions to optimize the value
– Ensure that the information provided by the DDI metadata is used across the board. This data provides exceptional visibility, helping organizations align with their security goals and minimize damage, specifically by mitigating security risks from undetected threats. Having complete visibility into what is happening on the network is critical to strengthening the security posture, as it helps organizations identify and understand what is being protected and from whom. Realizing these benefits requires collaboration between network and security teams, with network visibility as the glue. This integration favors the optimization of both aspects, both the performance and capacity of the network, as well as the reduction of costs and the discovery and identification of network devices. Anthony James, VP of Infoblox, commented: “This study shows that visibility is a key element from both a security and network management standpoint. These two traditionally separate worlds are converging as companies build cloud-based infrastructures to enable hybrid working. The sprawl of the corporate network increases security risks, requiring both to have visibility into network traffic correlated to each connected device and user identity.”
