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Across cloud, SDN, on premises and anything in between one platform to manage your entire network security policy Discover the value of Double layered cloud security With Prevasio's agentless CNAPP offering across your CI/CD pipeline to runtime Schedule a demo Free trial Seeing the unseen in your cloud Unlock the secrets of your cloud. Explore your cloud's hidden depths - uncover every resource and relationship. Targeted defense: prioritize & protect Safeguard your business by adopting a proactive approach to cloud security. Our targeted defense strategy helps you identify and neutralize the most urgent threats, keeping your cloud environment secure and resilient. Cloud compliance simplified: proof of security Effortlessly demonstrate continuous compliance with industry standards and regulations, ensuring your cloud environment meets the highest security requirements. Stay one step ahead: detect and defend threats Stay ahead of cloud threats with continuous monitoring and actionable insights. Our advanced technology identifies and prioritizes vulnerabilities, empowering you to focus on what matters most. Secure from the start: Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) scanning Secure your cloud infrastructure before it's even built. Our IaC scanning detects vulnerabilities early in the development cycle, saving you time, money, and headaches down the road. Ready for a deep dive? Equip yourself with the technical details to discuss with your team and managers Contact Us Got everything you need?
Here’s how you get started Learn more Prevasio Security Here’s how we secure our Prevasio solution Learn more Get the latest insights from the experts What is a Cloud Security Assessment? Read blog Shaping tomorrow: Leading the way in cloud security Read blog CSPM importance for CISOs. What security issues can be prevented\defended with CSPM? Read blog Schedule time and secure your cloud Schedule time and secure your cloud Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue Schedule time and secure your cloud

Podcast: Differences between UTM and NGFW In our recent webcast discussion alongside panelists from Fortinet, NSS Labs and General... Firewall Change Management NGFW vs UTM: What you need to know Sam Erdheim 2 min read Sam Erdheim Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 2/19/13 Published Podcast: Differences between UTM and NGFW In our recent webcast discussion alongside panelists from Fortinet, NSS Labs and General Motors, we examined the State of the Firewall in 2013. We received more audience questions during the webcast than the time allowed for, so we’d like to answer these questions through several blog posts in a Q&A format with the panelists. By far the most asked question leading up to and during the webcast was: “What’s the difference between a UTM and a Next-Generation Firewall?” Here’s how our panelists responded: Pankil Vyas, Manager – Network Security Center, GM UTM are usually bundled feature set, NGFW has bundle but licensing can be selective. Depending on the firewall’s function on the network, some UTM features might not be useful, creating performance issues and sometimes firewall conflicts with packet flows. Nimmy Reichenberg, VP of Strategy, AlgoSec Different people give different answers to this question, but if we refer to Gartner who are certainly a credible source, a UTM consolidates many security functions (email security, AV, IPS, URL filtering etc.) and is tailored mostly to SMBs in terms of management capabilities, throughput, support, etc. A NGFW is an enterprise-grade product that at the very least includes IPS capabilities and application awareness (layer 7 control). You can refer to a Gartner paper titled “Defining the Next-Generation Firewall” for more information. Ryan Liles, Director of Testing Services, NSS Labs There really aren’t any differences in a UTM and a NGFW. The technologies used in the two are essentially the same, and they generally have the same capabilities. UTM devices are typically classified with lower throughput ratings than their NGFW counterparts, but for all practical purposes the differences are in marketing. The term NGFW was coined by vendors working with Gartner to create a class of products capable of fitting into an enterprise network that contained all of the features of a UTM. The reason for the name shift is that there was a pervasive line of thought stating a device capable of all of the functions of a UTM/NGFW would never be fast enough to run in an enterprise network. As hardware has progressed, the capability of these devices to hit multi-gigabit speeds began to prove that they were indeed capable of enterprise deployment. Rather than try and fight the sentiment that a UTM could never fit into an enterprise, the NGFW was born. Patrick Bedwell, VP of Products, Fortinet There are several definitions in the market of both terms. Analyst firms IDC and Gartner provided the original definitions of the terms. IDC defined UTM as a security appliance that combines firewall, gateway antivirus, and intrusion detection / intrusion prevention (IDS/IPS). Gartner defined an NGFW as a single device with integrated IPS with deep packet scanning, standard first-generation FW capabilities (NAT, stateful protocol inspection, VPN, etc.) and the ability to identity and control applications running on the network. Since their initial definitions, the terms have been used interchangeably by customers as well as vendors. Depending on with whom you speak, UTM can include NGFW features like application ID and control, and NGFW can include UTM features like gateway antivirus. The terms are often used synonymously, as both represent a single device with consolidated functionality. At Fortinet, for example, we offer customers the ability to deploy a FortiGate device as a pure firewall, an NGFW (enabling features like Application Control or User- and Device-based policy enforcement) or a full UTM (enabling additional features like gateway AV, WAN optimization, and so forth). Customers can deploy as much or as little of the technology on the FortiGate device as they need to match their requirements. If you missed the webcast, you can view it on-demand. We invite you to continue this debate and discussion by commenting here on the blog or via the Twitter hashtag Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Assessing the Value of Network Segmentation from a Business Application Perspective Download PDF Schedule time with one of our experts Schedule time with one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

Hybrid cloud computing enables organizations to deploy sensitive workloads on-premise or in a private cloud, while hosting less... DevSecOps Why organizations need to embrace new thinking in how they tackle hybrid cloud security challenges Prof. Avishai Wool 2 min read Prof. Avishai Wool Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 10/9/22 Published Hybrid cloud computing enables organizations to deploy sensitive workloads on-premise or in a private cloud, while hosting less business-critical resources on public clouds. But despite its many benefits, the hybrid environment also creates security concerns. AlgoSec’s co-founder and CTO, Prof. Avishai Wool shares his expert insights on these concerns and offers best practices to boost hybrid cloud security. Hybrid cloud computing combines on-premises infrastructure, private cloud services, and one or more public clouds. Going hybrid provides businesses with enhanced flexibility, agility, cost savings, and scalability to innovate, grow, and gain a competitive advantage. So, how can you simplify and strengthen security operations in the hybrid cloud? It all starts with visibility – you still can’t protect what you can’t see To protect their entire hybrid infrastructure, applications, workloads, and data, security teams need to know what these assets are and where they reside. They also need to see the entire hybrid estate and not just the individual elements. However, complete visibility is a serious hybrid cloud security challenge. Hybrid environments are highly complex, which can create security blind spots, which then prevent teams from identifying, evaluating, and most importantly, mitigating risk. Another hybrid cloud security concern is that you cannot implement a fragmented security approach to control the entire network. With thousands of integrated and inter-dependent resources and data flowing between them, vulnerabilities crop up, increasing the risk of cyberattacks or breaches. For complete hybrid cloud security, you need a holistic approach that can help you control the entire network. Is DevSecOps the panacea? Not quite In many organizations, DevSecOps teams manage cloud security because they have visibility into what’s happening inside the cloud. However, in the hybrid cloud, many applications have servers or clients existing outside the cloud, which DevSecOps may not have visibility into. Also, the protection of data flowing into and out of the cloud is not always under their remit. To make up for these gaps, other teams are required to manage security operations and minimize hybrid cloud risks. These additional processes and team members must be coordinated to ensure continuous security across the entire hybrid network environment. But this is easier said than done. Using IaC to balance automation with oversight is key, but here’s why you shouldn’t solely rely on it Infrastructure as code (IaC) will help you automatically deploy security controls in the hybrid cloud to prevent misconfiguration errors, non-compliance, and violations while in the production stage and pre application testing. With IaC-based security, you can define security best practices in template files, which will minimize risks and enhance your security posture. But there’s an inherent risk in putting all your eggs in the automation and IaC basket. Due to the fact that all the controls are on the operational side, it can create serious hybrid cloud security issues. And without human attention and action, vulnerabilities may remain unaddressed and open the door to cyberattacks. Since security professionals who are not on the operational side must oversee the cloud environment, it could easily open the door to miscommunication and human errors – a very costly proposition for organizations. For this very reason, you should also implement a process to regularly deploy automatic updates without requiring time-consuming approvals that slow down workflows and weaken security. Strive for 95% automated changes and only involve a person for the remaining 5% that requires human input. Hybrid cloud security best practices – start early, start strong When migrating from on-prem to the cloud, you can choose a greenfield migration or a lift-and-shift migration. Greenfield means rolling out a brand-new application. In this case, ensure that security considerations are “baked in” from the beginning and across all processes. This “shift left” approach helps build an environment that’s secure from the get-go. This ensures that all team members adhere to a unified set of security policy rules to minimize vulnerabilities and reduce security risks within the hybrid cloud environment. If you lift-and-shift on-prem applications to the cloud, note any security assumptions made when they were designed. This is important because they were not built for the cloud and may incorporate protocols that increase security risks. Next, implement appropriate measures during migration planning. For example, implement an Application Load Balancer if applications leverage plaintext protocols, and use sidecars to encrypt applications without having to modify the original codebase. You can also leverage hybrid cloud security solutions to detect and mitigate security problems in real-time. Matching your cloud security with application structure is no longer optional Before moving to a hybrid cloud, map the business logic, application structure, and application ownership into the hybrid cloud estate’s networking structure. To simplify this process, here are some tried and proven ways to consider. Break up your environment into a virtual private cloud (VPC) or virtual network. With the VPC, you can monitor connections, screen traffic, create multiple subnets, and also restrict instance access to improve security posture. Use networking constructs to segregate applications into different functional and networking areas in the cloud. This way, you can deploy network controls to segment your cloud estate and ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive data and resources. Tag all resources based on their operating system, business unit, and geographical area. Tags with descriptive metadata can help to identify resources. They also establish ownership and accountability, provide visibility into cloud consumption, and help with the deployment of security policies. Conclusion In today’s fast-paced business environment, hybrid cloud computing can benefit your organization in many ways. But to capture these benefits, you should make an effort to boost hybrid cloud security. Incorporate the best practices discussed here to improve security and take full advantage of your hybrid environment. To learn more about hybrid cloud security, listen to our Lessons in Cybersecurity podcast episode or head to our hybrid cloud resource hub here . Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... 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Управляйте политикам сетевой безопасности независимо от места размещения сетевых устройств Получите полную видимость, автоматизацию изменений и соответствие требованием регуляторов Безопасное подключение приложений. В любом месте. Автоматизируйте подключение приложений и политику безопасности в вашей гибридной сети, чтобы вы могли действовать быстро и оставаться в безопасности. Получить демо-версию Watch a video Получите полную видимость Визуализация всей сетевой инфраструктуры и управление политиками безопасности в традиционных сетях, публичных и частных облаках. Поиск, идентификация, и определение бизнес-приложений в масштабах всей сети. Всегда в соответствии с требованиями регуляторов Настройте автоматические отчеты и существенно сократите время, необходимое для подготовки к аудиту. «Соответствие» – это комплекс мер, который делается не в момент прихода аудиторов. Производите изменения автоматизировано и безопасно Исключите ошибки конфигурации за счет автоматизации процесса изменения сетевых политик безопасности – от планирования и анализа рисков, до применения и валидации. Получите контроль над всеми сетевыми политиками безопасности Schnelle, sichere Bereitstellung von Applikationen und effiziente Verwaltung von Security-Richtlinien für Public Clouds, Private Clouds, Container und On-Premises-Netzwerke Более 2,200 компаний по всему миру доверяют нам, начиная с 2004 года Получить демо-версию Найдите более удобный способ управлять сетью

Nick Ellsmore is an Australian cybersecurity professional whose thoughts on the future of cybersecurity are always insightful. Having a... Cloud Security Errare humanum est Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 11/25/21 Published Nick Ellsmore is an Australian cybersecurity professional whose thoughts on the future of cybersecurity are always insightful. Having a deep respect for Nick, I really enjoyed listening to his latest podcast “Episode 79 Making the cyber sector redundant with Nick Ellsmore” . As Nick opened the door to debate on “all the mildly controversial views” he has put forward in the podcast, I decided to take a stab at a couple of points made by Nick. For some mysterious reason, these points have touched my nerve. So, here we go. Nick: The cybersecurity industry, we spent so long trying to get people to listen to us and take the issue seriously, you know, we’re now getting that, you know. Are the businesses really responding because we were trying to get people to listen to us? Let me rephrase this question. Are the businesses really spending more on cybersecurity because we were trying to get people to listen to us? The “cynical me” tells me No. Businesses are spending more on cybersecurity because they are losing more due to cyber incidents. It’s not the number of incidents; it’s their impact that is increasingly becoming devastating. Over the last ten years, there were plenty of front-page headliners that shattered even seemingly unshakable businesses and government bodies. Think of Target attack in 2013, the Bank of Bangladesh heist in 2016, Equifax breach in 2017, SolarWinds hack in 2020 .. the list goes on. We all know how Uber tried to bribe attackers to sweep the stolen customer data under the rug. But how many companies have succeeded in doing so without being caught? How many cyber incidents have never been disclosed? These headliners don’t stop. Each of them is another reputational blow, impacted stock options, rolled heads, stressed-out PR teams trying to play down the issue, knee-jerk reaction to acquire snake-oil-selling startups, etc. We’re not even talking about skewed election results (a topic for another discussion). Each one of them comes at a considerable cost. So no wonder many geniuses now realise that spending on cybersecurity can actually mitigate those risks. It’s not our perseverance that finally started paying off. It’s their pockets that started hurting. Nick: I think it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the fact that this is actually a bad thing to have to spend money on. Like, the reason that we’re doing this is not healthy. .. no one gets up in the morning and says, wow, I can’t wait to, you know, put better locks on my doors. It’s not the locks we sell. We sell gym membership. We want people to do something now to stop bad things from happening in the future. It’s a concept of hygiene, insurance, prevention, health checks. People are free not to pursue these steps, and run their business the way they used to .. until they get hacked, get into the front page, wondering first “Why me?” and then appointing a scapegoat. Nick: And so I think we need to remember that, in a sense, our job is to create the entire redundancy of this sector. Like, if we actually do our job, well, then we all have to go and do something else, because security is no longer an issue. It won’t happen due to 2 main reasons. Émile Durkheim believed in a “society of saints”. Unfortunately, it is a utopia. Greed, hunger, jealousy, poverty are the never-ending satellites of the human race that will constantly fuel crime. Some of them are induced by wars, some — by corrupt regimes, some — by sanctions, some — by imperfect laws. But in the end — there will always be Haves and Have Nots, and therefore, fundamental inequality. And that will feed crime. “Errare humanum est” , Seneca. To err is human. Because of human errors, there will always be vulnerabilities in code. Because of human nature (and as its derivative, geopolitical or religious tension, domination, competition, nationalism, fight for resources), there will always be people willing to and capable of exploiting those vulnerabilities. Mix those two ingredients — and you get a perfect recipe for cybercrime. Multiply that with never-ending computerisation, automation, digital transformation, and you get a constantly growing attack surface. No matter how well we do our job, we can only control cybercrime and keep the lid on it, but we can’t eradicate it. Thinking we could would be utopic. Another important consideration here is budget constraints. Building proper security is never fun — it’s a tedious process that burns cash but produces no tangible outcome. Imagine a project with an allocated budget B to build a product P with a feature set F, in a timeframe T. Quite often, such a project will be underfinanced, potentially leading to a poor choice of coders, overcommitted promises, unrealistic expectations. Eventually leading to this (oldie, but goldie): Add cybersecurity to this picture, and you’ll get an extra step that seemingly complicates everything even further: The project investors will undoubtedly question why that extra step was needed. Is there a new feature that no one else has? Is there a unique solution to an old problem? None of that? Then what’s the justification for such over-complication? Planning for proper cybersecurity built-in is often perceived as FUD. If it’s not tangible, why do we need it? Customers won’t see it. No one will see it. Scary stories in the press? Nah, that’ll never happen to us. In some way, extra budgeting for cybersecurity is anti-capitalistic in nature. It increases the product cost and, therefore, its price, making it less competitive. It defeats the purpose of outsourcing product development, often making outsourcing impossible. From the business point of view, putting “Sec” into “DevOps” does not make sense. That’s Ok. No need. .. until it all gloriously hits the fan, and then we go back to STEP 1. Then, maybe, just maybe, the customer will say, “If we have budgeted for that extra step, then maybe we would have been better off”. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... 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Webinars Firewall Rule Recertification - An Application-Centric Approach As part of your organization’s security policy management best practices, firewall rules must be reviewed and recertified regularly to ensure security, compliance and optimal firewall performance. Firewall rules which are out of date, unused or unnecessary should be removed, as firewall bloat creates gaps in your security posture, causes compliance violations, and impacts firewall performance. Manual firewall rule recertification, however, is an error-prone and time-consuming process. Please join our webinar by Asher Benbenisty, AlgoSec’s Director of Product Marketing, who will introduce an application-centric approach to firewall recertification, bringing a new, efficient, effective and automated method of recertifying firewall rules. The webinar will: Why it is important to regularly review and recertify your firewall rules The application-centric approach to firewall rule recertification How to automatically manage the rule-recertification process Want to find out more about the importance of ruleset hygiene? Watch this webinar today! Asher Benbenisty Director of product marketing Relevant resources Tips for Firewall Rule Recertification Watch Video Firewall Rule Recertification Read Document Choose a better way to manage your network Choose a better way to manage your network Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

Webinars [Panel] How Financial Institutions Can Achieve Network Security and Compliance Financial institutions have strict network security requirements, which sometimes hinder innovation and digital transformation. Security and regulatory requirements act as a barrier to innovation. However, financial institutions can enable business innovation, while still achieving network security and compliance. Watch AlgoSec’s panel discussion, as Asher Benbenisty, Director of Product Marketing, and Yitzy Tannenbaum, Product Marketing Manager, discuss how financial institutions can simplify the network security management, reduce risk and ensure continuous compliance. They discuss: How intelligent automation helps overcome security management intricacy How to make sure network changes meet compliance requirements and pass regulatory audits the first time Industry metrics so you can benchmark your own organization as well as see how the finance sector compares to other industries Case studies from other financial institutions September 8, 2020 Yitzy Tannenbaum Product Marketing Manager Asher Benbenisty Director of product marketing Relevant resources Automated Security Policy Allows Financial Institutions to make the Triple Play Keep Reading Security policy management for financial institutions Keep Reading Choose a better way to manage your network Choose a better way to manage your network Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

AlgoSec Horizon Platform Solution brief Download PDF Schedule time with one of our experts Schedule time with one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

Learn the basics of managing multiple workloads in the cloud and how to create a successful enterprise level security management program Webinars Merging the Cloud with Application Connectivity Discover the hottest trends and best practices for application-based security management As more companies make the leap into distributed architecture, the smallest gaps in network security can quickly become targets for attack. While an application-based security strategy can help you protect your hybrid cloud estate better, this shift in focus comes with its own challenges. In this webinar, we discuss: How securing application connectivity plays a key role in hybrid cloud risk management Why application orchestration is critical to managing your network within the hybrid cloud environment How to achieve effective cloud security solutions and best practices To learn more, go to https://www.algosec.com/resources/hub/hybrid_cloud/ September 27, 2022 Hillary Baron Cloud Security Alliance Oren Amiram Director Product Management, Algosec Relevant resources Firewall Rule Recertification with Application Connectivity Keep Reading What is cloud network security? Keep Reading Cloud migration: How to move applications to the cloud Keep Reading Choose a better way to manage your network Choose a better way to manage your network Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

AlgoSec for GDPR Download PDF Schedule time with one of our experts Schedule time with one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

What is Network Security Monitoring? Network security monitoring is the process of inspecting network traffic and IT infrastructure for... Network Security Top 9 Network Security Monitoring Tools for Identifying Potential Threats Tsippi Dach 2 min read Tsippi Dach Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 2/4/24 Published What is Network Security Monitoring? Network security monitoring is the process of inspecting network traffic and IT infrastructure for signs of security issues. These signs can provide IT teams with valuable information about the organization’s cybersecurity posture. For example, security teams may notice unusual changes being made to access control policies. This may lead to unexpected traffic flows between on-premises systems and unrecognized web applications. This might provide early warning of an active cyberattack, giving security teams enough time to conduct remediation efforts and prevent data loss . Detecting this kind of suspicious activity without the visibility that network security monitoring provides would be very difficult. These tools and policies enhance operational security by enabling network intrusion detection, anomaly detection, and signature-based detection. Full-featured network security monitoring solutions help organizations meet regulatory compliance requirements by maintaining records of network activity and security incidents. This gives analysts valuable data for conducting investigations into security events and connect seemingly unrelated incidents into a coherent timeline. What To Evaluate in a Network Monitoring Software Provider Your network monitoring software provider should offer a comprehensive set of features for collecting, analyzing, and responding to suspicious activity anywhere on your network. It should unify management and control of your organization’s IT assets while providing unlimited visibility into how they interact with one another. Comprehensive alerting and reporting Your network monitoring solution must notify you of security incidents and provide detailed reports describing those incidents in real-time. It should include multiple toolsets for collecting performance metrics, conducting in-depth analysis, and generating compliance reports. Future-proof scalability Consider what kind of network monitoring needs your organization might have several years from now. If your monitoring tool cannot scale to accommodate that growth, you may end up locked into a vendor agreement that doesn’t align with your interests. This is especially true with vendors that prioritize on-premises implementations since you run the risk of paying for equipment and services that you don’t actually use. Cloud-delivered software solutions often perform better in use cases where flexibility is important. Integration with your existing IT infrastructure Your existing security tech stack may include a selection of SIEM platforms, IDS/IPS systems, firewalls , and endpoint security solutions. Your network security monitoring software will need to connect all of these tools and platforms together in order to grant visibility into network traffic flows between them. Misconfigurations and improper integrations can result in dangerous security vulnerabilities. A high-performance vulnerability scanning solution may be able to detect these misconfigurations so you can fix them proactively. Intuitive user experience for security teams and IT admins Complex tools often come with complex management requirements. This can create a production bottleneck when there aren’t enough fully-trained analysts on the IT security team. Monitoring tools designed for ease of use can improve security performance by reducing training costs and allowing team members to access monitoring insights more easily. Highly automated tools can drive even greater performance benefits by reducing the need for manual control altogether. Excellent support and documentation Deploying network security monitoring tools is not always a straightforward task. Most organizations will need to rely on expert support to assist with implementation, troubleshooting, and ongoing maintenance. Some vendors provide better technical support to customers than others, and this difference is often reflected in the price. Some organizations work with managed service providers who can offset some of their support and documentation needs by providing on-demand expertise when needed. Pricing structures that work for you Different vendors have different pricing structures. When comparing network monitoring tools, consider the total cost of ownership including licensing fees, hardware requirements, and any additional costs for support or updates. Certain usage models will fit your organization’s needs better than others, and you’ll have to document them carefully to avoid overpaying. Compliance and reporting capabilities If you plan on meeting compliance requirements for your organization, you will need a network security monitoring tool that can generate the necessary reports and logs to meet these standards. Every set of standards is different, but many reputable vendors offer solutions for meeting specific compliance criteria. Find out if your network security monitoring vendor supports compliance standards like PCI DSS, HIPAA, and NIST. A good reputation for customer success Research the reputation and track record of every vendor you could potentially work with. Every vendor will tell you that they are the best – ask for evidence to back up their claims. Vendors with high renewal rates are much more likely to provide you with valuable security technology than lower-priced competitors with a significant amount of customer churn. Pay close attention to reviews and testimonials from independent, trustworthy sources. Compatibility with network infrastructure Your network security monitoring tool must be compatible with the entirety of your network infrastructure. At the most basic level, it must integrate with your hardware fleet of routers, switches, and endpoint devices. If you use devices with non-compatible operating systems, you risk introducing blind spots into your security posture. For the best results, you must enjoy in-depth observability for every hardware and software asset in your network, from the physical layer to the application layer. Regular updates and maintenance Updates are essential to keep security tools effective against evolving threats. Check the update frequency of any monitoring tool you consider implementing and look for the specific security vulnerabilities addressed in those updates. If there is a significant delay between the public announcement of new vulnerabilities and the corresponding security patch, your monitoring tools may be vulnerable during that period of time. 9 Best Network Security Monitoring Providers for Identifying Cybersecurity Threats 1. AlgoSec AlgoSec is a network security policy management solution that helps organizations automate and orchestrate network security policies. It keeps firewall rules , routers, and other security devices configured correctly, ensuring network assets are secured properly. AlgoSec protects organizations from misconfigurations that can lead to malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks, and gives security teams the ability to proactively simulate changes to their IT infrastructure. 2. SolarWinds SolarWinds offers a range of network management and monitoring solutions, including network security monitoring tools that detect changes to security policies and traffic flows. It provides tools for network visibility and helps identify and respond to security incidents. However, SolarWinds can be difficult for some organizations to deploy because customers must purchase additional on-premises hardware. 3. Security Onion Security Onion is an open-source Linux distribution designed for network security monitoring. It integrates multiple monitoring tools like Snort, Suricata, Bro, and others into a single platform, making it easier to set up and manage a comprehensive network security monitoring solution. As an open-source option, it is one of the most cost-effective solutions available on the market, but may require additional development resources to customize effectively for your organization’s needs. 4. ELK Stack Elastic ELK Stack is a combination of three open-source tools: Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana. It’s commonly used for log data and event analysis. You can use it to centralize logs, perform real-time analysis, and create dashboards for network security monitoring. The toolset provides high-quality correlation through large data sets and provides security teams with significant opportunities to improve security and network performance using automation. 5. Cisco Stealthwatch Cisco Stealthwatch is a commercial network traffic analysis and monitoring solution. It uses NetFlow and other data sources to detect and respond to security threats, monitor network behavior, and provide visibility into your network traffic. It’s a highly effective solution for conducting network traffic analysis, allowing security analysts to identify threats that have infiltrated network assets before they get a chance to do serious damage. 6. Wireshark Wireshark is a widely-used open-source packet analyzer that allows you to capture and analyze network traffic in real-time. It can help you identify and troubleshoot network issues and is a valuable tool for security analysts. Unlike other entries on this list, it is not a fully-featured monitoring platform that collects and analyzes data at scale – it focuses on providing deep visibility into specific data flows one at a time. 7. Snort Snort is an open-source intrusion detection system (IDS) and intrusion prevention system (IPS) that can monitor network traffic for signs of suspicious or malicious activity. It’s highly customizable and has a large community of users and contributors. It supports customized rulesets and is easy to use. Snort is widely compatible with other security technologies, allowing users to feed signature updates and add logging capabilities to its basic functionality very easily. However, it’s an older technology that doesn’t natively support some modern features users will expect it to. 8. Suricata Suricata is another open-source IDS/IPS tool that can analyze network traffic for threats. It offers high-performance features and supports rules compatible with Snort, making it a good alternative. Suricata was developed more recently than Snort, which means it supports modern workflow features like multithreading and file extraction. Unlike Snort, Suricata supports application-layer detection rules and can identify traffic on non-standard ports based on the traffic protocol. 9. Zeek (formerly Bro) Zeek is an open-source network analysis framework that focuses on providing detailed insights into network activity. It can help you detect and analyze potential security incidents and is often used alongside other NSM tools. This tool helps security analysts categorize and model network traffic by protocol, making it easier to inspect large volumes of data. Like Suricata, it runs on the application layer and can differentiate between protocols. Essential Network Monitoring Features Traffic Analysis The ability to capture, analyze, and decode network traffic in real-time is a basic functionality all network security monitoring tools should share. Ideally, it should also include support for various network protocols and allow users to categorize traffic based on those categories. Alerts and Notifications Reliable alerts and notifications for suspicious network activity, enabling timely response to security threats. To avoid overwhelming analysts with data and contributing to alert fatigue, these notifications should consolidate data with other tools in your security tech stack. Log Management Your network monitoring tool should contribute to centralized log management through network devices, apps, and security sensors for easy correlation and analysis. This is best achieved by integrating a SIEM platform into your tech stack, but you may not wish to store all of your network’s logs on the SIEM, because of the added expense. Threat Detection Unlike regular network traffic monitoring, network security monitoring focuses on indicators of compromise in network activity. Your tool should utilize a combination of signature-based detection, anomaly detection, and behavioral analysis to identify potential security threats. Incident Response Support Your network monitoring solution should facilitate the investigation of security incidents by providing contextual information, historical data, and forensic capabilities. It may correlate detected security events so that analysts can conduct investigations more rapidly, and improve security outcomes by reducing false positives. Network Visibility Best-in-class network security monitoring tools offer insights into network traffic patterns, device interactions, and potential blind spots to enhance network monitoring and troubleshooting. To do this, they must connect with every asset on the network and successfully observe data transfers between assets. Integration No single security tool can be trusted to do everything on its own. Your network security monitoring platform must integrate with other security solutions, such as firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and SIEM platforms to create a comprehensive security ecosystem. If one tool fails to detect malicious activity, another may succeed. Customization No two organizations are the same. The best network monitoring solutions allow users to customize rules, alerts, and policies to align with specific security requirements and network environments. These customizations help security teams reduce alert fatigue and focus their efforts on the most important data traffic flows on the network. Advanced Features for Identifying Vulnerabilities & Weaknesses Threat Intelligence Integration Threat intelligence feeds enhance threat detection and response capabilities by providing in-depth information about the tactics, techniques, and procedures used by threat actors. These feeds update constantly to reflect the latest information on cybercriminal activities so analysts always have the latest data. Forensic Capabilities Detailed data and forensic tools provide in-depth analysis of security breaches and related incidents, allowing analysts to attribute attacks to hackers and discover the extent of cyberattacks. With retroactive forensics, investigators can include historical network data and look for evidence of compromise in the past. Automated Response Automated responses to security threats can isolate affected devices or modify firewall rules the moment malicious behavior is detected. Automated detection and response workflows must be carefully configured to avoid business disruptions stemming from misconfigured algorithms repeatedly denying legitimate traffic. Application-level Visibility Some network security monitoring tools can identify and classify network traffic by applications and services , enabling granular control and monitoring. This makes it easier for analysts to categorize traffic based on its protocol, which can streamline investigations into attacks that take place on the application layer. Cloud and Virtual Network Support Cloud-enabled organizations need monitoring capabilities that support cloud environments and virtualized networks. Without visibility into these parts of the hybrid network, security vulnerabilities may go unnoticed. Cloud-native network monitoring tools must include data on public and private cloud instances as well as containerized assets. Machine Learning and AI Advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms can improve threat detection accuracy and reduce false positives. These features often work by examining large-scale network traffic data and identifying patterns within the dataset. Different vendors have different AI models and varying levels of competence with emerging AI technology. User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) UEBA platforms monitor asset behaviors to detect insider threats and compromised accounts. This advanced feature allows analysts to assign dynamic risk scores to authenticated users and assets, triggering alerts when their activities deviate too far from their established routine. Threat Hunting Tools Network monitoring tools can provide extra features and workflows for proactive threat hunting and security analysis. These tools may match observed behaviors with known indicators of compromise, or match observed traffic patterns with the tactics, techniques, and procedures of known threat actors. AlgoSec: The Preferred Network Security Monitoring Solution AlgoSec has earned an impressive reputation for its network security policy management capabilities. The platform empowers security analysts and IT administrators to manage and optimize network security policies effectively. It includes comprehensive firewall policy and change management capabilities along with comprehensive solutions for automating application connectivity across the hybrid network. Here are some reasons why IT leaders choose AlgoSec as their preferred network security policy management solution: Policy Optimsization: AlgoSec can analyze firewall rules and network security policies to identify redundant or conflicting rules, helping organizations optimize their security posture and improve rule efficiency. Change Management: It offers tools for tracking and managing changes to firewall and network data policies, ensuring that changes are made in a controlled and compliant manner. Risk Assessment: AlgoSec can assess the potential security risks associated with firewall rule changes before they are implemented, helping organizations make informed decisions. Compliance Reporting: It provides reports and dashboards to assist with compliance audits, making it easier to demonstrate regulatory compliance to regulators. Automation: AlgoSec offers automation capabilities to streamline policy management tasks, reducing the risk of human error and improving operational efficiency. Visibility: It provides visibility into network traffic and policy changes, helping security teams monitor and respond to potential security incidents. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call