Cybercrime is growing and evolving itself as we create more advanced systems and introduce new technologies on a global scale. The cost of dealing with the damage that is caused by cybercriminals is estimated to grow more in the coming times.

Keeping in mind the potential danger caused by security breaches, intrusions and other malicious activities you have to make sure that as a business or an individual you are equipped with the best network security measures and proactively leverage network security tools and maintain an effective line of defense. This is where MSPs or managed service providers come in. MSPs should help customers to understand the importance and need of maintaining network security basics and the basic practices as well. Also, if you are using internet services by Spectrum, you can always rely on their internet security Spectrum Security Suite as well.

What is Network Security?

Network security refers to the different countermeasures that you can use to protect your network and the data stored on the network or the data that passes through it. It is more of a proactive measure that keeps the network safe from cyberattacks, negligence, hacking attempts and many other consequences.

There are three components of network security

1. Software
   

   The Software component of Network Security includes antivirus and related applications, network security software and software that you can install on devices and nodes across the network. These can be quite helpful to provide added detection and threat remediation.
   
   

2. Hardware
   

   Hardware appliances include servers or devices capable of performing different security functions within the networking environment. You can install these hardware components out of the path of network traffic which is called “out-of-line. But it is installed in the path of traffic or in other words, these exist “in-line”. This is really helpful if in-line security appliances are capable to stop data packets that are flagged as potential threats. Whereas when we talk about out-of-line appliances, they simply keep an eye on the traffic and send notifications when they detect a malicious file or object.
   
   

3. Cloud Services
   

   Cloud services can be referred to as offloading the infrastructure to a cloud provider. The set-up is generally according to the network traffic that passes through in-line hardware appliances. But the incoming traffic is redirected to cloud services. The cloud services aspect of networking. It doesn’t perform any kind of scanning and blocking of potential threats before it is allowed to pass through and enter your network.

A good network security system is a combination of different types of network security tools. These tools create a layered defense system and the theory behind this is that if a threat manages to slip through a security countermeasure, the other layers can still be able to prevent the damage from entering your network.

Each network security layer performs the following function:

• Identification
• Monitoring
• Threat remediation
• Keeping the network secure

Network Security Devices and Tools

There are  a few network security tools that you can incorporate in your business include:

Antivirus Software

Malware is one of the common forms of cyberattack that come in many different shapes and can consume a lot of space on your system. Many variations of this malware are swift in action and can quickly delete the file or corrupt your data, while many of them can lie dormant within your network or computer for a long time and become one of the ways for hackers to work as a back door for them. The best antivirus software is capable of monitoring network traffic in real-time, scan activity logs and maintain log files and perform a lot of suspicious activities.

Also Read: 8 Best Free Antivirus Software to use in 2020

Application Security

Devices and software products that are used within your network have the potential to be a gateway for hackers to create an intrusion/hack attempt on your system. Keeping this in mind, it is important to keep all programs updated and patched up to make sure that they do not become something that cyber attackers can exploit and get access to your sensitive data. It includes the use of software; hardware and some best practices that can help you monitor issues and cover-up elements that weaken your security.

Access Control

This refers to keeping a check on places and people who can access a particular piece of information or sections of your computer or network. You can get this done by using security policies and granting access to the network or folders to users and devices who are required to access that resource.

Behavioral Analytics

This is quite helpful for users to identify any abnormal behavior. The security support individuals should establish a baseline about the normal behavior of a customer or a user, network and applications. There are different behavioral analytics software that can help you identify common indicators that point towards abnormal behavior and avoid security breaches.

Apart from that, you can also benefit using data loss prevention or DLPs, Distributed Denial of Service prevention, Email security, Firewalls, and other network security measures and make sure that you keep your network secure. As our world has become more digitized, we rely more on the Internet and networks to store data and get done with many tasks. So having a secure network is more than necessary for both individuals and businesses to get things done in a more secure and streamlined way.