Six Steps to a Secure Network

1. Map your network
Start by knowing what you’re protecting. Things creep up on our networks that we don’t even know are there. People bring devices from home and administrators don’t always update network documentation. A map of your network will show you what’s out there, legitimate and otherwise.

2. Scan your network
Evaluate your current protection status. A scan of your network will identify individual vulnerabilities and provide remediation solutions for every IP addressed device on your network, allowing you to prioritize and secure your network from the perimeter to the desktops.

3. Protect your perimeter
Good security at the perimeter will provide a barrier that will not only contribute to your overall security posture, but will also give you the short-term protection you need to remediate the discovered vulnerabilities.

4. Remediate vulnerabilities
Update hosts and servers to the latest patches. Fix flaws in your security architecture and configurations. Your vulnerability assessment has identified your weaknesses, this is your opportunity to implement the fixes and secure your devices.

5. Monitor your systems
You’ve come a long way. You know what’s on your network and the vulnerabilities posed to it, you’ve protected your network at its edge, and you’ve patched all of your servers and hosts. You want to keep it that way, so you monitor your systems for behavior anomalies.

6. Stay up to date
New threats emerge every day and your security solution has to keep up. On your perimeter, new threat profiles and patterns for intrusion prevention and other firewall updates should be downloaded. New anti-virus signatures and operating system patches should be updated for your servers and hosts. The only way to stay secure is to stay up to date.