Running a business is a daunting task. Don’t you agree? Yes, an entrepreneur will exactly know the pain of handling internal and external complexities. Internal complexities can be providing a quality product at the best price and external complications can be protected from unauthorized sources.
How many of you can say that you’re running 100% safe and secure website? Nobody right!!!
Every day a new threat is arriving. Hence network security is playing an important role in order to protect from threats. Yet business entrepreneurs are not taking network security seriously. Therefore, businesses are vulnerable to many security threats over the network.
Are you a business entrepreneur? Yes, then you need to have a clear understanding of network security. It’s important and benefits that can help your business.
What is meant by Network Security?
The term Network Security is a broad term that covers various technologies, policies and processes. In general, network security is a set of rules, regulations and configuration that is used to designed to ensure the integrity, reliability and confidentiality of network and information using software and hardware techniques. Small and large businesses require a powerful network security solution to protect themselves from cyber threats and attacks in the wild every day.
Everything is digitized around the world – watching a movie to signing a legal document. The digital presence has been involved in the day to day activities. As a result, it is important for every business to protect its network. With threats and unauthorized parties increasing every day, the requirement to use network security software becomes important.
What are the types of network security?
Personal area network
Have you ever heard about the term “PAN”? Many times right. PAN is considered as the smallest and fundamental type of network. It is designed with a wireless modem. PAN consists of a desktop, mobile, printer, fax and tablets. It revolves across a single person in a network. These type of network can be found in small business or residences. They can be effectively managed by a single user or company from an individual device.
A range of PAN can be 10 meters. Consider, a person using a laptop or mobile phone, a PDA (personal digital assistant) and a printer can be interconnected using wireless technology.
Local area network
Is there anybody who is unaware of LAN? Of course nobody right. LAN is the commonly heard network across the globe. Because LAN is an original and easy type of network. By using LAN, you can connect with multiple devices together in a short distance. That can be within a building or group of buildings in close proximity. These are well connected within the organization to share data and resources.
A LAN networking requires a set of switches and routers to connect with internal servers and LANs that belong to the same WAN (Wide Area Network). Ethernet and Wi-Fi are widely used to enable local area network connection. Here, ethernet is used to enable various devices to communicate. Wi-Fi enables radio frequencies to connect devices to the local area network.
Wireless Local Area Network
A WLAN is a wireless distribution network that uses very high-frequency radio. It connects multiple devices through a wireless medium to form an individual LAN. In a wireless LAN, there are multiple LAN are interconnected. This gives you the ability to travel around the specific area and yet get connected through the internet. Many WLANs are using IEEE 802.11 standards.
WLANs are commonly used home, organization and more due to easy installation. Also, they are mostly used in top commercial properties, it enables wireless access to their company employees and consumers.
CAN (Campus area network)
Are you running an education institute? Which network do you prefer among multiple networks? Obviously CAN right. CAN is called Campus Area Network. It is a powerful network that covers both educational and corporate campus.
Best examples for CAN are school, college, university, corporate buildings and more. A CAN is pretty larger than LAN. Because CAN connect with multiple devices within a limited area. CAN are wider than LANs. Many LANs are connected together through switches and routers to build a single CAN. The primary benefits of campus area network are high speed and security.
MAN (Metropolitan area network)
A MAN is powerful and similar to LAN that spans an entire city. MAN are connected by integrating various LANs. Therefore metropolitan area networks are small than WANs and bigger than LANs.
Keeping it simple, MANs are effective and efficient to provide superfast communication through high-speed barriers. The information is carried through fibre optic cables.
Types of network security
Want to know various types of network securities? Then have a look below:
Antivirus software
It’s no secret, antivirus is a well-known term around the globe. Anti-virus is a kind of software used to protect and prevent from virus and authorized parties. There are thousands of antivirus software’s available. The tools offer real-time security updates. Also, blocks unsecured links, attachments, downloads and more. The amazing feature of an antivirus tool, it secures personal files with an additional level of ransomware protection.
Application security
Did you just build an app? Have you integrated the application layer in it? If no, then it’s time to integrate application layer. Whether you’re developing a gaming app or photo editing app, it’s imperative to have an application layer. No app is designed perfectly. Don’t you agree? Yes, therefore there is a wide range of possibilities for unauthorized access on your network. Therefore, application security can encompass software, processing, hardware and upgrading you to know about the attack. Ultimately, take additional steps to handle unauthorized practices.
Behavioural analytics
It is an essential tool to run a successful organization. Behavioural analytics helps to identify abnormal behaviour across the network. At the initial step, you need to understand the meaning of normal behaviour to identify abnormal behaviour on your network. Say big thanks to behavioural analytics. It is the latest technology introduced in popular business analytics tools. These are used to reveal insights of customers. Behavioural analytics is commonly used for e-commerce, entertainment, mobile applications and more.
Data loss prevention
Sending sensitive data outside the organization network is treated as crime. Hence, it’s important to keep an eye on your employees. Make sure they don’t send any business information outside the network. In order to overcome, you need to install DLP technologies to prevent employees from sending sensitive information.
Email security
How many of them receive spam emails? Almost everyone and every day right. Nowadays email from unauthorized sources is increasing widely. Email gateways are denoted as major threat vector for security. Unauthorized parties are using social engineering strategy and use personal data in order to build a phishing campaign. These refined campaigns are used to deceive users. Then send these users to a website serving up virus and malware. In order to overcome blocking attacks and controlling messages. you need to implement security applications.
Firewalls
A firewall is a fancy term in the networking world. It is a well-known networking security device. Firewall can rely on hardware and software. It can handle both incoming and external traffic.
Firewall defined a set of rules to accept, drop and reject the traffic from inside and outside.
- Accept: Allow the incoming traffic from outside
- Reject: Block the external traffic. But display “unreachable error” on the screen.
- Drop: Block the existing traffic. Doesn’t mention any reply.
A host-based firewall usually installed on every node of the network. It controls both incoming & outgoing packet. Every organization must include a host-based firewall because a firewall cannot provide a security layer inside the network. These firewalls protect every host from unauthorized access.
A network-based firewall basically functions only on a networking level. In general, these firewall filters every traffic around the network. The traffic can be incoming and outgoing. By using a set of rules, it filters the traffic instantly.
Mobile device security
How much do you spend time on mobile? 4 to 5 hours a day. As mobile phone usage is increasing day-by-day, it has been targeted by many cybercriminals. As per research, 90% of companies use mobile phone for communicating with clients and employees. Therefore it is necessary for you to handle what type of device can connect with your network. Also, it is necessary to configure every connection to ensure the traffic is private and safe.
Virtual private network
A virtual private network (VPN) is a technology that can build a powerful, encrypted connection through a less secured network – public internet. The virtual private network uses tunnelling protocols. These in-build protocols help to encrypt information while sending and decrypt it at the receiving. To ensure extra security the network address is also encrypted. VPN application is commonly used by everyone who would like to protect their data transmission across the smartphone.
Final thoughts
Network security is defined as an activity introduced to protect the integrity of personal or business network. It includes software and hardware technologies. Network security includes software and hardware technologies. It uses the technique when a variety of malware, unauthorized and threats and prevents them from entering the network. Network security integrates various layers of defences. Every layer executes a set of policies and controls. It ensures authorized people gain access to the network and resources. Besides, virus and malicious are blocked.
