Security

– Jeff Starling, Sr. Networking Consultant

Traditionally, protecting web traffic and enforcing acceptable use policies (AUP) for an organization was a fairly straightforward process. End users at branch offices obtained their Internet access from the corporate office and the centralized solution for managing those flows was maintained within that single location. The architecture may have scaled up or down depending on the size of the organization, but the concept was consistently applied across a variety of different solution providers.

In the more modern view, though, the process has become considerably more complex. The proliferation of high-speed bandwidth at remote offices makes the process of collapsing all Internet access to a single main office seem like a less attractive alternative. The mobility of the workforce in terms of laptops and personal devices which connect to multiple networks that enter and exit the corporate environment makes enforcing policy more difficult. When one or more of these more complex security concerns becomes an issue for IT resources, cloud-based Web-Security may be an alternative worth considering as part of your overall approach to securing web traffic.

In a cloud-based service, such as ThreatPulse from BlueCoat, organizations can provide real-time web threat protection and control for all subscribed users, regardless of location. The protection can be provided to fixed sites or roaming users, all while being managed from a single web interface for policy management and reporting. The services offer dashboards and drill-down reporting just like the traditional appliance-based offerings that organizations are used to maintaining, without the requirements to either deploy multiple physical boxes or to force all internet traffic out a single link.

Solutions such as ThreatPulse can make business sense for smaller organizations looking to offload the administrative and maintenance overhead of filtering software installed on appliances, to allow for support of a more mobile or remote workforce, and could align well with other SaaS offerings that businesses have already embraced. For larger enterprises, the solutions can be appealing to support distributed operations, remote offices, and roaming users. They also allow for expedited implementation without the need to deploy on-premise equipment or rely on local expertise.

The benefits and applicability of a cloud-based web security solution vary greatly depending on an organization’s networking architecture, the locations of users, and the levels of acceptable risk. In an increasing number of cases, the case for moving those services to a hosted solution is becoming more compelling. As you consider how your organization is prepared to handle the increasing complexity of securing your end-users’ web traffic, contact your Senior Account Manager to schedule a time to talk in more detail about whether current on-premise or cloud-based solutions may be beneficial to your environment.

Contact your Keller Schroeder Account Manager for more information or a demonstration of this product and how you, together with Keller Schroeder, can benefit your environment.

– Jeff Gorman, Business Unit Director

Many organizations simply do not have a reliable method for collecting log and event data from key systems within their infrastructure. Historically, systems that collect that comprehensive logging data have either produced a volume of data that made them unrealistic to use for extracting relevant data or have been so expensive to implement in terms of resources and staff that few organizations could justify the investment.

In today’s environment, several organizations face regulatory requirements for log management, event management, file integrity and privileged user monitoring. Whatever the driver – PCI-DSS, SOX, HIPAA, FISMA, NERC CIP, GLBA, GCSx, GPG13, or simply a desire to more proactively plan and track events within the infrastructure, organizations face challenges in meeting these requirements easily, efficiently, and affordably. The cost of acquisition, deployment and ongoing management of disparate solutions, even if they are offered by one vendor, can be substantial.

No matter what the reason for implementing a log management or information monitoring solution, the complexity of installation, operation and ongoing management will go a long way toward determining its success. A solution that can’t be deployed, learned and operated without requiring major resources can become more of a problem than a solution. IT executives need to be assured that what they invest in today will accommodate their immediate organizational needs and those in the future.

Because of these requirements, more businesses are looking for Security Information Event Management (SIEM) systems to improve their business proposition both in terms of value and efficiency.

Distinct from legacy SIEM solutions, LogRhythm fully integrates traditionally separate log management and security event management functions to collect, analyze and correlate log data – with a single console for operating and administering all components. Collecting data from any source, LogRhythm’s SIEM 2.0 platform builds on an advanced data management structure with extensive data enrichment to analyze all log data in real-time. Automated risk-based prioritization, powerful forensics, advanced visualization and alerting in a simple-to-use GUI empowers organizations to gain unprecedented visibility and control over their enterprise IT environment.

A wealth of valuable information can be derived from log data – whether it originates in applications, databases, servers, network devices or endpoint systems. By automating the collection, organization, analysis, archiving and reporting of all log data, LogRhythm enables organizations to easily meet specific requirements, whether driven by internal best practices or one of many compliance regulations. LogRhythm delivers valuable, timely and actionable insights into security, availability, performance and audit-related issues.

LogRhythm appliances come in a variety of models including High Availability solutions that support business continuity and information assurance for LogRhythm deployments. Because of LogRhythm’s distributed, incrementally scalable architecture, deployments can start with a single appliance and scale from there by simply adding appliances. Regardless of the performance, storage or geographic requirements, LogRhythm is architected for flexible and efficient expansion.

LogRhythm is an enterprise-class platform that seamlessly combines Log Management, SIEM, File Integrity Monitoring, and Network & User Monitoring into a single integrated solution. It is highly reliable and cost-effective, and can scale to fit the needs of any enterprise. With LogRhythm, you can invest in a single solution to address requirements and challenges throughout your organization, whether they are related to compliance, security or IT operations.

To learn more about how this product might benefit your environment, please contact your Keller Schroeder Senior Account Manager for more information or a demonstration.