4 network security issues to listen for
Justin Thorogood
Two Decades creating & driving successful channel strategies in the Tech Industry. Confident Public Speaker & problem solver
An open-door policy as a leadership approach is great for business but as a network security strategy, it’s a disaster. And yet that’s exactly what’s happened since March – the need to provision remote working at scale meant some organisations unwittingly left their most valuable data assets exposed. In rushing to stand up VPNs, source hardware and buy virtual app and desktop licenses, users were connected with potentially unwelcome consequences.
For CIOs and infrastructure teams it’s a time of incredible tension – they must give users what they want and protect corporate assets while working within limited timescales, budgets and headcount. To help partners assist end-user customers in exposing and closing network security weaknesses, Bev Wallace and I worked together to compile the following questions, so you can concentrate on listening to the answers.
1. How’s the user experience?
Having a dispersed workforce using multiple devices and networks means the business has very little insight into the overall user experience. Currently, remote working UX is highly inconsistent – hardware procurement policies went on hold as organisations hurried to get everyone working from home. Expect issues with bloatware from new, unlocked devices; personal laptops with questionable security; and home broadband disparities creating problems that IT may struggle to fix.
Useful reading: “Keeping remote workers productive with SD-WAN¹” – includes complimentary research from Gartner.
2. Is your VPN fit for purpose?
Just like cassettes used to be the most modern way to listen to music, VPN was the most secure way to connect remote users to your network. This was at a time when employees were not having to share bandwidth with family members who are streaming music, gaming and watching TV online. Or living on a street where everyone is working from home and fighting over local broadband capacity.
In today’s scenario, VPN leaves a lot to be desired. Bandwidth-hungry, difficult to configure on multiple devices and requiring careful management, it was never designed to cope with video, rich-media and collaboration apps or home networks that are under heavy use.
Useful reading: “Replace traditional VPNs with a zero-trust approach²”
3. Is your business continuity plan aligned to a corporate sustainability plan?
If you’ve worked in technology as long as Bev and me, you’ll remember when business continuity planning was about enabling BAU if your offices were destroyed by fire or flood. Today, it’s about something a lot bigger – our recent experiences have shown that the continuity we’ve achieved through implementing remote working has a positive environmental impact.
A recent Citrix sustainability study shows that allowing 1,000 employees to work from home two days per week would reduce annual commuting mileage by >1 million miles and the related CO2 emissions by 40%³. Proof that a sound networking strategy can contribute to your Corporate Social Responsibility plan and the future of our planet.
Useful reading: “The Sustainability Era³”
4. How are you preparing for upcoming changes to SSL?
From September 1st 2020, Safari and Chrome browsers will no longer accept SSL certificates with expiry dates of longer than a year⁴. Given that most modern publicly-facing websites or internal web-based apps carry multiple SSL certificates with different expiry dates, it is easy to see how updates can be missed.
This introduces cost to the business in terms of reputational damage, loss of credibility, compromised security and potential failure to meet legislative requirements. Given Chrome and Safari account for 77% of browser market share⁴, tighter SSL certificate administration is a must.
Useful reading: SSL Dashboard Facts⁵
Need a friendly ear?
Adapting to the current conditions continues to be a challenging experience for us all. Taking the time to help your customers check-in on the networking changes they’ve implemented without placing them under sales pressure is paramount. Our aim with these questions and assets is to help equip you and your customers to listen out for potential network security issues and assist with designing the right solution. If you’d like to discuss how the Citrix team can help you, or your end-user customers, or have questions about anything that’s in this article, please get in touch.
Your useful reading links:
Securely connecting the world, one cloud at a time.
4ySome good pointers here JT, nice.
Translating technology to business outcomes, delivering value to customers , sustainability champion
4yGreat article Justin Thorogood