Keeping Up in a Dynamic World: Real-Time Threat Protection
In the previous blog entry, we looked at the roadblocks surrounding technology obsolescence. Before delving into strategies (e.g. moving to the cloud or outsourcing cybersecurity management), it’s important to address threat protection itself.
When boiled down to its bare bones, the most important aspect of any cybersecurity solution is how and when updates (including signatures and patches) are delivered and installed. Without updates, a cybersecurity solution is truly static and more than likely outdated as soon as (if not before) it’s installed.
The How
Updates are delivered in one of two ways: pull or push. In the pull method, a client polls the vendor for updates; with the push method, the updates are pushed out from the vendor to the client. In other words, pull is client-initiated, and push is vendor-initiated.
While both accomplish the same task, push is the more efficient of the two. In a pull situation, there is the possibility that a client polls the vendor and the vendor doesn’t have an update. With push, the interaction is only initiated when an update is available. Vendors like Network Box USA take the push method a step further by installing those updates once they’ve been delivered. The entire process is fully automated and hands-off from the client-side.
The When
When updates are delivered is equally as important as how they’re delivered. The rate of threats in 2017 was approximately 3.8 new pieces of malware per second. With new threats nipping at our heels, real-time updates are critical to every cybersecurity solution. Simply, your cybersecurity solution should be updated in less than 60 seconds upon availability of the protection (e.g. signature, patch, etc.).
When looking at cybersecurity solutions, find one that includes automatic, real-time push updates. In today’s threat landscape, anything less can easily put your network, your business, and your clients at risk.
Stay tuned for our next blog entry where we’ll take a look at moving to the cloud as a strategy to end the hardware chase.