Network Segmentation for Security

Best Practices in Network Segmentation for Security

Implementing better network segmentation to improve security is a significant project for network operations, data center ops, and security teams. From dividing IoT from IT using micro-segmentation to avoiding over-segmentation, we call out best practices for maximizing success in this task.

Key Challenges

• The segmentation requirements for an enterprise call for a highly customized design.
• Avoiding either over-segmenting or under-segmenting the network is achievable but requires a formal project.
• Outsourcing segmentation project planning tends to result in poor outcomes. Too often, trust is placed in less trusted components, often resulting in segmentation projects being delayed or restarted, or with results that place the enterprise at undue risk.

Recommendations

• Segment based on data sensitivity, location, and criticality.
• For virtualized environments, change the technology, but not the security principles.
• Create a segmentation architecture that will accommodate short-term technology changes, and will best allow for housing new resources, applications and data within the existing framework.
• Create zones to proactively house Internet of Things (IoT) and operational technology (OT). Continue reading →