Network security refers to the set of activities that are solely directed to provide your computer the optimum level of safeness from hacking, unauthorized access, data loss, and other vulnerabilities. It combines both hardware and software to prevent malware and threats entering your system. To ensure the finest security of your firewall, regular auditing is a must-have. But conducting an internal audit for your firewalls comes with many hazards. It takes a lot of time and effort. It is also a mind-numbing, boring job and for that reason, the chances of errors are very high. Adding to this, most firewall policies require a continuous follow-up and modification in every week. And doing all these things manually is a real risk. Network security auditing tools are a great option that can efficiently accomplish all these heavy liftings for you, and help you save a lot of your valuable time.
A network security auditing tool acts round the clock and finds out possible gaps in compliance so that you can solve them as early as possible. Moreover, it provides real-time compliance reports which you can submit to your stakeholders. It also proactively analyzes all changes in firewall policies to identify any compliance defiance prior to the implementation. And while doing this, it auto-generates reports covering the whole change approval procedure.
Like software, the hardware is also a crucial part of a computer system. System security auditing tools also provide all hardware related necessary information to ensure your hardware’s efficiency. It provides important hardware-related information like memory capacity, condition of processors, storage info, display adapters, analysis of motherboard, printers, etc. To know more about network security auditing tools, click here.
What a network security auditing tool offers:
- It delivers on the spot audit-ready statements for all types of firewall policies such as SOX, PCI, NERC, HIPAA, etc.
- Produces customized reports to meet up mandatory internal compliances.
3. Proactively analyzes firewall regulations if any change or modification emerges.
4. It does required modifications in real-time to mitigate issues and maintain optimum compliance.
5. Provides complete reports for all types of firewall modifications and approval procedures.
6. Delivers hardware related necessary information.
Different forms of network defenses:
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Firewall:
A firewall is the first line of defense for a computer system. It segregates a network from others. A firewall can either operate individually or act with a system like servers, routers, etc. There are other firewalls also that you can find as appliances. Those firewalls work as a primary device to segregate two networks.
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IDS and IPS:
IDS stands for Intrusion Detection System. It acts round the clock to spot any malicious or virus injected software within a system so that you eliminate them as early as possible to avoid any possible damage to your set-up. Damage caused by cyber-attacks may cost you a hefty amount and legal burdens. So installing an IDS in your network is cost-effective in actual.
IPS stands for Intrusion Prevention System. Along with identifying malicious invaders, it also put off them from initiating any possible attack within the system. Though, the installation process for an IPS is way too much costlier than IDS. So, before installing, you should first evaluate your IT risks properly.
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NAC:
NAC is the acronym for Network Access Control. It refrains the accessibility of network systems to end devices so cope up with the safety measures of your security policy. In a static and firmly controlled user atmosphere, NAC yields the best results. That is why businesses and government agencies use it most frequently. Its effectiveness reduces in cases where devices and users change regularly such as the healthcare and education sectors.
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Web filters:
Web filters are preventive measures that restrict a certain website from loading in the display. Different organization has different needs for which they do not want certain sites to load. And web filters exactly do the same.
Why network security auditing tools are important:
There are actually plenty of benefits you can get from system security auditing tools. First of all, it helps you find the biggest security threats within your system so that you can take preventive measures before anything serious happens. However, this is a process that requires timely check-ups. You need to run it regularly within a specific time interval; at least once in a year.
Why?
In this era of digitization, things alter very rapidly. While your organization grows with time, it also becomes prone to many new security threats. And audits are an effective way to identify those malfunctions. It will let you know what policies you need to change, what software you need to update, and what security measure are necessary to apply. While hearing ‘audit’, you might feel tiresome, but it is something that revamps your system’s potential effectiveness. It is the most helpful way to avoid potential threats and perils. And moreover, it takes your entire burden from preparing lengthy compliance reports. These tools provide real-time, handy reports that you can present to your board meetings and stakeholders.
Business impact:
Implementing a network security auditing tool with your system adds value to your business in many ways. First of all, it takes away all the headaches of preparing reports and monitoring changes on a regular basis. Thus, it provides peace of mind. Secondly, for manual auditing, it would cost you a hefty amount to pay for. But with a security auditing tool, you can reduce your cost by 80% and spend that money on other important areas. It proactively cures system-related problems even before the process of auditing, making it a butter-smooth process. And moreover, by doing all these things actively, it helps you save your precious time, and you surely know that time is money.
This way, network security auditing tools help both your computer system and business run smoothly and safely.
