No Trust? It’s Really About Proof

Author Christopher Hitchens once noted, “What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.” Mr. Hitchens’ thoughts resonate with many in the business world, which has become inundated with many claims but little evidence. Nowhere is proof more important than when it comes to your network and its security. While there is no shortage of service providers with shiny solutions, you need to be able to verify every claim—the health and performance of your infrastructure depend on it. Here are some of the most important elements of network management for which a service provider needs to provide concrete proof.

The People and Systems That Have Accessed Your Data and Network

Seeing who and what has accessed your network and its resources is also a key element of visibility. You need your service provider to be able to prove that they have visibility into:

• Who is connected to your network at any given time
• How long they’ve been connected
• Whether they’re actively interacting with the network or if their device or workstation is sitting dormant
• When users connect and disconnect to the network
• The tokens or other access keys people are using to gain access

Each of these bits of information are key data points that can be used to prevent and mitigate attacks. However, in addition, for organizations that have business-critical apps, you need proof regarding:

• Which endpoints are using the app
• Where users are physically located
• How much bandwidth is being consumed by business-critical processes
• How resources such as storage and processing are being consumed
• Changes made to the network—even if they’re automated—such as with an SD-WAN system

Where Your Data Is at Any Given Moment

The path data takes is often an afterthought. However, if there’s a breach or if data is intercepted via a man-in-the-middle attack, where your data was, where it went, and where it’s going becomes critical information.

Tracking the movement of data is complicated, somewhat, by cloud technologies. At any given point, your data could be in one of the following locations, and you need your service provider to be able to prove where it is:

• In your on-premise server
• In a cloud server
• Being used by software—either on-premise or in the cloud
• Inside a user’s workstation or other endpoint

Further, if data is in the cloud, your service provider should be able to show and prove, which data center it’s in, or at least the country or region of the world where the data center is located.

Information About a Security Incident

Perhaps the most crucial answers that require concrete, verifiable proof are those related to security incidents. As a client, you deserve proof of the following—even if it’s somewhat embarrassing for your service provider:

• When did it happen, and how long did it last?
• What has been done since the incident occurred?
• How is the remediation going?
• What is the current state of all assets in your network?

Chris Hitchens was right, especially when it comes to IT solutions: Assertions without proof are inadequate. You and your customers deserve proof of a secure, stable, comprehensive solution. This is what Robust Network Solutions offers. Reach out today to see how Robust Network Solutions can show—and prove—business-ready solutions.