Software-defined wide-area networking (SDWAN) provides more flexibility, scalability and performance in cloud, virtual, edge and branch IT environments. However, digital transformation brings new security risks that enterprises need to consider. SD-WAN solutions automatically establish secure tunnels using internet protocol security (IPSec) or proprietary network protocols that encrypt both the destination and source traffic as it traverses the network. This ensures data integrity and privacy across branches and users alike. Network Security Network security is broad term that includes several hardware and software solutions, processes and rules created to guard the computer networks and information from threats. These technologies can be used to safeguard intellectual property and access to networks, as well to prevent breaches or attacks. Networks are an important element of any business, and must be secured to keep the information that businesses and individual users rely on secure. Security of PII (personally identifiable information) and securing intellectual property are only a few of the issues that need to be done. The way a network is controlled and maintained will determine its security. It must be able to identify and react quickly to a threat before it causes any harm or before it can spread across the entire network. Security of networks is usually managed by an IT department, or a specific group of individuals. They are the ones who decide on the strategies and policies that will help a network stay safe and adhere to security standards and regulations. When a network is managed properly, it can prevent various types of security threats, such as malware and viruses. It can also help identify and address vulnerabilities in the system, ensuring that they can be fixed before they cause any harm or spread throughout the network. Another form of security for networks is access control. It ensures only users who are authorized can access networks, and it can limit which applications and systems are available to certain categories of users. In addition to access control, security also relies on antivirus technology and anti-malware software that are constantly checked to make sure they're working properly and are not susceptible to hackers. These programs protect against the threat of phishing, malware in email attachments as well as other attempts to steal private information. Many organizations also use two-factor authentication to sign into their networks. This involves a combination of both passwords and an additional code generated when a user signs into. Security Policy Management Security Policy Management is a vital aspect of any enterprise business, as it ensures that your network has the security required for sensitive information. This can help to reduce your risk of cyberattacks, as well as other forms of threats. IT teams design and implement security policies. They then distribute them across the network. This cuts down on the time it takes to create and share security rules and settings, and makes it much simpler to enforce these policies. This means that the security policy of your business should be flexible enough to accommodate the changing needs of those using it. This is particularly true when the network is utilized for cloud or mobile access, as these types of apps will have distinct security requirements. Fortunately, SD-WAN provides a variety of solutions to tackle this issue. To offer additional security, you can deploy an additional security system on the edge of the network. This is achieved through a technology called IPsec. It provides complete security for all network traffic at the edges of the network. In addition, you could deploy a secure web gateway that will block cyber-based threats such as malware, botnets and other cyber attacks. This can help stop them from gaining unauthorised access to the network and thereby allowing them to compromise sensitive information, and even introduce new malware. Thirdly, you can implement an intrusion prevention system (IPS) that analyzes the flow of traffic and create alerts to detect suspicious activities on your network. This security feature can be combined with URL filtering and various other WAN security options for the edge. These security features will enhance your WAN more secure and protect you from both internal as well as external threats. These security features protect your company from cyberattacksand disruptions, and ultimately increase profits and revenue. Additionally, it is important to remember that a good SD-WAN solution should have a unified security platform. This must be able integrate security and networking, which can be difficult for many companies to achieve using traditional solutions. Network Access Control Network access control (or NAC) is a security measure that limits who can connect to a company's network and what they can do once connected. This is a crucial aspect of security since it shields networks from cyberattacks that target unauthorized users and devices. NAC follows the concept of least privilege in order to make sure only users who are authorized are granted access to networks. This is why it is a critical part of any organization's security plan. An effective NAC implementation is dependent on you to have a good understanding of your network and its usage. Monitoring the way that devices and users connect to the network and the resources they are using is a great method to accomplish this. A policy-based NAC can be used to ensure only the resources users or devices require are available to them. This is less expensive than manually controlling who can connect to the network. Policy-based NAC systems use a centrally managed policy server to determine if the device is able to connect to the network. This allows administrators to swiftly make changes without having to patch each device separately. This kind of NAC solution is known as out-of-band. That is, it is not part of the flow of data between devices at the end as well as your network infrastructure. This is beneficial in terms of scalability and flexibility but it can cause performance issues when things go wrong. Inline is another type of NAC solution that integrates into the traffic. This can be particularly useful in larger networks where the number of devices is high. A NAC solution that is right for you can prevent devices that do not meet your company's security standards, from being able to connect to your network. It will also be able to identify devices already connected and can take them out. This is especially beneficial for companies that have lots of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), devices. The top NAC solutions provide a range of features, such as policy enforcement, threat intelligence, and malware detection. These functions are crucial for any security strategy of a company and can be used to fight both internal as well as external threats. Network Firewall Network firewalls are security devices which help protect enterprise-level companies from threats external to their operations. This includes malware and viruses, phishing and ransomware. These are the significant concern for companies today and require constant advancement in cyber security solutions to avoid these problems. A firewall is essentially a filter for all the traffic coming in and out of a computer network by making use of the headers of packets to determine if the traffic is legitimate or not. It then blocks the traffic when it isn't permitted by the rules set by the administrator of the network. There are various types of firewalls that are available, including software and hardware firewalls. Both can be purchased for your business, depending on the amount of security you require. Software firewalls are often an element of a router or some other network device. The software firewall can perform a variety of functions , such as monitoring network traffic as well as firewall rule management and many more features. While some firewalls allow traffic to be approved or denied while others allow only packets from specific ports or IP addresses. They can also look over the data contained in packets to identify the source of the data. In certain instances, firewalls may be integrated into a company's security policy to help detect and stop risks before they become an issue. They may be used to block access to sites or programs not considered safe by the company. For businesses that have a lot of remote employees, it is important to safeguard their access to the internet. It is good to know that SD-WAN can make this much easier. SD-WAN is able to separate networks by using micro-segments to send half the gigabits to a firewall and the other half directly to the Internet which makes it less likely for cyber attackers to attack all traffic on the internet. An SD-WAN architecture can include a secure gateway for the web to track remote users' internet access and block harmful threats. This can be accomplished via the cloud and enhance security by reducing the risk of network attacks. If you're looking for the best options for managed SD-Wan security , take a look at these: SD-Wan Security