Though each college within a university functions independently, and each has its own goals and high-priority areas of the networks, they also need to be able to work together as a unified system. Facilitating integration between these entities is one thing a security solution must be able to do. Because each portion of the network needs to move at a similar speed, maintaining performance is mandatory. Which means that security cannot be a bottleneck.
The bottom line is that firewall performance matters now more than ever. Many firewalls are not designed to process the exceptionally large datasets that researchers are moving, while both students and malicious hackers introduce a host of security risks that must be managed and mitigated at wire speeds.
Security Requirements for Ed Tech Leaders
1. Speed and Bandwidth – As networks continue to accelerate, the data center itself now manifests as more of a fabric of connections to support higher performance. As such, it needs high-speed, high-capacity and low latency firewalls paired with the most advanced threat intelligence.
2. Segmentation – Organizations are embracing increased network segmentation as a best practice to isolate data based on applications, user groups, regulatory requirements, business functions, trust levels and locations. Segmenting internal networks reduces the likelihood of an attack shutting down your entire network should an attempt bypass detection. As a result, firewalls need to provide high port density and logical abstraction to support both physical and virtual segmentation across private and public clouds.
3. Simplification – As these data centers extend to external parties of varying trust levels, organizations need to consider a “Zero-Trust” model for data access. Such a model drives multiple security functions from just the traditional data center edge, moving more deeply into fine-grained segmentation throughout the core of the network. This requires a consolidated security platform that can support high speeds even as many functions are turned out at each micro-perimeter.
Susan Biddle is the senior director of education and healthcare at Fortinet. She is a high technology and healthcare marketing executive with over 15 years’ experience driving new solutions from concept to market, managing diverse cross-functional teams and developing highly effective marketing programs. Biddle has expertise in strategic planning, market segmentation and research methodologies. She has a strong background in product and solutions marketing, demand generation and key IT infrastructure solution areas for the health and life sciences industry, such as translational research, digital health and connected care.
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