4 Practices To Strengthen Your Network Infrastructure

April 12, 2023 No Comments

By Stella Tanner 

In today’s modern era of technology, American companies need to have a reliable network infrastructure that guarantees efficient and seamless operation. 

A robust network infrastructure ensures the effortless transmission of data and information amongst various devices, empowering teams to collaborate and synergize efficiently. Nevertheless, in light of the surging frequency of cyber threats, it’s essential to strengthen your network infrastructure.

Suppose you’re a business owner in the United States (U.S.) or charged with maintaining your company’s network. In that case, it’s critical to safeguard your infrastructure against potential cyber threats. By partnering with cyber security services like cyber security companies in Chicago in Illinois, you can tap into their expertise and experience to secure your network.

Moreover, keep reading to discover the most effective strategies for creating a robust network infrastructure and protecting your systems from cyber threats.

1. Perform A Network Assessment

Performing a network assessment is paramount to measuring your network infrastructure’s strengths and weaknesses. Through this evaluation, you can spot potential vulnerabilities, areas for growth, and other risks that may result in cyber-attacks. 

Moreover, by carrying out a network assessment, you can better grasp your network’s current condition, empowering you to adopt well-informed measures to boost your network’s security.

The network assessment process generally comprises various steps, including identifying network devices and components, examining network architecture, testing network performance, and identifying potential security risks. Additionally, the assessment may entail testing network security controls, like firewalls and access controls, to ensure they work correctly.

Furthermore, you can employ several tools and software programs to execute a network assessment, such as network scanners that can uncover all network-connected devices and vulnerability scanners that can detect potential vulnerabilities.

Network monitoring software can help you track network traffic and identify any unusual activity, while network mapping tools can assist you in visualizing your network’s architecture.

2. Update Software And Firmware Regularly

Ensuring your network infrastructure’s security requires updating your software and firmware regularly. These updates resolve security vulnerabilities, enhance performance, and provide new features. Failure to update your software and firmware can expose your network to cyber threats, jeopardizing your company’s sensitive data and information.

The repercussions of not updating your software and firmware can be severe. Exploiting outdated software and firmware is a common tactic among cybercriminals, providing access to your network and empowering them to steal data or launch a cyber-attack. In addition, outdated software and firmware can cause performance problems, resulting in sluggish or unresponsive devices, impeding your company’s productivity.

That said, you must regularly update your software and firmware to ensure your network’s safety. You can accomplish this by activating automated updates and swiftly retrieving and installing the most up-to-date updates for your devices. In addition, you can manually monitor your software and firmware for updates and instantly install them as soon as they’re available.

3. Implement Strong Access Controls

Another way to strengthen your network infrastructure is by implementing robust access controls. These controls restrict the number of individuals accessing your network, ensuring only authorized users can obtain sensitive data and information. By regulating access, you can monitor who has entered your network and at what time as well, reinforcing your company’s accountability and transparency.

You can implement various types of access controls to strengthen your network infrastructure. For instance, role-based access control (RBAC) restricts access based on job responsibilities, while mandatory access control (MAC) assigns a security level to every resource and user on your network. 

Plus, with discretionary access control (DAC), users can pick who can access their resources. Conversely, attribute-based access control (ABAC) scrutinizes attributes such as job title, location, and time of day to determine the entry.

To implement strong access controls, start by determining who requires network access and the level of access they need. Conducting a risk assessment and establishing an access control policy that outlines the roles and responsibilities of each user can help you achieve this. Then, with the established procedure, you can deploy access controls such as passcodes and biometric authentication.

4. Implement Network Segmentation

Network segmentation is another powerful approach to reinforce your network infrastructure. This method requires segmenting your network into smaller subnetworks or segments, empowering you to regulate access to specific network areas and restraining the spread of malware during a cyber-attack.

Beyond that, segmenting your network offers other advantages, including improving network performance, enhancing network security, and reducing the attack surface area. By utilizing this approach, you can regulate the quantity of sensitive data retrieved from a single point, thereby intensifying cyber attackers’ difficulty in infiltrating your entire network.

Thus, you must map your network and identify areas requiring additional security to implement network segmentation. It’s equally crucial to develop a segmentation plan that delineates how you will divide your network and the access controls you’ll put in place. 

Additionally, monitoring your network is essential to ensure that your segmentation strategy functions correctly, and you can adjust it as necessary.

Conclusion

Cyber threats continue to evolve, and you must strengthen your network infrastructure to stay ahead and protect your business against cybercriminals. Fortunately, by implementing the best security practices, such as the ones discussed above, you can maintain the security and robustness of your network infrastructure.

About the Author

Stella Tanner is a freelance writer who likes looking into the latest trends, particularly when it comes to technology. She wants to be on top of things, and she shares her knowledge on the topic through guest posts and blog articles. Her hobbies include crocheting and baking.