An application-aware perimeter network is a security measure used to protect data from being accessed by unauthorized users. It does this by having specific policies for different applications so that they are only accessible when the user has permission.
What is an Application Aware Perimeter Network?
An application-aware perimeter network is a special kind of firewall that includes certain types of traffic, such as applications and services. It monitors the landscape for activity related to these connections to detect different types of attacks quickly.
Because it’s specifically designed to monitor specific network parts, and application-aware perimeter network provides more comprehensive security than other firewalls. This type of technology typically takes up less space on your hardware than traditional firewalls, which means you don’t need as many devices or licenses if you want to secure all aspects of your environment across every branch office location.
Why is it Important to Have an Application Aware Perimeter Network?
While traditional firewalls are great at keeping out attacks, they aren’t designed to monitor applications and services. This means that when an attack does get in through the firewall, it might be more challenging for IT staff to spot since they have no idea what is being affected or if there’s even an issue.
An application-aware perimeter network helps you detect these issues more quickly by monitoring every connection on your infrastructure. It also provides reports so you can see global trends related to traffic across all of your locations. When paired with other technologies that maintain visibility into activity inside branch offices, this type of security tool can help organizations improve their overall security landscape while gaining better control over how data moves across networks.
What Are Some Examples of Attacks an Application Aware Perimeter Network Might Prevent?
An example attack is when users visit malicious or compromised websites where malware may be downloaded without their knowledge. If these sites were on the same subnet as other branches, their actions could very well affect those locations, too, due to shared bandwidth and hardware resources. However, because traditional firewalls only monitor inbound traffic, they may not spot this activity. On the other hand, an application-aware perimeter network would watch all of these connections and flag them for IT staff so they can take action before any damage is done.
Other Examples Of Application Aware Perimeter Network Include
- Denial of Service (DoS) attacks that target specific services or applications;
- Distributed DoS (DDoS) attacks that shut down entire servers with high volumes of garbage requests.
- Man-in-the middle type conditions where someone impersonates a trusted party like an ISP ;
- Brute force login attempts which could lead to account takeover if left unchecked;
- Data exfiltration via communication channels such as SMTP or FTP.
How Does Application Aware Perimeter Network Work?
Traditional firewalls are designed to monitor connections based on IP addresses, port numbers, and protocols. An application-aware perimeter network can exclude traffic based on any criteria IT staff specifies, including the originating host, source/destination ports, user accounts, time of day, and many other factors.
This allows for greater control in determining what gets in or out through different locations, so you don’t miss anything important. It also reduces how much data needs to be processed by traditional security systems, which means there’s less chance they will slow down your business operations when performing their designated tasks.
This type of firewall is also designed to be more resilient to attacks. It uses a combination of stateful packet inspection and deep application analysis to ensure that all traffic across your network meets the criteria you’ve set.
A traditional firewall might only notice an issue when it’s too late. Still, this technology can detect problems within milliseconds, so IT staff have time to take action before any damage occurs. Since it takes up less space on hardware than other firewalls, there will be no need for as many licenses or devices if you want protection against threats at all branch office locations.
Who Are Some Providers For This Type Of Service?
Some examples of providers include:
Check Point Software Technologies, Inc.
Provides a range of network security appliances based on their “Security Operating Platform” software, including Firewall-300, Application Control-400, and VSX for virtualized services. They also offer other products such as SmartDefense Advisor, which works with the Security Gateway to provide real-time threat protection from malware or viruses detected at endpoints before they can impact your business.
Symantec Corporation
Offers Threat Protection service designed specifically for small businesses that deliver cloud-based visibility and control over users’ internet access across smartphones, tablets, and laptops running Mac OS X, Windows, or Android operating systems. It includes DLP (data loss prevention) tools so you can prevent data from being sent to unauthorized devices or locations, anti-malware protection, and application control so you can block non-approved apps from accessing your network.
McAfee, Inc.
Offers a range of security solutions, including cloud-based managed services that help businesses protect their servers, applications, and endpoints against today’s advanced cyber-attacks while reducing the cost of operations by leveraging the power of the cloud. Their Global Threat Intelligence service provides real-time threat intelligence updates and in-depth analysis for sustained visibility into current threats across all ports/protocols within virtualized networks and physical environments.
Nuage Networks (formerly VMWare)
Are experts in networking technology, including software-defined networking that allows you to create secure private connections between any of your office locations through a single virtual network? They also offer security solutions that can help monitor and control access to many different types of cloud-based services.
Conclusion
This type of perimeter network can be very beneficial for businesses because it offers protection against malware and ransomware-type attacks, which are becoming more common.
