Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture (CSMA)
For many organizations, a leading security challenge is managing a complex cybersecurity architecture. In the past, companies have addressed expanding IT architectures and evolving security threats by deploying point security solutions to address specific security threats. As a result, companies have siloed security architectures that impair security visibility and increase the complexity of threat detection and response.
Cybersecurity mesh architecture (CSMA) is designed to help eliminate these security silos. CSMA treats security solutions as modular components, connected via the four CSMA foundational layers, which include Security Analytics and Intelligence, Distributed Identity Fabric, Consolidated Privacy and Posture Management, and Consolidated Dashboards.
The primary purpose of CSMA is to implement an integrated security architecture that provides all of the necessary capabilities to protect the organization. Some of the key benefits of CSMA include:
- Integrated Security Visibility: CSMA creates a consolidated security architecture where all point solutions work together. The improved security visibility that this provides enables more effective threat detection and response.
- Intelligent Security Design: CSMA defines foundational layers and a method for architecting a security architecture. This helps an organization to design a security architecture that will provide comprehensive protection against cyber threats.
- Simplified Management: CSMA integrates an organization’s point security solutions into a single architecture. This makes it easier for an organization to monitor and manage its security architecture.
- Flexible Security Architecture: CSMA creates a security architecture with modular components connected via foundational layers. This modularized architecture makes it easier for an organization to add or scale security components as needed.
- Improved Collaboration: CSMA creates a framework for an organization’s point solutions to communicate and work together. This helps an organization to more rapidly and effectively detect and respond to security threats.
- Increased Efficiency: CSMA reduces the number of dashboards and solutions that security analysts need to manage. By eliminating context switching and unnecessary management tasks, CSMA improves the efficiency of the corporate SOC.
Zero Trust Architecture
In the past, corporate security architectures were perimeter-focused. By deploying security solutions at the network edge, an organization could identify and block threats entering the network. However, this approach to security has its downsides, including a lack of internal security visibility and an inability to protect against threats inside the protected perimeter.
The zero trust security model is designed as an update to this outdated model. Instead of a general perimeter, trust boundaries are defined for individual applications and systems. Every request for access to a resource is individually evaluated, eliminating the implicit trust of insiders that existed with a perimeter-focused model.
Zero trust improves corporate cybersecurity by ensuring that all actions performed on the corporate network are authorized. Some of the benefits that zero trust provides include:
- Improved Security Visibility: A zero trust architecture requires all access attempts to be explicitly approved. This provides an organization with greater visibility into how its IT systems are being used.
- Enhanced Security: Zero trust removes the implicit trust that was present in perimeter-focused security architectures. By doing so, it enables companies to better detect, prevent, and respond to attempted cyberattacks.
Cybersecurity Mesh vs Zero Trust
Cybersecurity mesh and zero trust are both major buzzwords in the cybersecurity space. Both are designed to improve corporate cybersecurity with different — but complementary — areas of focus.
Cybersecurity mesh helps to improve an organization’s cybersecurity at an architectural level. By eliminating silos and enabling more granular security, cybersecurity mesh improves security efficiency and an organization’s ability to perform threat detection and response.
Zero trust is a security philosophy that must be implemented within an organization’s security architecture. Many of the requirements of zero trust — such as microsegmentation and consistent security enforcement — are provided by a cybersecurity mesh.
How to Choose the Right Solution
CSMA and zero trust are both security strategies designed to improve an organization’s defenses against modern security threats. They are not either-or solutions, and, in fact, a sound cyber strategy should include both. By implementing CSMA, an organization lays the groundwork for implementing effective zero trust access management and security.
CSMA & Zero Trust Security with Check Point
CSMA focuses on granular, integrated security, while zero trust eliminates implicit trust and provides an organization with visibility and control over every access request performed within its infrastructure. Check Point solutions offer organizations the ability to achieve both of these goals.
To get started on a journey to CSMA, download this whitepaper to learn about the many benefits of security consolidation. Then, take a zero trust security checkup to identify the gaps between your existing security strategy and an effective zero trust security architecture.
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