“In an age of increasing data breaches caused by human error, it is shocking to see the lack of automation being deployed to protect against preventable security threats,” said Tim Woods, VP of Technology Alliances for FireMon. “The new State of the Firewall report shows that C-level executives and their security teams need more control and visibility over network security processes to fuel digital transformations and maintain regulation compliance. Adaptive automation tools can be the solution to these problems to provide new levels of control and visibility.”
Digital Transformation Initiatives Amplify Security Challenges
Micro-segmentation, zero trust, containers, SDN, or cloud – no matter what you call it – all falls under the same boardroom theme: Digital Transformation. Whether the goal is to be more agile, competitive or super-charge the supply chain, digital transformation is the glue driving the mission to be more responsive while closing the gap on security.
Highlighting this scenario, the 2019 State of the Firewall report reveals that cloud adoption is up significantly – 72% of respondents are managing some form of hybrid cloud environment today, compared to the 53% cited in the 2018 report.
The mindset of the C-suite illuminated the core findings of this year’s report. Citing a variety of security process challenges in the network environment leading to misconfigurations, C-level respondents shared the following feedback:
Not Trending – Automation Adoption is Slow
As automation proves its worth, and zero-touch automation makes headlines as the ideal end state, more than 65% of report respondents are still not using any form of automation to manage their security policies. Meanwhile, human error based on manual processes, late-night change windows and overworked staff drives network inaccuracies and misconfigurations leaving enterprises vulnerable to threats. 36% of respondents said that inaccuracies, misconfigurations or issues on the network account for 10 to 24% of the changes that require rework.
“Not only is zero-touch automation a buzzword, most of our customers are looking for solutions that let them keep their hands on the wheel to control network security processes,” said Jeff Styles, VP of Global Field Engineering at FireMon. “Automation doesn’t need to mean fully automatic, and the best solutions actually provide more adaptive control and visibility over networks and firewall operations.”
Network Complexity is a Major Challenge
The growing complexity and lack of visibility when managing firewalls across on-premise, cloud and hybrid network environments continue to generate challenges and weaken the ability to comply with security and privacy regulations for enterprises. The 2019 State of the Firewall report found that:
Bottom Line: Mindful Automation is the Missing Solution
The 2019 State of the Firewall report’s findings on the lack of automation being used across the industry highlight the need to deploy this missing solution. Finding the correct approach of security automation for each enterprise helps to improve real-time visibility and control over network security processes and to comply with regulations. The best approach to automation will enable an organisation to minimise human error, increase efficiency and close the gap between driving transformation initiatives and maximising security resources and agility.