Juniper Networks Extends Cloud Security Services
Juniper Networks this week added cloud access security broker (CASB) and data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities to its secure access service edge (SASE) platform.
In addition, Juniper Networks announced it has partnered with Dragos, a provider of cybersecurity tools for industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT) environments, to extend the reach of its security offerings beyond traditional IT networks in near-real-time.
Laurence Pitt, global security strategy director for Juniper Networks, said that Juniper Secure Edge, as a cloud service, makes it simpler for a wider range of organizations to consume a wider variety of security services, including existing firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS) and secure web gateway (SWG) offerings. Organizations are no longer limited to the capabilities that any “box” deployed in an on-premises environment can support, he noted.
Similar to how most organizations don’t own their building but lease instead, it’s now possible to consume security services without having to invest additional capital, added Pitt.
Unlike other cloud platforms, Juniper Secure Edge employs the same Security Director Cloud offering to manage the security edge as it does to manage on-premises data centers, added Pitt. That approach makes it possible to extend existing security policies used in a local data center to edge devices, he added.
Collectively, these tools enable organizations to create identity-based micro-perimeters around users, SaaS applications and data to better isolate sensitive data, said Pitt. All existing and new files are also automatically scanned for malware to prevent the uploading and downloading of compromised files.
It’s not clear how quickly cybersecurity platforms are shifting to the cloud, but as the attack surface continues to expand, the cloud affords organizations an opportunity to centralize security management. With more users working remotely, it’s apparent from a cybersecurity perspective that IT environments have become much more fluid as the volume and sophistication of cyberattacks are increasing.
At the same time, the need for cyberinsurance to cover ransomware attack losses is creating something akin to a virtuous cybersecurity cycle, said Pitt. Organizations that want to make a ransomware claim need to prove they made an effort to actually better secure their IT environments. Otherwise, most cyberinsurance providers would deny the claim, noted Pitt. That issue is finally driving more organizations to move their cybersecurity efforts beyond simply investing enough to achieve compliance with a mandate that requires, at most, a bare minimum level of cybersecurity.
Juniper Networks is, naturally, betting there will be greater convergence of security and networking services as more organizations transition to the cloud. There are, of course, no shortage of options when it comes to the cloud. Organizations should assume that they will need to invoke additional capabilities as cybersecurity becomes more challenging. The issue will be determining to what degree a new capability constitutes an actual separate service versus one embedded within a larger offering.
