Network segmentation is a security-by-design strategy that allows for a singular, logical network to be seen as multiple, disparate networks to any potential attackers – thus, making it exceedingly difficult for an attacker to infiltrate an entire network. Also, this type of design gives you better visibility overall: it's easier to detect suspicious behavior and monitor connections.
By designing a “private cloud” approach, with network segmentation utilization, dedicated cloud hosting companies like Summit Hosting add yet another layer of value by ensuring that a security event remains isolated, were it to occur. This is an important distinction, as any penetration into a pooled network once can result in data theft, destruction, or hostage – for everyone in that pool, or public cloud / shared environment.
Although not as efficient to build as a pooled network of various resources, there are three main benefits of network segmentation, one of the largest being data security, especially in the managed application hosting space.
1. Security
By carving-up network resources into disparate networks, with their own hardware, you can reduce an attack surface greatly of a singular logical network. This type of design protects all networked resources at the expense of an isolated event. In addition, by having the event isolated, this allows for more efficient resolution. Although proper network segmentation is tougher to build-out, this becomes translated into a net benefit when an event occurs, as you cannot attack that which you do not know.
Of course, there is much more involved in network security than network segmentation; however, here at Summit Hosting, we understand that providing a private cloud with dedicated hardware to each of our cloud hosting customers is a simple, effective and safer way to build-out segmentation.
2. Visibility
When a network is properly segmented, administrators have near-perfect efficiency in management and resource utilization. This is because visibility on a particular segment is wholly defined. In contrast to a pooling of resources, admins have to first define the network boundaries of particular hardware before any changes of the respective networked devices can occur. This causes delay, and adds to the potential of misidentification to occur. However, if you can admin by defined segments, there exists additional clarity in visually managing networked devices, allocation of resources specific to that segment and connection monitoring.
3. Response
Related to the added benefit of overall greater visibility, the response an admin can make to an event is vastly superior to that of a pooled network, especially one paired with a shared server farm. Whether the event is security-related, or due to a hardware-failure, by having clear and distinct segments, the response to an event is much faster than if all resources are shared. This heightened ability to respond to any type of negative event not only strengthens the user-experience, it also allows for the health of the entire logical network to remain intact.
Secure Cloud Hosting Services
At Summit Hosting, we take cloud hosting and data security very seriously. Network segmentation is one of many mechanisms, strategies, designs and toolsets we utilize to protect our customers’ important data. By providing a dedicated server accessible via a private cloud to host your Sage or QuickBooks software, we have designed our logical network into many distinct networks allowing for our customers to maximize their own server to its fullest potential for their business-needs. This approach allows for us to provide security, clear visibility and real-time responsiveness to the thousands of businesses who use our trusted hosting solutions.
Interested in learning more about network segmentation or our secure cloud hosting services? Chat with an experienced hosting specialist today.