Ignorance is bliss. What you don’t know can’t hurt you. These sayings might make sense in some scenarios, but not if you’re talking about your company’s IT network. Activity you aren’t aware of can absolutely harm your business, meaning a lack of network visibility is worrisome rather than blissful.
As remote work and cloud computing have become common and networks have gained endpoints with the proliferation of mobile devices, maintaining a comprehensive view of traffic flow has become more challenging than ever. Here’s what every business leader should know about why network visibility matters and how to enhance it.
Why is network visibility important?
Achieving visibility involves analyzing how traffic flows throughout your network, according to Cato Networks. You can get incredibly granular, examining the activity of each packet, application, and end user. There are numerous reasons to monitor and investigate what’s happening within your network, including the following:
- Detect suspicious activity and rapidly identify and remediate IT security threats.
- Monitor traffic patterns to improve capacity planning and better understand bandwidth requirements.
- Identity and reduce usage of “shadow IT,” a.k.a. solutions deployed without the IT department’s knowledge or permission.
- Minimize downtime by proactively pinpointing and resolving issues.
Why is visibility important in security?
Cybercriminals are still relentless in their efforts to breach corporate networks. For instance, in 2022, a whopping 85 percent of organizations surveyed suffered at least one ransomware attack during the previous 12 months, according to Veeam’s 2023 Ransomware Trends Report. It’s not a matter of if but when bad actors will find a way into your network.
A high level of network visibility will help your IT and security teams spot suspicious behavior as quickly as possible and minimize the extent of the breach. It makes sense to do everything in your power to stop malicious programs and hackers soon after they infiltrate your network to avoid significant damage.
What is the difference between network monitoring and network visibility?
Networking monitoring drives visibility by providing information about baseline behavior and traffic levels, according to TechTarget. Monitoring tools can alert your IT staff about unusual activity that deviates from the established norm. Additionally, networking monitoring solutions offer insights into the state of the supporting IT infrastructure and device health.
Network monitoring usually encompasses devices such as switches, firewalls, servers, and routers, according to SolarWinds. The information provided helps administrators proactively identify performance problems. Common network performance indicators include the following:
- Latency
- Packet loss, duplication, and reordering
- Jitter
- Throughput
How can I improve my network visibility?
Traditionally, businesses achieved WAN visibility by leveraging network management systems and security information and event management (SIEM) solutions to aggregate data from sources such as security appliances and endpoint sensors, according to Cato Networks.
However, the widespread utilization of mobile devices and cloud solutions has rendered that approach ineffective. On top of that, the old way requires maintaining appliances at each WAN location or backhauling all your traffic to one location for inspection, which slows everything down.
Cloud-based SD-WAN makes more sense for modern businesses that want to maximize both visibility and performance, according to Cato. By opting for a cloud-based approach to WAN connectivity, your company can achieve high levels of data security and network visibility via monitoring capabilities built into the cloud infrastructure without needing on-premises appliances at every site.
If you’d like to explore your options for improving network visibility, our technology consultants would be happy to help. We have over 20 years of experience in IT and can utilize our expertise, connections with best-in-class suppliers, and detailed comparison matrices to find your ideal suppliers and solutions.
Advance confidently with Stratosphere by calling 877-599-3999 or emailing sales@stratospherenetworks.com.
