Network Security and its Critical Role in the Tech Stack

The demand for network security is becoming increasingly apparent as IoT increases in adoption across organizations and enterprises. The IoT threat landscape is also diverse due to a highly complex ecosystem of numerous components. Often, organizations look to the bottom of the technology stack regarding cybersecurity – the device level – but IoT security is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s a collaborative effort that spans the ecosystem and, in IoT specifically, is a distinct challenge because of the limitations that come with device configuration. 

Many IoT devices have limited processing power, memory, and storage, making implementing robust security measures challenging. These constraints can restrict complex encryption algorithms or comprehensive security protocols.

While devices indeed can be looked at as a gateway to the cybersecurity threat landscape, these limitations in design aren’t enough for the device level to be the end-all-be-all in secure design. It’s crucial to have device-level security, but we need to broaden our focus from the device-level gateway to the cybersecurity superhighway – the network. 

The Focus on Securing the Network

Network security is a critical aspect of IoT security, involving protecting a computer network from unauthorized access, attacks, and damage. It encompasses measures like firewalls, encryption, and intrusion detection systems to safeguard data, maintain network integrity by ensuring all nodes and applications are up to date with firmware upgrades and security patches, and ensure confidentiality. 

The ultimate goal is to prevent malicious activities, data breaches, and other threats that could compromise the network’s functionality and the information it carries, thereby ensuring the overall security of the IoT ecosystem.

While network threats are numerous, DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks are a cybersecurity threat area that is seeing a significant increase year after year. It serves as a good example to illustrate the importance of network security. 

DDoS attacks increased 46 percent in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023. Of those attacks identified, 68 percent were at the network layer instead of the application layer.

Traffic analysis, intrusion detection, and real-time traffic monitoring are network-security-based tools that can help with DDoS attacks and identify any abnormalities in network behavior. 

For example, anomaly detection monitors traffic patterns for unusual spikes or deviations from normal behavior that may indicate a DDoS attack. Baseline profiling establishes normal traffic baselines to identify deviations that might suggest an attack. This can be managed in real-time, augmented by artificial intelligence and machine learning, to help proactively monitor and mitigate cybersecurity threats. 

Benefits and Challenges of Network Security

It’s not that network security hasn’t been an essential aspect in securing the technology stack, it’s just that it’s becoming increasingly apparent with the proliferation of IoT. The network security market is estimated to jump from a $23 billion industry in 2023 to an estimated $67 billion by 2032. 

Network security can be a comprehensive approach that, in tandem with other security measures, can help ensure the protection of technology solutions. 

Advantages:

• Comprehensive Coverage: Protects the entire network, including all connected devices, from external and internal threats.
• Traffic Monitoring: Uses tools like firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor and control network traffic.
• Centralized Management: Allows centralized control over security policies, making enforcing consistent security practices across all devices easier.

Network security doesn’t come without its challenges, however, and careful consideration needs to be given to how to secure the network. 

Challenges:

• Complexity: Networks can be complex and have many interconnected components, making comprehensive security challenging.
• Potential Blind Spots: If not correctly managed, network security might miss threats from within or from insecure devices.

Choosing the Right Provider for Network Security

Blindspots and complexities certainly can be a challenge with network security. Trying to manage multiple network relationships through legacy systems that offer varying integration points that differ with each provider and can create significant hurdles for secure deployment. A single integration with a global service provider can make for a more secure solution.  

At floLIVE, we own our core network, which means we have the agility, insight, and control to monitor the network in real time to provide the highest level of network security. 

Device, application, network, and computing make up a very basic technology stack, with each layer exposed. It’s critical to cover the entire threat landscape, and it’s time to extend the efforts across the ecosystem. 

I’ll be speaking during IoT Days Fall during the panel session, “Extended Detection/Response (XDR) Takes Security Beyond the Device,” on September 18 at 10 a.m. with other industry experts, where we’ll talk how to bolster the tech stack and think outside the device with IoT security. 

I hope you’ll join us for a fascinating, very pertinent discussion. You can register here for the virtual panel session.