What is Enterprise IT Security?

Enterprise security is how organizations protect their data, IT systems, and information assets from theft, data breaches or cyberattacks. 

As the digital landscape evolves and corporate networks rely more heavily on cloud computing and digital infrastructure, the potential threat to an organization's assets and customer data expands, as well.

Enterprise security is growing increasingly more important as the line between our physical and virtual worlds continues to blur with each new technological advance. 

Not only are consumers conducting business online now more than ever, but the actual IT infrastructure of our organization's software and systems is largely constructed with modular components and cloud services. Consequently, private data, information assets, employee productivity, user experience, and  brand reputation can suffer as a result of the negative impact of a cybersecurity breach. 

Data drives a multitude of crucial business decisions and the insights gained from learning about customer behavior, user experience, application performance, and business outcomes often serve as a road map to innovation and improvements. As a result, many enterprises have adopted big data environments to store collected information, further increasing the surface area of a potential cyberattack. 

As the landscape of digital environments evolves to include even more opportunities for data collection, microservices, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT), the potential for security threats grows as well.  A comprehensive enterprise security strategy is an essential component of effective risk management.

Building strong enterprise security architecture is a key factor to seamless security management. Implementing strategic, comprehensive security solutions protects your organization's assets, user data, and ultimately, your brand's reputation. Consider the following best practices to protect your business from cyber threats: 

Educate employees and business stakeholders

Protecting the corporate network extends beyond the information technology team -- everyone needs to be aware of security policy, compliance regulations, and potential vulnerabilities, such as phishing or social engineering schemes. Make sure all employees, including management, are fully aware of the risks and consequences of a security breach.

Implement an access control policy

Clearly define user roles so that employees only have access to the systems and permissions necessary to complete the tasks related to their specific jobs. Protecting information and IT assets against unauthorized access can prevent internal security risks caused by human error or disgruntled employees.

Adopt an encryption strategy

Develop a strong encryption strategy with a combination of file permissions, passwords, and two-factor authentication that can scale across your network and protect data in highly distributed environments.  

Establish device security protocol: 

IoT devices and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies can both serve as security risks. Make sure all devices are properly configured and updated with the latest firmware. If employees use personal devices to access work assets, create clear protocols around security and make corporate security software mandatory.

Monitor network performance

Manage endpoint security with a comprehensive monitoring solution that can quickly identify and alert on anomalies. Developing a thorough understanding of how your network and infrastructure operates by establishing performance benchmarks makes it easier to identify threats. 

One of the predominant risks of the complex and highly distributed application environments embraced in the modern age is a lack of visibility into them. AppDynamics Application Performance Monitoring (APM) provides an integrated monitoring solution that allows you to visualize, monitor, and manage your system from back end to front end in a singular view. 

This APM effort supports security measures by providing an in-depth understanding of your organization's applications and their supporting infrastructure and components, making it easier to identify potential vulnerabilities and recognize anomalies before end users or business outcomes are affected.