When it comes to strategies that are available to us right now to maintain the safety of our data, operating systems, and cloud environments, network segmentation is gradually becoming the most popular option. In its most basic form, network segmentation is the process of dividing a big network into several subnetworks of decreasing size, to isolate one subsection from the others.
Here is our list of the of the best network segmentation tools:
- Paessler PRTG EDITOR’S CHOICE Comprehensive and easy-to-use network monitoring solution and provides real-time visibility into the health and performance of your network. Start a 30-day free trial.
- Tufin It provides thorough security policy management for hybrid and cloud environments and assists businesses in streamlining and automating network security procedures.
- Cisco Systems Gives organizations of all sizes a variety of networking and security solutions and provides trustworthy enterprise-level hardware and software that is available worldwide.
- AlgoSec Provides a framework for managing policies that streamlines and automates security operations. Meanwhile, also ensures compliance, manages risk, and strengthens the security posture of enterprises.
- Akamai Provides cloud-based security solutions to defend against DDoS attacks and other cyber threats. It ensures quick and dependable delivery of web information by offering a global content delivery network.
This sort of segmentation makes it possible for network architects to establish clearly defined protocols that specify how traffic should transit inside the IT ecosystem of an organization.
In this piece, we are going to examine the five different network segmentation technologies that are currently available. I hope that the information presented here will be of use to you as you work through the process of selecting the appropriate one for your organization.
What’s the Point of Network Segmentation?
Segmenting a network is a crucial method for keeping it safe and reliable. By breaking up a large system into smaller, more manageable pieces, businesses can increase their network’s manageability, security, performance, and scalability.
Private networks for confidential information or user groups with similar functions are both possible with segmentation. Reducing congestion and making the network more stable for users by limiting the amount of traffic in each segment. In addition, segmentation helps prevent rogue users or others from gaining access to sensitive data.
When it comes to protecting networks, boosting performance, and guaranteeing a safe and dependable user experience, network segmentation is a crucial tool. Organizations can provide their users with a safer and more dependable setting by segmenting their networks.
Benefits Of Network Segmentation
The improvement of network security, performance, and management are three of the many benefits that can result from segmenting a network.
The IT team can more quickly monitor traffic, discover abnormalities, and update security procedures when users and resources are separated into various segments. This allows them to do so without disrupting the entire network.
Because of this, better control can be exerted over the network, the quantity of traffic on each segment can be restricted, and overall efficiency may be increased. This results in less congestion, which in turn enhances the speed of the network for users. In addition, limiting access to particular sections or resources lowers the likelihood that bad actors would gain access to sensitive data.
The Best Network Segmentation Tools
1. PRTG Network Monitor (FREE TRIAL)
Paessler PRTG is software for network monitoring and management that lets IT and network managers monitor the infrastructure, devices, and services of their networks in real-time. This program is called Paessler PRTG. PRTG can monitor a wide range of devices and services, including servers, switches, routers, printers, databases, applications, and cloud services. It uses a variety of monitoring methods, such as SNMP, WMI, NetFlow, packet sniffing, and others, to collect data from the devices and services being monitored.
Key Features:
- Paessler PRTG provides a comprehensive solution for network monitoring, including bandwidth monitoring, network device monitoring, server monitoring, and application monitoring.
- Paessler has an intuitive user interface and an easy setup process, making it a popular choice for small and mid-sized businesses.
- PRTG provides customizable dashboards that enable IT and network administrators to view real-time data in a visually appealing and informative way.
- Paessler PRTG is very useful for statistical studies of the behavior of the network, as it keeps historical daily, weekly, monthly, and annual data. This enables us to carry out detailed and accurate planning, we can also evaluate how a marketing and sales campaign impacts the links of our network, and we can see if end customers are making more use of our services.
Pros:
- It is scalable, which makes it a good fit for organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises.
- PRTG integrates with a wide range of IT and network tools, including service desk, incident management, and workflow automation tools.
Cons:
- It can be expensive, especially for larger organizations that require a high degree of monitoring and customization.
PRTG provides a customizable dashboard that displays real-time data and allows users to drill down into specific metrics and data points for deeper analysis. It also provides alerting and reporting capabilities, allowing IT and network administrators to be notified of potential issues and track network performance over time. Get Started with a 30-day free trial.
EDITOR'S CHOICE
PRTG Network Monitor is an excellent choice for network monitoring and management. It is a comprehensive and easy-to-use network monitoring solution that allows you to monitor your entire IT infrastructure, including servers, routers, switches, and other network devices, as well as applications, services, and databases. With PRTG, you can get real-time visibility into the health and performance of your network, identify issues before they become critical, and quickly troubleshoot and resolve problems. PRTG’s customizable dashboards and alerts provide you with the information you need to keep your network running smoothly and efficiently.
Download: Start a 30-day FREE Trial
Official Site: https://www.paessler.com/network-monitoring-tool-prtg
OS: Windows Server
2. Tufin
Tufin is a Network Segmentation Software Built for Large-Scale Enterprises. It is a robust solution that assists businesses in securing their networks and protecting the assets that are crucial to their operations. It allows for the automatic generation of policies, as well as segmentation, analytics and reporting, orchestration of firewalls, and more.
Key Features:
- Firewall orchestration allows for the simplification of network segmentation through the use of a centralized console, hence streamlining the management of legacy firewalls, next-generation firewalls, SDN, and public clouds in a single location.
- Using Tufin’s user-friendly policy builder, you can easily define rules that apply to various network resources.
- Identify potential network vulnerabilities in a hurry with the help of advanced analytics and reports.
With the help of the Tufin Network Segmentation Software, businesses can effortlessly control the trust levels on the various parts of their networks and maintain a degree of security that is constant throughout the entire organization.
Tufin is useful because it offers individualized automation processes, which enable users to make changes promptly while maintaining high levels of accuracy. These workflows are also documented for use in the future. There will be no more manual labor or guesswork!
Tufin offers automated network detection and mapping, which makes it much simpler to determine which devices and assets need to be partitioned into separate networks. This helps companies obtain a better understanding of their network and gives them the ability to design more detailed security policies that are in line with the requirements of their business. Additionally, Tufin provides a wide variety of features and capabilities that can be used to put network segmentation ideas into action.
Pros:
- The platform offers automation that is based on policies and compliance checks, ensuring that firewall rules are correctly configured and that they conform with the standards and best practices that are prevalent in their respective industries.
- Tufin also enables companies to design and enforce security policies depending on business contexts, such as user groups or application needs.
Cons:
- Tufin solutions require ongoing maintenance, updates, and patches to ensure they remain effective against evolving threats and compliance requirements.
The provision of a centralized platform for the management of security policies and firewall rules across a variety of devices and manufacturers is yet another significant advantage of utilizing Tufin for network segmentation. This makes it possible for companies to guarantee consistency and compliance across the entirety of the network and simplifies the management of environments that contain several vendors.
3. Cisco Systems, Inc.
Cisco Systems is a multinational technology business that specializes in providing enterprises with solutions for enterprise networking as well as security and collaboration. It delivers a variety of features, including artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, automation technology, cloud platform services, and more. With Cisco Systems, businesses have simple access to cloud-based solutions that may help them with digital transformation and tap into the potential of analytics to make better decisions.
Key Features:
- Develop safe applications on Cisco’s cloud platform, which is optimized for both scale and performance.
- Leverage the advanced capabilities of AI and ML to recognize patterns, anticipate outcomes, and automate operations.
- Implement market-leading automation solutions across the organization to cut down on the amount of human labor required and boost overall productivity.
- Cisco Secure Workload is a tool that may be used to segregate networks by establishing security zones within an environment.
Security zones are logical groupings of workloads based on their security requirements, such as compliance standards or the sensitivity of the data they manage. These criteria can be used to categorize the workloads into the appropriate security zone.
Pros:
- Cisco Systems has a large and knowledgeable technical support team that can help customers with troubleshooting and resolving issues quickly.
- Cisco Systems has a strong brand recognition and reputation in the networking and communications industry, which can help customers feel confident in their purchasing decisions.
- Cisco Systems invests heavily in research and development, which has led to industry-leading innovation in networking and communication technologies.
Cons:
- Cisco Systems products and services can be expensive, making them less accessible for small and mid-sized businesses.
- Cisco Systems solutions can be complex to implement and manage and may require specialized knowledge and expertise.
Organizations can implement identical security policies and controls across each security zone if they first group workloads with similar security requirements and then group them. In the case of a security zone, for instance, one of its requirements could be that all workloads adhere to the same level of encryption or access control restrictions.
Security zones are utilized by Cisco Secure Workload to successfully perform network segmentation in an environment. Workloads that have comparable security requirements are gathered together into a security zone, and security policies are implemented for each zone individually. It’s possible that the security regulations will include requirements for encryption, access control policies, and other safeguards to secure the workloads that are contained within the zone.
4. AlgoSec
The AlgoSec Network Segmentation Software is a robust security solution that was developed to assist businesses in managing their networks safely and securely. In addition to other capabilities, it offers automated security policy optimization, micro-segmentation, continuous compliance and threat monitoring, and a lot of other useful tools.
Key Features:
- Improve your level of protection by enhancing your policies’ performance, compliance, and analytic capabilities in real time.
- Establishing individualized security zones to prevent unauthorized access to critical systems.
- Keep an eye out for any potential dangers in the traffic and make sure you comply with any relevant industry rules.
By partitioning their networks into safe areas and preventing unwanted actors from accessing sensitive systems, businesses can quickly and easily strengthen the network security of their organizations with the help of AlgoSec.
AlgoSec provides its customers with several deployment types, such as on-premises, cloud, and hybrid deployment. Depending on the deployment option, AlgoSec’s network security management platform is available with either a perpetual license or one that is purchased on a subscription basis for licensing. For deployment on-premises, AlgoSec provides a perpetual license with annual costs for maintenance and support; for deployment in the cloud, however, it provides a licensing model based on subscriptions rather than one-time payments. Pricing is determined not only by the total number of monitored devices but also by the particular features and capacities that are needed.
Pros:
- AlgoSec helps to streamline security policy management by automating tedious manual tasks and reducing the risk of errors or misconfigurations.
- AlgoSec provides a compliance dashboard that enables organizations to identify compliance gaps and violations and generates audit-ready reports for regulatory compliance requirements.
Cons:
- AlgoSec solutions can be expensive, and may not be feasible for all organizations, especially smaller businesses or those with limited budgets.
AlgoSec can assist organizations in determining and defining network segments according to a wide range of criteria, including business units, compliance standards, and security requirements. Because the platform offers automated network detection and mapping, it is much simpler to determine the various devices and assets that need to be segregated into separate networks.
5. Akamai Guardicore
Akamai Guardicore is a platform for network segmentation that gives organizations granular control over the traffic that runs across their networks. This gives them the ability to identify and thwart potential cyberattacks. The platform is intended to provide organizations with a robust and adaptable solution for securing their networks and safeguarding vital assets and data from being compromised by malicious cyber activity.
Key Features:
- The platform provided by Guardicore has a wide variety of capabilities, some of which are policy-based segmentation, application dependency mapping, and visibility and analytics tools.
- The application dependency mapping function helps to uncover potential vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in the network.
- The policy-based segmentation feature enables organizations to establish and enforce granular access rules based on user identity, network location, and other variables.
Guardicore Centra uses a variety of data-collecting technologies, such as network-based data collectors, agent-based sensors, and virtual private cloud (VPC) flow logs from cloud providers, to collect in-depth information regarding the IT infrastructure of an organization. This information is then contextualized using a procedure that is flexible, highly automated, and able to interface with pre-existing data sources such as orchestration systems and configuration management databases.
Pros:
- Designed to be cloud-native, which means they are optimized for deployment in cloud environments and can help to improve cloud security posture.
- It helps to automate and orchestrate security policies, making it easier for IT and security teams to manage security in cloud and data center environments.
Cons:
- This one may not offer as much flexibility or customization options as some other cloud and data center security solutions.
Guardicore also offers integration with other security tools and platforms, such as firewalls and security information and event management (SIEM) solutions, to create a full and unified security solution for its customers. Their price approach is based on several criteria, such as the size and complexity of an organization’s network, the number of workloads or endpoints that need to be secured, and the amount of support and services that are necessary.