Case Study

Strayer University

SEC 305

It is vital to ensure the safety of a central computer system that is accessed by multiple branches, staff members and remote users. The diversity of an enterprise environment dictates the need to consider multiple aspects when planning for access. Normally, an internal LAN is considered a secure network. Due to its broadcast nature, wireless communications are not considered as secure. Such networks are vulnerable to eavesdropping, rogue access points, and other cracking methods. For remote access, VPN solutions such as dial-up, IPSec VPN, and SSL VPN are commonly used and any access to data center devices must be protected and secured. In the data center, access lists are used to prevent unauthorized access, and reverse-proxy servers use authentication mechanisms to provide a higher degree of security for applications. The need for security is constantly evolving. Maintaining individual security methods for each access scenario can be expensive. There are better alternatives for securing enterprise access. Some that is cost-effective, easy to manage and secure, while addressing performance and scalability requirements.

Basic security requirements consist of:

• Verification of user credentials and services to define user access.

• Client integrity checks that consists of endpoint security verification and of redirecting users to predefined subnets to download compliant anti-virus software, firewalls, operating systems updates, and patches.

• Firewall rules such as granular access control and packet filtering based on protocol, port, and destination.

Very often, the same users access corporate resources from various locations. Therefore, security mechanisms and access policies should be independent of user access methods, such as wireless, internal LAN, and remote access.