Jane Edwards
Bob Fortna, president of Fortinet’s federal business, wrote in a GCN article published Tuesday that federal agencies should implement a security-driven networking strategy to speed up cloud adoption and information technology modernization.
Such a strategy “involves tightly integrating network and security functions, allowing security to dynamically adapt as networks scale rather than reacting to change and creating temporary gaps that can be exploited,†Fortna wrote.
A security-driven network approach will require organizations to consider security as key to network updates; determine baseline performance requirements; identify specific resources and dataflows; and establish security requirements for on-premises and cloud environments.
To support a security-based networking strategy, Fortna called on agencies to consider deploying next-generation firewalls to speed up their move to the cloud and mitigate challenges when linking data centers to the cloud.
“Leveraging a security-driven network approach through the use of advanced next-generation firewalls, IT teams can establish a single, cohesive security strategy across their entire distributed network,†he added.
