Overview of Akamai Guardicore Segmentation
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is a sophisticated software-based solution designed to enforce Zero Trust principles within modern, complex IT environments. This platform is tailored to secure workloads across various infrastructure types, including data centers, multicloud environments, and endpoints.
Key Functionality
1. Visibility and Micro-Segmentation
The platform provides comprehensive visibility into all applications and workloads, allowing administrators to visualize and understand how systems communicate with each other. This visibility enables the creation and enforcement of process-level, application-aware micro-segmentation policies. These policies can be defined, monitored, and enforced quickly, helping to minimize the attack surface.
2. Flow Visualization and Mapping
Guardicore Segmentation maps application dependencies and flows in real-time or historically, down to the user and process levels. This feature helps in understanding the intricate interactions within the IT environment, facilitating more effective segmentation and security policies.
3. Breach Detection and Automated Response
The platform is equipped with advanced breach detection capabilities that identify potential security threats, including lateral movement attempts. It integrates threat intelligence and defense mechanisms to reduce incident response time. Automated analysis and response features help in quickly mitigating threats and quarantining affected assets.
4. Multi-Factor Segmentation
Guardicore Segmentation introduces Multi-Factor Segmentation, which integrates multi-factor authentication (MFA) with segmentation rules. This ensures that only authenticated users can access specific services and ports, significantly enhancing network and data security by reducing the risk of unauthorized access and lateral movement.
5. Cloud Migrations and Hybrid Environments
The solution supports seamless cloud migrations by providing full visibility and security during the transition. It operates across bare-metal servers, virtual machines, containers, IoT devices, and cloud instances, making it versatile for hybrid and multicloud environments.
Additional Features
Flexible Asset Labeling
Administrators can add rich context to assets using a customizable labeling hierarchy. This feature integrates with orchestration tools and configuration management databases for automated labeling, enhancing visibility and enforcement.
Quarantine and Isolation
The platform allows for quick quarantine of assets using simple segmentation rules. This can be automated through SIEM integrations, enabling rapid response to security incidents.
Integration with External Threat Feeds
Guardicore Segmentation can integrate proprietary or third-party threat feeds into its threat engine, expanding the list of known threats and enhancing overall security posture.
Deception and Insight
The solution includes deception capabilities where the agent can dynamically redirect attackers to a honeypot if anomalous behavior is detected. Additionally, it provides insights into the current patch level, critical vulnerabilities, and the presence of EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) solutions on the assets.
Benefits
- Prevent Ransomware and Zero-Day Attacks: By enforcing precise micro-segmentation policies, the platform helps prevent the spread of ransomware and other malicious activities.
- Achieve Zero Trust: Guardicore Segmentation aligns with Zero Trust principles by ensuring that only necessary communications are allowed within the network.
- Accelerate Compliance: The solution helps organizations comply with various security regulations by providing detailed visibility and control over network activities.
- Secure Cloud Migrations and Remote Workforce: It ensures that cloud migrations and remote work setups are secure and compliant with organizational security policies.
In summary, Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is a powerful tool for enterprises looking to enhance their cybersecurity posture by providing granular visibility, robust micro-segmentation, and automated threat response capabilities across diverse IT environments.