Win the compliance game

Segmentation also helps you more efficiently comply with regulations that otherwise can be burdensome — and costly if you fail the audits . Take the PCI Data Security Standard ( PCI-DSS ). Adhering to PCI-DSS means protecting the entire cardholder data lifecycle as it flows to and from payment devices , applications , infrastructure and customers .

This is so difficult that only 52.5 percent of businesses surveyed in 2017 were fully compliant with their annual PCI- DSS audit , according to the Verizon 2018 Payment Security Report .

Segmentation can reduce the areas of your network that come under audit and thereby increases your odds of being compliant .

Why segmentation hasn ’ t caught on — yet

Segmentation isn ’ t new . Traditional methods for segmenting networks such as virtual local area networks ( VLANs ) and access control lists have been around for decades .

But most segmentation projects never get off the ground . They ’ re too complex and labor intensive given the heterogeneous nature of most enterprise network environments , and have traditionally required learning multiple tools from different vendors . The fact that most of these environments are now distributed across data centers , campuses and the cloud doesn ’ t help .

Then there ’ s the potential to disrupt your business . How do you write business policies so precisely that each of your employees has access to the exact network resources they need to do their jobs — but no more ? You don ’ t want to prevent a senior engineer from meeting a critical deadline because the data she needs is on the other side of a segment wall . Neither do you want her wandering freely through sensitive HR data .

The biggest challenge in segmentation is that you don ’ t really know your network . You don ’ t have sufficient context to build intelligent policies .

But the bottom line is , if you can ’ t answer simple questions about what ’ s connected to your network , you can ’ t hope to protect your business .

Segmentation — do it right with ForeScout

ForeScout is focused on making segmentation an attainable reality for businesses .

Deploy the ForeScout platform , and you immediately know what ’ s connected to your network .

Everything . PCs . Servers . Printers . Internet of Things ( IoT ) devices like medical equipment and lighting systems . Operational technology like manufacturing equipment . The instant something — anything — attaches to your network , you know about it . No manual scans or software agents required .

Because we ’ re vendor agnostic , we work across heterogeneous environments and legacy networks and with other technologies such as next-generation firewalls ( NGFWs .)

Then , we work hand-in-hand with your current solutions to automate your defenses .

ForeScout : Transforming security through visibility™

Visiblity is foundational to segmentation . It ’ s non-negotiable . You can ’ t protect what you can ’ t see .

ForeScout addresses the barriers to effective segmentation : complexity , high cost , vendor lock-in , and , most importantly , lack of device transparency . With ForeScout , segmentation is a security strategy that is now achievable .

Pedro Abreu Chief Strategy Officer

ForeScout Technologies , Inc .