Authentication And Identification Services

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

The managed security services provided by the Network Services department can be thought of as layers of defence, with them being:

• Prevention

• Detection

• Response

Out of all security controls that the Network Services department maintains, managed firewall and IP Security (IPSec) VPN are two core controls. The enhanced services are offered as standalone services or bundled enhancements. For instance, a managed firewall service can have additional services such as antivirus, content filtering, and authentication services provided together in a bundle from the service provider, in this case, the Network Services department.

Firewall Service

The Network Services department offers a managed firewall service using software on the router or switch (depending on the necessity and practicality).

The Network Services department has installed Cisco 2800 Series integrated services routers with Cisco IOS Firewall Software.

Relying on the Network Services department allows the rest of the business customers to be confident that their network security is constantly up-to-date, despite the rapid pace of technology change in both hardware and software.

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems

The Network Services department offers intrusion detection and/or prevention controls to the rest of the organization. Intrusion detection systems (IDSs) watch the network to see if suspicious activities occur, and provide an alert if something is seen that is outside of normal network behaviour. Intrusion prevention systems (IPSs) provide an additional level of security by automatically taking action based on detected events to protect from an attack. For example, an IPS could, in the event that it noticed a pattern of activity that indicated a possible DDoS attack, shut off network access for the suspected attacker.

Virtual Private Networks

The Network Services department relies heavily on virtual private network (VPN) services. The department provides offer Layer 3 VPN services, based on Cisco technology. These services have allowed the business to securely extend their networks to remote members, without overburdening their internal resources.

Additionally the Microsoft Quality Assurance team is given VPN Access Cards to access the development environment deployed in the Toronto branch. Similarly the Network Services department is responsible for changing access codes, version updating and authorization certificates once every six months.

Antivirus Protection

Antivirus protection systems provided by the Network Services department offers the organization with the means to establish an overall network admission control system that allows them to stay current as new threats emerge and prevents local users from infecting the network. Most attacks come from trusted users that inadvertently breach security protocols. At Navantis, the Network Services department maintains a single Microsoft System Centre 2010 End Point installation on the main server, with Microsoft Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 installations in all client workstations.

Endpoint Threat Protection

Endpoint threat protection stops servers or desktop computers (also known as endpoints) from executing code that they should not execute, protecting against worms and other potentially malicious attacks.

In addition to Microsoft Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 the Network Services department offers this service through Cisco Security Agent, which provides threat protection for server and desktop computing systems by identifying and preventing malicious behaviour, thereby eliminating known and unknown security risks and helping to reduce operational costs.

The Network Services department is responsible for installing, managing, maintaining, and updating this service for every workstation within the organization.

Authentication and Identification Services

Authentication and identification services help the organization verify the identities of users requesting access to the network, which in today's business environment includes remote workers, teleworkers, and external partners.

The Network Services department provides 24-hour, 365-days-a-year authentication services. Navantis being highly reliant on Microsoft technologies, rely on Windows authentication and multiple domains to maintain authentication services.

Content Filtering

Content filtering allows Navantis to regulate what flows in and out of their company networks. It can govern the Internet content that is made available to users, and can provide protection from malicious content sent to a computer user either through the Internet or by e-mail.

The Network Services department provides managed content filtering that can monitor network traffic down to the packet level to identify and prevent harmful or unauthorized access to a company's secure network. The Network Services department enforces whatever rules a company wishes to use to determine which types of traffic, which users, and which kinds of data are allowed in. Network traffic is filtered by user-level access controls.

DDoS Protection

Many company Websites have suffered from illegal DDoS attacks. DDoS attacks are a threat to businesses worldwide. Designed to elude detection by today's most popular tools, these attacks can quickly incapacitate a targeted business, causing huge losses in revenue and productivity.

Because DDoS attacks are among the most difficult to defend against, responding to them appropriately and effectively poses a tremendous challenge for all Internet-dependent organizations.

The Network Services department offers DDoS protection relying on a Cisco solution set that includes two components: a detector and a guard. This service acts as an early warning system that can provide in-depth analysis of the most complex DDoS attacks. The detector passively monitors network traffic, looking for any deviation from "normal" or baseline behaviour that indicates a DDoS attack.

Premises Authentication

The Network Services department also maintains a biometric authentication system integrated with smart cards for all organization employees. The system is also interconnected to the internal ADT to track employee attendance and activity.

Wireless Network Protection

The Network Services department uses the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a security algorithm to secure the company wireless networks. Its intention was to provide data confidentiality comparable to that of a traditional wired network.

Additionally the Network Services department manually adds mobile devices (used mainly for testing purposes by the Quality Assurance department) to the wireless networks to the wireless network which then allows only these devices to automatically connect to the network.