“The greatest challenge U.S. Government agencies face today is the speed which threat actors are advancing their capabilities and their procedures,” said Felipe Fernandez, Chief Technology Officer with Fortinet Federal, a recognized provider of enterprise-grade cybersecurity and trusted networking solutions, designed to meet public sector standards and requirements.
Increasing the technology payload with more hardware, software, applications, and storage solutions will not thwart the surging cyberthreats that continue to menace U.S. Government agencies. As long as agencies treat their cybersecurity programs with an arms race approach, they will likely remain trapped in a reactive and defensive posture against sophisticated and well-resourced adversaries.
New Areas of Risk
The problem is not just the number and frequency of potential cyberthreats, but the complexity and diversity of the threat vectors used to compromise agency systems, networks, and data. New and emerging areas for cyberthreat vigilance include:
- Cloud Applications and Storage: As Federal agencies expand the range of applications and data deployed to multi-cloud environments, with the flexibility these new strategies provide, they also create an expanded attack surface, Fernandez said.
- The Internet of Things (IoT): Agencies increasingly rely on mobile devices for data collection and sharing over the Internet. Often sensors and other embedded IoT devices are not supported by traditional cybersecurity tools.
- Operational Technology (OT): The convergence of IT with OT, such as integrated industrial control systems and healthcare delivery systems, has enabled improvement in enterprise systems monitoring and management, yet, as with IoT, converged systems often lack the cybersecurity capabilities to protect them from emerging cyberthreats.
More Solutions, More Mess?
To simplify agency operational environments, Fortinet Federal relies on one tightly integrated cybersecurity mesh platform, Fortinet Security Fabric. Gartner describes a cybersecurity mesh architecture as “a collaborative ecosystem of tools and controls to secure a modern, distributed enterprise.” Managing agency cybersecurity through a single dashboard approach allows for seamless integration of each organization’s preferred solutions that secure networks, users, devices, and applications, with an industry-leading, common operating system. “We want to make sure that U.S. Government agencies can introduce multiple capabilities into their architectures and security frameworks, and consolidate some of these functions, making their security practice and procedures less complex,” Fernandez noted. The security mesh fabric approach also makes it possible to introduce greater levels of automation, including the expanded use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), he added.
Fernandez said that agencies need to liberate their security expertise to focus on the most critical vulnerabilities, mitigate near-term risks, and respond to events as they arise. He added that “the Fortinet Federal team regularly collaborates with agency professionals to automate repetitive, more routine operational capabilities and functions that staff have been juggling with other more pressing priorities. “In the next two to three years, we’re going to see AI and ML take center stage in the cybersecurity arena,” he said.
Fortinet Automated Security Operations
It’s understandable why government agencies are turning more to AI-driven security operations given the volume, sophistication, and speed of the cyberthreats they face. Fortinet Federal offers a portfolio of security operations tools agencies can use for advanced threat protection and response, centralized security monitoring, and automation across the Fortinet Security Fabric.
For more information on how Fortinet Security Fabric and how Fortinet Federal delivers trusted cybersecurity solutions for government, see https://www.fortinetfederal.com/.
To see more of our experts’ ideas on using cloud and cloud-based services to help your agency adapt to change, download our guide. “How to be a Pivot-Ready Organization.”
