What is Cyber Security Mesh Architecture?

Cyber Security Mesh Architecture (CSMA) represents a significant shift in the way organisations manage and implement cyber security. This blog looks into what CSMA is, its value for organisations and can it really benefit you?

Understanding Cyber Security Mesh Architecture

According to Gartner, Cyber security mesh, or cyber security mesh architecture (CSMA), is a collaborative ecosystem of tools and controls to secure a modern, distributed enterprise. It builds on a strategy of integrating composable, distributed security tools by centralising the data and control plane to achieve more effective collaboration between tools.

In other words, CSMA is an approach that aims to deliver integrated, flexible, and scalable cyber security control. Many organisations today face significant challenges due to the increasingly distributed nature of IT assets, which are scattered across various locations, including on-premises, cloud environments, and mobile devices. CSMA addresses these challenges by centralising the management of these dispersed security tools and enabling them to be more integrated and cohesive.

At its core, CSMA allows for the creation of a security ecosystem that is built around the capabilities of each security product in the organisation, allowing for greater visibility, coordination and automation. This means that each product with its own security functions, can communicate and collaborate with one another. The result is a dynamic, interwoven security fabric that can effectively protect data and assets regardless of their location.

Did CSMA evolve beyond being a concept?

Despite the fact that CSMA is a conceptual approach to modern cybersecurity architecture, there are current products that can establish the foundation to enable organisations to adopt this architectural change. We can summarise the capabilities of CSMA into 4 main layers:

Analytics:
This layer is responsible for ingesting data and telemetry from security tool. It aggregates and analyse this data to provide threat analysis, eliminating visibility gaps, and providing actionable data that can trigger threat responses.
Identity:
An Identity fabric layer that encompasses Identity and access management functions, including decentralised identity management, entitlement management, and others.
Consolidated policy:
the ability to manage and enforce consistent security policies across the multiple environments and solutions within the mesh. This layer also provides centralised security posture management in a unified workflow.
Consolidated Dashboard:
This layer should provide a unified view of the organisation security architecture, rather than the siloed dashboards provided by each standalone security product. It enables efficient security operations, and higher ability to detect and respond to security threats.

Key Benefits of CSMA for Organisations

The adoption of CSMA offers several benefits that are particularly relevant in today’s complex cyber security landscape:

Enhanced Security Agility: CSMA enables organisations to swiftly adapt their security measures to changing threats. This agility is crucial in a landscape where threat vectors continually evolve.
Improved Security Effectiveness: By applying consistent security policies centrally, CSMA minimises potential gaps in protection. This targeted approach reduces the risk of breaches and enhances overall security efficacy.
Cost Efficiency: CSMA can lead to cost savings by reducing the need for redundant security controls and allowing for better utilisation of resources. This architecture helps in optimising investments in cyber security by tailoring the security measures to specific needs and risks.
Scalability and Flexibility: As organisations grow and evolve, CSMA's modular nature allows for the seamless addition of new components without the need to redesign the security infrastructure. This scalability ensures that security grows in tandem with the organisation.

Why companies should use Integrity360's new Fortinet service

Integrity360's new Fortinet service is designed following CSMA principles. This service streamlines operations and enhances security across digital infrastructures, offering a unified approach to mitigate complex cyber security issues. Our suite includes professional services (PS) and managed services for over 15 Fortinet solutions and products, and support for 450+ 3rd party integrations. These offerings are meticulously crafted to be bundled in a variety of configurations, ensuring a perfect fit for a wide range of use cases and business requirements.

What is a Security Fabric?

The Fortinet Security Fabric represents a comprehensive cyber security solution designed specifically to meet the needs of enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) without compromising on performance. It integrates cutting-edge technologies across endpoints, networks, and clouds to offer complete protection. This convergence of networking and security capabilities ensures high-performing connectivity while enabling coordinated, real-time threat detection and policy enforcement across the entire digital landscape.

What are the challenges it addresses?

Fortinet Services address challenges like managing multiple vendors, tightly integrating security controls into a Cyber Security Mesh Architecture and bridging the gap between network and security teams. It streamlines operations and enhances security across digital infrastructures, offering a unified approach to mitigate complex cyber security issues.

Streamlined Management and Integration: Managing the entire Fortinet stack, including Firewalls, threat protection, SASE, SDWAN, and network devices, this service simplifies security management by consolidating various security products under one umbrella.

Enhanced Security Posture: Leveraging the Fortinet Security Fabric, it ensures comprehensive protection and adapts dynamically to the evolving cyber security landscape, enhancing the overall security effectiveness of organisations.

Expertise and Support: With a large team of certified technical experts and 24/7 management, Integrity360 ensures that all security measures are up to the highest standards, providing actionable insights into priority events and proactively managing potential security threats.