No Security Vendor is An Island: The Long Reach of Tech Integration

McAfee Security Connected reference architecture

Besides McAfee’s own extensive security solutions in areas like mobility, DLP, data centres, intrusion prevention systems (IPS) and more, McAfee’s Security Connected framework enables integration from multiple products, services and partnerships for centralised, efficient, and effective risk mitigation.

Taking into account more than 2 decades of proven security practices, this approach addresses organisations of all sizes, verticals and geographies, improve their security approach, optimise security for greater cost effectiveness and align strategies with business initiatives (not one size fits all), unique risks, infra and business objectives

Change control processes are often reactive, requiring manual response. With all the threats out there and the growing number of endpoints, this isn’t effective any more.  

McAfee’s approach  touts that every desktop, server, application, network device and database is in the scope of a change control solution.For that IT departments would have to have visibility into who has access to their systems and the activities that are taking place.

Enterprises need to implement change controls that align automated assessment, real-time monitoring and continuous enforcement – that means cutting through time-consuming red-tape and enabling quick authorisation and management of appropriate system changes, maintaining uptime and compliance, enforcing change policies system-wide, but above all, boosting the integrity of an organisation’s security program. 

McAfee’s extended reach

Just as McAfee’s security solutions are varied, so are their partners. And with so many partners considerations and solutions integrated into theirs, interoperability plays a very big role. Security products that do not interact with products from other vendors increases operational costs, and worse yet, security risks. Approaches need to be open and collaborative.

For every type of security attack and issue that a company faces, there would at least be another company that is facing similar.  The McAfee Security Innovation Alliance is central for all these companies to come together to share their experiences, expertise and resources. Ultimately, it aims to accelerate development of interoperable security products, simplify integration of these products with complex customer environments and deliver solutions that maximise existing customer investments, reduce time to resolution and lower operational costs. 

Security and compliance security vendors can join in this technology partnering program and leverage McAfee’s open architecture and over 35,000 organisations that already use McAfee’s security and risk management solutions. 

Another partner program, the McAfee Connected Partner program enables independent software vendors and service providers worldwide to self-certify their hardware, software and services as compatible with McAfee-based solutions.  For end-users that means testing costs that are lower, simplified deployments and overall peace of mind.

McAfee has also forged Global Alliances with select partners in the areas of networking, risk & compliance, data protection, backup & recovery, systems & desktop management and even virtualisation. As a full-spectrum security provider McAfee offers partners like VMware, HP, Citrix, AT&T, Adobe Systems, Verizon, BMC Software and Brocade, a one-stop security solution. 

The value of integration

Ala had said, from being proactive to optimised, it only required an increase of about1 percent in cost, because an optimised state can result from openness and collaboration towards tight integration of all the different solutions.

“Security has to be simplified, there are just too many siloes of disparate security vendors,” he observed. Ultimately, all these separate siloes only serve to increase costs, confusion and risks.