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Tips for Building a Secure Network Infrastructure

Lindsey Patterson
Having the right network infrastructure for your company’s needs sometimes means building a secure one from the bottom up. You can find help from Information Technology and cyber security professionals to help you make sure that your network runs well with minimum exposure to attacks.

Make Lists of Requirements and Solutions

Your first couple of steps for building any type of network, hardware or software is to make a list of requirements needed for the project to work and a list of solutions to fit those requirements.
For instance, how many locations need access to the network, do you need wireless capabilities and which applications and code languages will you use. Many companies use the Terraform Cloud Application to manage shared network infrastructure, which has its own languages and solutions.

Assess, Develop and Configure Design Plans

You will then assess the current systems in place to determine which ones will be affected by the changes, and how, to minimize the negative impact that a new infrastructure will have on them. Once you have this information, you can develop your plan, configure it to best fit the requirements and implement your design.

Secure Your Hardware and Software

When you are looking into securing your network infrastructure it is important to look at the three main areas at risk, your hardware, software and personnel. Your hardware should be stored in a location with adequate climate controls, fire suppression systems and physical security against unauthorized access.
This can help keep the rest of the network safe, even if the main portion of the infrastructure is based in the cloud.
Securing your software can be more challenging as new developments in technology can create pathways for attacks. Keeping your personnel up to date on these developments can help you find solutions to potential risks. It is important to go over secure passwords, unsecured network access and other internet hygiene protocols with your employees to limit risks.

Seek Professional Help and Education

The good news about building a secure network infrastructure is that you do not have to do it all alone, your company does not have to do it all alone either. There are professional individuals and firms out there who specialize in cyber security, network security or even training companies on how to better secure everything tech related.
Some will even handle your firewall security for you by running simulated attacks, assessing risks and monitoring privileged access in real-time. This gives you more time to focus on building the infrastructure without having to worry about cyberattacks.
Seeking out the right kinds of education for network security means that you should be bringing security professionals in to teach employees how to create and secure better passwords, how to practice cyber hygiene on business and personal devices and much more. This little bit of prevention can go a long way towards securing your company.

Use Backups and Simulations

It is always a good idea to have your data backed up in more than one physical location. This can save you valuable work and time if something happens to one location such as a natural disaster, break-in or accidental deletion.
When your development team is working on network infrastructure through cloud-based platforms, each team member can save a backup of the progress when his or her workday is over. This can also help you recover information if a simulation crashes everything.
The more simulations you can run the better, especially if you can get help from some of the people who will be using the infrastructure once it is implemented. This lets you see where potential problems are while you can still fix them easily.
Building a secure network infrastructure is a big task that can involve many teams or just one hardworking IT person, depending on the requirements of your company. You can get expert advice and help for various security tasks in the areas of hardware, software and personnel as well as cloud-based tools to make coordinating teams easier.