SD-WAN Helps Law Firms Provide Secure Remote Access
Historically, the legal industry has been slow to adopt new technologies. This isn’t due to being tech-averse but because they are risk-averse. The law profession is highly confidential and sensitive in nature. This being the case, law firms must be wary of adopting any technologies that could adversely impact data privacy. Many firms are finding a win with software-defined wide-area networks (SD-WANs).
The pandemic caused most industries to embrace new technologies. Law firms are no different as they look for help in transitioning to remote and hybrid work models. As they continue to shift more applications and services to online environments, firms are finding that SD-WANs are a critical tool for ensuring reliable connectivity and secure communications among widely dispersed attorneys, staff and clients.
Mitigated Remote Work Risks
Nearly 90 percent of lawyers now use cloud-based software for team collaboration, billing, case management and more, according to a MyCase Legal Industry Report (registration required). While attorneys value anytime-anywhere access to key tools, an American Bar Association survey finds they remain highly concerned about confidentiality and security (62 percent) and lack of data control (40 percent).
These concerns are valid. The sensitive nature of legal work makes it an enticing target for malicious actors. According to the Department of Justice, at least 25 percent of law firms have suffered some form of data breach.
The decentralized nature of remote and hybrid computing environments makes security more challenging than ever because resources are no longer contained within a traditional security perimeter. Compounding the problem, remote employees typically don’t have robust security measures in their home offices.
SD-WAN solutions such as the EdgeConnect platform from Aruba resolve many of these issues with integrated security controls such as end-to-end encryption and multifactor authentication. Additionally, EdgeConnect supports network segmentation and application-aware routing to reduce the attack surface for highly sensitive data and systems. These SD-WAN abilities allow law firms to win big.
Integrated Security
An EdgeConnect SD-WAN further boosts network security by creating the foundation for next-generation security controls such as Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA).
SASE (pronounced “sassy”) combines security measures such as firewall as a service, secure web gateways, DNS layer security, data loss prevention, malware protection, intrusion detection and prevention, and cloud access security brokers. By consolidating these tools into a single cloud-based offering, SASE ensures the consistent application of a variety of policies. These include data and malware inspection, application access, web security, intrusion prevention, and more.
Integrated ZTNA uses access controls, segmentation, authentication and other techniques to control remote access to an organization’s applications, data and services based on clearly defined access policies. Additional controls utilize contextual variables such as the user’s identity and location and the device. They make protected applications and network segments cryptographically invisible to malicious intruders.
Find Your Own SD-WIN: Judge for Yourself
Cloud, mobile, and remote computing models have been key to supporting a remote workforce. Additionally, they’ve also contributed to a dramatically expanded attack surface. Still deliberating on how SD-WAN can help your law firm win? Let us help you judge your options. Contact us today. We’ll provide the expert testimony and make the case for using the EdgeConnect SD-WAN platform to secure your firm’s most sensitive data and applications.