Top tips is a weekly column where we highlight what’s trending in the tech world and list out ways to explore these trends. This week we’re looking at ways to defend the digital perimeter to strengthen the overall security of an organization.

Many enterprises have a variety of aspects that make up their networks, like Windows Defender Firewall, GPOs, and an AD infrastructure. Vulnerabilities in any part of the network can have a domino effect; once the first domino falls, the entire trail will go down with it, which can cause irrevocable damage to your network.

In the world of professional wrestling, one thing separates the legends from the rest: their presence in the ring. Like in wrestling, the digital world demands a robust and reliable presence for the ultimate victory. Enter Cato Networks, the undisputed champion regarding Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Points of Presence (PoPs).

Cisco has released a Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) advisory regarding a zero-day vulnerability in the web UI feature of Cisco IOS XE software. Cisco has stated that the web-based user interface should never be accessible through the public internet, yet research indicates that more than 10,000 Cisco devices have been exploited by an unknown threat actor. This critical vulnerability is being tracked as CVE-2023-20198 and is currently undergoing investigation for active exploitation.

We rarely find ourselves without access to the Internet, thanks to the increased number of public Wi-Fi networks or hotspots wherever we go. From our local coffee shops, libraries, or shopping centers, connecting to the web is easier than ever. But is it more secure? Since 2019, the rise of remote workers and digital nomads means we are more reliant on public Wi-Fi to get our jobs done and to carry out our daily tasks, from online shopping, to emails and video conferences.

F5 Cloud WAF combines signature and behaviour-based threat detection mechanisms to protect applications, regardless of the deployment location. It protects against injection attacks, session hijacking, cross-site scripting, man-in-the-middle attacks, and numerous other vulnerabilities, with continuously updated policies to shield against emerging threats.

Converging networking with security is fundamental to creating a robust and resilient IT infrastructure that can withstand the evolving cyber threat landscape. It not only protects sensitive data and resources but also contributes to the overall success and trustworthiness of an organization. And just as technologies are converging, networking and security teams are increasingly working together.

The phrase “digital transformation” gets thrown around a lot these days when discussing IT infrastructure. A popular — albeit slightly vague — buzzphrase for a reason, digital transformation, in this context, simply refers to the idea that businesses are working to modernize their operations and leverage the power of new technologies.