Digital transformation can be a nebulous term, but for FireMon customers, it typically means shifting workloads to the cloud and streamlining business processes.
This transformation should emanate from the inside out and is not simply adding transformational technology at the edge or remotely. Strategic initiatives around digital transformation should contribute to as many of the below areas as possible:
- Corporate cost savings
- People efficiency
- Customer satisfaction
- Infrastructure security posture
- Driver for meaningful innovation
Most enterprises are on the journey now, albeit at different places. The destination is a cloud-first, more profitable, responsive, efficient and customer-centric organization. But the road ahead has obstacles. To avoid these, enterprises need complete visibility into the infrastructure they are transforming so they don’t replicate and automate inefficient processes. Empowering their people to be more productive should be top of mind.
All this must be done with security at the forefront and not as an afterthought. Proper configuration of cloud deployments and automation of security policy management can move digital transformation efforts forward.
Digital transformation needs a map
If enterprises are to fully benefit from a cloud-first strategy, they not only need complete visibility into the IT they’re adding, but also their existing environments.
Without a clear picture of what you already have, you risk lifting and shifting outdated processes and non-compliant security to the cloud. And you’re not necessarily going to move everything, so your digital transformation should move you toward a complete view of your infrastructure.
At FireMon, we have been driving innovation that allows customers see their cloud deployments the same way they see their on-premise infrastructures, even though security configurations can differ widely. Digital transformation is an opportunity to create a dashboard that can travel with you down the road far into the future, even as the horizon changes — in this case, it’s wherever you decide to put workloads and digital assets.
Clean before you automate
Before you can embrace automation, there’s one key step you need to take in your digital transformation journey: ingesting and aggregating information to improve security posture.
Visibility through FireMon Lumeta enables to you to see all the devices and endpoints in your existing environment, including what you’ve already put in the cloud, and every rule that’s attached to them. Before you decide what to automate, make sure it’s worth automating. Digital transformation is an opportunity to look at what you’re already doing and a chance to clean up or fix broken processes.
Make sure your security controls go with you; you should have the same level of confidence in the cloud as you did on premise, and the same visibility, if not better. It’s also an opportunity to align teams responsible for security, especially if on-premise and cloud security duties are divided. Better still, bridge that gap and unify your team as so security is better positioned as part of your overall design process.
Once you can see everything you have and have shored up your security policy, you can automate what should be automated and replicate the appropriate on-premise controls in your cloud environment. It’s a chance to discard redundant firewall rules and processes, just as you would have a garage sale before moving a new house — why take unnecessary junk with you?
Digital transformation is more than making the business more efficient through cloud-first strategies; it’s a cultural shift for the entire organization. It means not doing things the same way just because they’ve always been done that way, but it also empowers people to take on new responsibilities by freeing them up through smart automation.
And remember, there’s no point embarking on the digital transformation journey unless you take security with you.
Find out more at www.Firemon.com
