The Importance of Microsegmentation in a Multilayered Cybersecurity Defense Model

Cybercrime is expected to exceed $10.5 trillion in 2025. To put that into perspective, the total U.S. GDP in 2023 was $21 trillion. So why is cybercrime so profitable? The answer lies in the ‘perfect storm’ of conditions we currently face.

Today’s organizations are totally reliant on their digital assets to function. This dependence gives bad actors the opportunity to extract data, digital assets, and money once they are inside a network—often without human intervention. For companies hit by ransomware, the quickest way out is often to pay the ransom, as it may be less costly than enduring prolonged downtime.

When you add in the low barriers to entry, the perceived low risk of getting caught, and the potential rewards, it’s easy to understand why cybercrime is growing exponentially. The rise of generative AI cyberattacks as a service on the dark web, and poor cyber hygiene by organizations has made cybercrime an increasingly attractive option. As a result, a breach is now a matter of when, not if.

Today’s organizations must develop and implement a robust, multi-layered cybersecurity defense model, including microsegmentation. This approach provides a critical layer of protection, helping to mitigate risks and minimize the impact of attacks.

Teneo’s ‘Defence in Depth’ model harnesses the power of microsegmentation across the endpoint, network, application and data layers to protect critical assets and minimize the blast radius of a breach.

Why is Microsegmentation Essential in a Multilayered Defence Model? 

Microsegmentation breaks a network into smaller, isolated segments, ensuring that even if a breach occurs in one area, it doesn’t spread across the entire network. It plays a crucial role in a multilayered cybersecurity defense model based on the ‘defense in depth’ principle. In this approach, multiple layers of security controls are deployed to protect an organization’s IT assets. Even if an attacker manages to bypass one layer, there are still additional layers in place to stop them.

Here’s why microsegmentation is key to enhancing this model:

1. Limiting Attack Surface: By dividing the network into smaller, isolated zones, microsegmentation reduces the attack surface that an intruder can exploit.
2. Preventing Lateral Movement: One of the most dangerous tactics attackers use is lateral movement—moving from one compromised system to another within a network.
3. Zero Trust Security: The Zero Trust security model – which assumes that no user or device should be trusted by default, whether inside or outside the network – aligns well with microsegmentation.
4. Compliance and Risk Management: Many industries, such as healthcare and finance, have stringent regulatory requirements for securing data.

Benefits Beyond Security 

In addition to enhancing security, microsegmentation offers several other advantages for businesses:

• Visibility and Control: Microsegmentation provides better visibility into network traffic and interactions between different applications.

• Agility in Managing Workloads: With microsegmentation, organizations can dynamically adjust their security policies as new workloads and applications are deployed without having to overhaul their entire network infrastructure.

In an age where cyber threats are more sophisticated and widespread than ever, relying on traditional defenses is no longer enough. Microsegmentation offers a proactive, granular approach to security that aligns perfectly with the Zero Trust model and strengthens a multilayered defense strategy. By isolating workloads, controlling communication between applications, and limiting lateral movement, microsegmentation plays a critical role in reducing an organization’s exposure to cyberattacks.

If you would like to find out more about microsegmentation or how Teneo’s multilayered cyber defense model can be used to enhance your cyber defense posture, visit Teneo at www.teneo.net.

Author: Brett Ayres, VP of Product, Teneo