Securing applications is the #1 area to invest for your future. Your applications run your digital business. It is protecting the world’s economy. It is securing our family businesses, schools, corporations, our means of daily activities. So why hadn’t I heard of what is application security before 6 months ago?

I began to learn about application-first security as the world started needing it most. In 2020, security has been even more important to customers and partners because hackers are jumping at the opportunity to attack (source).

Applications are part of everyday life. We use applications on our phones and laptops, and businesses use them to enable services, store private customer information and more. There are endless uses for applications, and as more are developed and updated everyday, cybersecurity threats assemble to take down the organizations that depend on applications.

Application-first security is the idea that applications are critical to running businesses and operations – they must be secured because they drive business value, but they run everywhere and are constantly being updated. The nature of applications is what makes them hard to secure. There are 3 stages in the application life cycle: development, deployment and testing, and runtime. There is a lot to think about when securing applications – so how do you chase down your applications to make sure that even as they move to the cloud, your business is still secure?

Simple. Cisco has a suite of products that intelligently address application-first security: Tetration, Stealthwatch Cloud, Duo Beyond and AppDynamics.

Applications need workloads to be secured separately in case of a breach in your cloud infrastructure. Tetration protects your application workloads using policy enforcement and micro-segmentation, which prevents lateral movement between applications in a data center or in the cloud.

Application security requires threat visibility and detection to quickly warn you about possible breaches. Stealthwatch Cloud gives your business the ability to respond to threats using an alert system and machine learning, providing deep insights.

Your applications need to be securely accessed by employees, without possible threats entering your cloud environment. Duo Beyond enables your workforce to stay compliant with your organization’s security postures.

Your applications require regular behavioral analysis to ensure threats are not present in your public and private cloud environments. AppDynamics offers application performance monitoring, reducing risk by empowering your organization to detect and prevent breaches.

Cisco’s solution is the ultimate answer to application security. By putting your organization’s applications first, you ensure the safety of the business’s most valued assets.

Learn more about Cisco Application-First Security

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