Full Report
Network segmentation remains a critical security requirement, yet organizations struggle with traditional approaches that demand extensive hardware investments, complex policy management, and disruptive network changes. Healthcare and manufacturing sectors face particular challenges as they integrate diverse endpoints – from legacy medical devices to IoT sensors – onto their production networks.
Analysis Summary
# Best Practices: Identity-Based Network Microsegmentation
## Overview
These practices focus on achieving granular network segmentation (microsegmentation) using an identity-first architecture. This approach leverages existing network infrastructure (switches) and integrates identity data from various sources (e.g., Active Directory, EDR, CMDB) to enforce policies at the network edge, minimizing the need for costly hardware overhauls or disruptive redesigns, particularly benefiting sectors with diverse endpoints like healthcare and manufacturing.
## Key Recommendations
### Immediate Actions
1. **Deploy Lightweight Virtual Edge Connectors:** Install the necessary lightweight virtual connectors (Elisity Virtual Edge components) either directly onto supported switches (e.g., Cisco Catalyst 9K series) or deploy them as VMs/containers on existing private cloud infrastructure.
2. **Integrate Identity Sources:** Connect the central control center to primary identity and asset management data sources (e.g., Active Directory, ServiceNow, CrowdStrike) to begin populating the IdentityGraph engine.
3. **Activate Discovery Mode:** Allow the system to operate initially in a non-enforcing discovery mode to map existing network flows and asset identities without impacting operations.
### Short-term Improvements (1-3 months)
1. **Establish Core Attribute Consolidation:** Verify that the platform successfully correlates identity data from all integrated sources into "core effective attributes" to create rich, trusted contextual profiles for every asset.
2. **Utilize Learning Mode for Policy Refinement:** Enable the learning mode feature to analyze actual traffic patterns and baseline normal communications associated with asset groups.
3. **Begin Policy Simulation:** Use the policy simulation feature to test proposed segmentation rules against historical and live traffic data, identifying potential connectivity breaks before enforcement.
### Long-term Strategy (3+ months)
1. **Implement Identity-Based Policies:** Transition from network-based rules to identity-based access policies, ensuring that access rights follow the user or asset identity, regardless of physical location or IP address.
2. **Lock Down Critical OT/IoT Assets:** For sensitive environments (like IoMT or manufacturing sensors), utilize policy locking features to restrict assets strictly to predefined communication groups, preventing unauthorized lateral movement.
3. **Integrate SOAR/Incident Response:** Develop and integrate "locked down" or "quarantine" policy sets into Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) playbooks for rapid, automated deployment upon threat detection (e.g., ransomware).
4. **Automate CMDB Updates:** Configure the platform to continuously feed automated, comprehensive device inventory and network visibility data directly into the Configuration Management Database (CMDB).
## Implementation Guidance
### For Small Organizations
- Focus initial deployment on a single, manageable segment (e.g., an administrative area or a specific lab).
- Leverage existing, supported switch infrastructure compatible with the Virtual Edge connectors to minimize capital expenditure.
- Prioritize integration with the most accessible identity source (usually Active Directory) first.
### For Medium Organizations
- Phased rollout across multiple sites or major functional departments, using the platform's ability to manage varied environments (e.g., Cisco 9300 and 3850 switches simultaneously).
- Utilize dynamic asset classification features to manage rapid changes in device roles (e.g., an asset moving between roles based on ServiceNow tags).
- Start building the policy matrix visualization to manage complexity across different locations.
### For Large Enterprises
- Deploy Virtual Edges across all heterogeneous network infrastructure (Cisco, Juniper, Arista) managed by the organization.
- Leverage centralized Cloud Control Center management for global policy consistency across diverse clinical or manufacturing sites.
- Focus heavily on integrating secondary identity sources (EDR, vulnerability scanners) to achieve the highest fidelity identity context for enforcement decisions.
## Configuration Examples
* **Dynamic Reclassification Example:** Configure a policy where a device transitioning from an unknown state is automatically moved to the "Authorized Radiology Group" if its asset tags in ServiceNow, its device type (e.g., imaging machine), AND its integrity status reported by CrowdStrike EDR all match the criteria for that group.
* **Policy Validation Workflow:** Before deploying a new security rule, use the traffic flow analysis view layered over an existing policy matrix to visually identify and confirm which existing traffic paths will be severed by the proposed change, allowing for safe adjustments.
## Compliance Alignment
- **NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF):** Addresses Identify (Asset Management/Visibility), Protect (Access Control/Segmentation), and Detect (Flow correlation monitoring).
- **ISO/IEC 27001:** Supports Annex A.13 (Communications Security) through granular access enforcement and network isolation.
- **CIS Critical Security Controls:** Directly supports Control 1 (Inventory and Control of Enterprise Assets) and Control 12 (Network Infrastructure Management) by providing identity context for network controls.
## Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- **Ignoring Legacy Assets:** Do not assume legacy devices or IoT sensors cannot be segmented; the platform specifically aids in providing visibility and control without requiring physical replacement or OS patches on these endpoints.
- **Enforcing Too Soon:** Bypassing the Learning Mode and Policy Simulation phases will lead to unintended operational downtime and service disruption.
- **Incomplete Data Correlation:** Relying on only one data source (like IP address) for policy assignment will negate the power of the identity-first approach, resulting in weak segmentation.
## Resources
- **Elisity Virtual Edge:** Lightweight connectors running on switches or VMs to enforce policies at the network edge.
- **Cloud Control Center:** Centralized management console for policy creation and visibility.
- **IdentityGraph Engine:** Core functionality for correlating asset identity data from multiple vendor sources.
- **Traffic Flow Analysis View:** Tool for visually overlaying communication patterns onto the policy matrix for validation.