path – every step along the way. Dispersive takes a unique, patented approach to addressing this by combining Network-as-as-Service with Network-Security-as-a-Service into a Secure Access Service Edge (“SASE”).  In this application, Dispersive splits data streams across multiple, separate, AES 256-bit encrypted channels, which connect to a network of key-authenticated Deflect server paths. If congestion, attacks, or anomalies are detected, Dispersive automatically re-routes the data stream across other trusted channels. This approach is baked into its Dispersive Virtual Networks (DVN) solution, which can provide 10 times or more performance improvement over traditional VPN services by eliminating the need for VPN concentrators and decentralizing traffic based on the best path to its intended destination. 

By splitting encrypted data streams across a diverse network of its proprietary Deflect servers, enterprises can nimbly access cloud applications, enterprise networks, and transmit data based on specific, hard-and-fast performance metrics. In addition, the originating IP address for each end point is unique to, assigned by, and only known to Dispersive’s secure Deflect servers – which dynamically change. Lastly, Dispersive’s DVN solution has a small footprint and can be installed on all but the smallest of devices – and is cost-effective relative to other SD-WAN offerings.

Dynamically Detecting Deviant Behavior

Enterprises have mere minutes to respond to threats before serious damage can occur. The problem is that most security solutions today are built upon static workflows. This creates a multitude of alarms, where alarm fatigue can set in. By the time an average business identifies a threat and is able to respond, the damage has already been done. This is where Orchestral Networks’ ON S2-D2 solution comes in, and one of the reasons they won in multiple categories in Pipeline's 2020 Innovation Awards Program, including the Innovations in Security category.

ON S2-D2 combines true artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of Deep Neural Network (DNN) technology, a non-centralized virtualized representation of the network it is protecting. This is done by a series of non-centralized components, each associated with one of all the major subsystems in the network. These components communicate with each other in a dynamic fashion based on a negotiation system.  These non-centralized components maintain a statistical moving-sum average of normal behavior for the subsystem that they are associated with. This moving-sum average is important because normal behavior tends to drift over time.  

When deviations from normal occur, the non-centralized components negotiate with each other to determine if the behavior deviation is a result of other ‘normal’ changes elsewhere in the system, or if it is a true positive security alarm.  If it is a true positive, then the non-centralized components negotiate with each other to determine if this particular subsystem is exhibiting symptoms of a breach elsewhere in the system, or if it is the root cause. Then, they negotiate with each other to remediate the breach. Remediation can be static or dynamic. The choice of dynamic or static remediation is determined through the negotiation process. If dynamic, it is in turn carried out through negotiation between the components. What makes it unique is the user’s ability to control the level of automation. In some cases, the user may choose to manually evaluate the anomaly. However, in other cases, ON S2-D2 can automate and learn from decisions to dynamically and immediately remediate potential threats in under one second.

A Sense of Security

It seems the only thing that is certain today is uncertainty itself. However, there are commercial offerings available today that can help protect you and your business from a wide variety of attacks. I have shed a little light on a few of them throughout this article: from Cyvatar, which can create tailor-made managed security solutions; to NordVPN and Dispersive, which can provide deep data and privacy protection; or Cymatic and Orchestral Networks, which can provide advanced contextual and behavioral anomaly detection and remediation.  I hope this article helps you sleep a little better tonight and that it has provide you with some sense of security – both figuratively and literally.