Security professionals frequently use the “weakest link in a chain” adage as the basis for their approach to safeguarding their networks, corporate data, and enterprise IT resources. And in many cases, the weakest link that concerns them the most is the end user. That, in turn, is drawing renewed attention to the concept of the human firewall.
Focusing on the user is all the more important in today’s work-from-anywhere world. Simply put, the new network boundary is the end users themselves. Hence, there is a need to take a firewall approach at that level.
But here we are talking about a broader concept of a firewall. It is not merely a software application or a physical device that serves as a demarcation point between an enterprise entity and the rest of the world. Instead, a human firewall approach aims to provide every end user with a combination of tools, knowledge about threats, and security best practices, as well as instilling in every user the importance of their role in the enterprise’s security.
