Selecting the Right Host Intrusion Prevention System: 12 Key Questions to Ask

SELECTING
THE RIGHT
HOST INTRUSION
PREVENTION SYSTEM:
12 Key Questions to Ask

WHITE PAPER
Selecting the Right Host Intrusion Prevention System: 12 Key Questions to Ask WHITE PAPER
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Host Intrusion Prevention Systems (HIPS) complement perimeter defenses, and play a vital role in protecting critical applications and sensitive data from a security breach. As such, the process of selecting the right HIPS - one that provides the required protection while addressing operational security concerns, and minimizing the impact on IT resources - is an important one. This white paper identifies twelve critical questions that organizations need to consider when selecting a HIPS product. These questions relate to protection, manageability, integration and speed.
TTTTaaaabbbblllleeee ooooffff CCCCoooonnnntttteeeennnnttttssss Executive Summary ............................................................................................................1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................2 1. How does it minimize false positives? ..........................................................................3 2. Can it prove you were protected? ..................................................................................3 3. What platforms does it protect?.....................................................................................4 4. How easy is it to administer and manage?...................................................................4 5. Can it integrate with other security investments? .......................................................5 6. How long will it take to deploy?......................................................................................5 7. Where does it stop the attacks?.....................................................................................6 8. What impact will it have on performance? ...................................................................6 9. How quickly can it be updated with new filters?..........................................................6 10. What kinds of reports are provided?...........................................................................7 11. Has it been certified?.....................................................................................................7 12. How quickly will the HIPS vendor respond?...............................................................7 About Third Brigade®.........................................................................................................8
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Selecting the Right Host Intrusion Prevention System: 12 Key Questions to Ask WHITE PAPER
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Enterprises today recognize the importance of securing their hosts, applications and data from a security breach. They know that:

Financially motivated cyber-criminals are increasingly targeting enterprises;

Perimeter defenses, while important, can be readily bypassed or penetrated, often by insiders;

It can take weeks or months to fully test and deploy the latest patches for operating systems and enterprise and web applications, leaving a significant vulnerability gap that attackers can exploit;

The costs of a breach - including those associated with business disruption, lost revenue, customer turnover, lower productivity, and remediation and support - are high;

Regulations, standards, and service level agreements with customers increasingly require additional, host-based compensating controls.
Host Intrusion Prevention Systems (HIPS) have emerged as a security best-practice that address these issues. Because of the vital role that HIPS plays in a proactive, defense-in-depth strategy, the process of selecting the right HIPS - one that provides the required protection while addressing operational security concerns, and minimizing the impact on IT resources - is an important one.
To help ensure organizations evaluate and select the appropriate HIPS product for their environment, here are twelve critical questions that should be asked of every vendor, about their HIPS product.
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