Northrop Grumman has unveiled a new methodology for strengthening data security in the “cloud” at the recent 6th Annual SANS Institute Cyber Defense Initiative conference. Northrop Grumman introduced its Cyber Architecture Reference Series, an approach to building in strong security measures in the highly vulnerable world of public/private clouds – or hybrid clouds – storage vehicles that offer enormous capacity but possess significant security risks.
“Although many private clouds can be made highly secure, more and more federal agencies are seeking a hybrid cloud approach to expand capacity and respond to emergency server needs, like the Haitian earthquake, when agencies needed additional IT capacity,” said Robert F. Brammer, vice president, advanced technology and chief technology officer, Northrop Grumman Information Systems.
“This move to a hybrid cloud delivers immediate resources but, by adding a public server, increases security risks. Our architecture reference model is one of the first to use a multi-layered defense-in-depth approach, proven with a government customer, to secure the hybrid cloud. Our goal is to provide expanded capacity, using a public server, with the same level of security as a traditional private network.”
The featured architecture model was “The FAN”, a layered cybersecurity defensive technology reference model along with “CyCape” a cyber capability reference model. These reference models serve as a baseline for customers to build a secure architecture in the cloud that will keep data safe.
Barry Lyons IV, a Northrop Grumman cyber architect, outlined how applying the cybersecurity “FAN” to a hybrid cloud architecture provides a much stronger security environment than would otherwise be possible. The approach is based on years of cybersecurity experience with government customers within the Department of Defense, intelligence community and federal marketplace.
SANS is the most trusted and largest source for information security training and security certification in the world. It also develops, maintains and makes available at no cost, the largest collection of research documents about various aspects of information security, and operates the Internet’s early warning system – the Internet Storm Center.
