Read, review, and compare the best Network Segmentation Software to select the right one as per your requirement:
Network segmentation is quickly emerging as the hottest trend when it comes to methods we can adopt today to keep our data, OS, and cloud environments secure. Network Segmentation is basically a process by which a large network is divided into relatively smaller segments with each section kept isolated from the other.
Such segmentation allows network architects to set clearly defined protocols that dictate how traffic should move within an organization’s IT ecosystem.
Furthermore, it also dictates which devices can communicate with other devices on the network. Network segmentation is ideal for facilitating multi-dimensional firewall security that is drawn based on zero-trust policies.
Table of Contents:
Network Segmentation Software/Tools – Reviewed
It keeps certain segments of your network completely secure and also provides security architects with granular control over devices within their environment. Network Segmentation is considered extremely beneficial in reducing the risk of threats, making a network impervious to attacks, and boosting profitability.
Network segmentation today is all the more simple and efficient, thanks to powerful software, some of which we will be recommending in this article.
So without much further ado, let’s look into top such tools that can simplify this otherwise complex network security assuring strategy.
Market Trends: According to a report published by Maximized Market Research, the global network segmentation software market is currently growing at a CAGR of 9.5%. If the trend continues, then its market value will reach $12.5 billion by the year 2026.
Expert Advice:
- First and foremost, you want the tool to be easy to use and deploy.
- It should be capable of implementing a network segmentation strategy across hybrid-cloud.
- It should be able to deploy policies across the network while being agnostic of vendors.
- Call and talk to representatives to ensure the solution can meet your organization’s specific requirements
- Check whether the solution integrates with other existing security software powering your IT network infrastructure.
Benefits of Network Segmentation
Although the 24/7 safety of devices, data, and applications on a network is a crucial benefit of network segmentation, its merits don’t just end there. In fact, there are many other prominent benefits to adopting this security strategy such as:
- Limiting cases of incidents and reducing the risk of damage by shrinking the attack surface.
- Enhancing access control for both external and internal network security.
- Limits congestion in network traffic and thus improves performance.
- Provides comprehensive analytics on network devices, access, and monitoring.
- Facilitates endpoint device protection.
- Facilitates seamless compliance-based auditing.
List of the Best Network Segmentation Software
Some remarkably well-known software for the Network Segmentation list:
- Tufin (Recommended)
- Illumio
- AlgoSec
- Guardicore Segmentation
- Cisco Secure Workload
- Nutanix Flow
- VMware NSX
Comparing Some of the Top Network Segmentation Tools
| Name | Best for | Deployment | Integrations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tufin | Simplifying the complex process of network segmentation and micro-segmentation. | Cloud, SaaS, Web-based | CheckPoint, Fortinet, Palo Alto, Cisco, Forcepoint, Azure, Google Cloud, AWS, Juniper, Symantec |
| Illumio | Zero-trust segmentation | Web-based, Mac, SaaS | Oracle Cloud, AWS, Arista, Cisco, Nutanix |
| AlgoSec | Simple network segmentation policy enforcement | Mac, Windows, Linux, Web-based | VMWare, Cisco, Fortinet, Check Point |
| Guardicore Segmentation | Enforcing zero-trust process | Cloud-based, SaaS | OpenStack, CloudStack, VMWare. |
| Cisco Secure Workload | Excellent visibility and automation | SaaS, Cloud, Windows, Mac, Linux | Integrates with all Cisco products |
Detailed reviews:
#1) Tufin (Recommended)
Best for simplifying the complex process of network segmentation and micro-segmentation.
Tufin provides system administrators and security architects with pre-defined templates that can effectively manage the segmentation of your network. With the help of these ready-made templates, it becomes easier to define clear policies that can be applied across the entire network infrastructure.
The platform is excellent at identifying access violations across your public, cloud, or hybrid network in real time. You will then get the option to eliminate the detected issues or mark them as temporary exemptions.
Tufin also offers its customers the industry’s best templates to ensure all segmented zones on your network infrastructure are adhering to expected compliance standards.
Features:
- Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Security
- Firewall Management
- Risk Assessment
- Network Automation
- Continuous Regulatory Compliance Assurance
Pros:
- Real-time alerts
- Helps you cut audit efforts
- Helps achieve continuous compliance
- Pre-defined templates to create your own policies.
Cons:
- Nothing significant
Verdict: With Tufin, you get powerful cloud-based software that considerably simplifies the otherwise complex network segmentation process. You get the tools you need to visualize, manage, and improve segmentation across a fragmented network infrastructure.
This software is for all IT teams that wish to operationalize network segmentation across SDN, legacy, next-gen firewalls, and the public cloud through a central console.
Further Reading => Top Tufin Competitors You Must Know
Price: Contact for a quote
#2) Illumio
Best for zero-trust segmentation.
Illumio is one of those rare tools out there that help you accomplish zero-trust segmentation. The software basically visualizes how workloads and devices are communicating with each other. This allows you to create granular control policies that are best suited to containing the spread of ransomware and breach across a hybrid attack surface.
Once policies are deployed, only necessary communication between segmented networks is allowed. Breaches detected are contained in isolated segments, thus effectively preventing their lateral movement across the hybrid network.
Features:
- Real-time application dependency
- Simplifying segmentation with the help of human-readable labels
- Automated Segmentation
- Vulnerability Risk Mitigation
Pros:
- Effective breach containment
- Map communication between workload and devices
- Effectively reduce the attack surface
- Helps achieve regulatory compliance
Cons:
- It is incompatible with many network-based security solutions
Verdict: If you are looking for network segmentation software that helps you achieve zero-trust segmentation, then you’ll never find a tool that’s better than Illumio. It is quite effective in containing breaches and reducing the attack surface.
Price: Contact for a quote
Website: Illumio
#3) AlgoSec
Best for simple network segmentation policy enforcement.
AlgoSec is a great NSPM tool with impeccable network segmenting capabilities. The platform offers you all the tools needed to conveniently define and enforce a network segmentation policy across your entire network and leading firewall platforms.
AlgoSec makes it very simple to monitor the performance of your network segmentation policy once enforced through a central console. If any violations are detected, you are alerted immediately. AlgoSec has gone out of its way to ensure there are no policy violations to ensure continuous compliance.
Features:
- Firewall Auditing and Compliance
- Data center and application migration
- Incident Response
- Policy Risk Mitigation
Pros:
- Define what type of traffic to allow between network segments
- Ensure changes are made to adhere to compliance standards
- Software-defined micro-segmentation support
Cons:
- User-defined flow customization needs more improvement
Verdict: AlgoSec is already considered a great tool for network security policy management. It is efficient at deploying network segmentation policies across a hybrid environment. This one is definitely worth checking out.
Price: Contact for a quote
Website: AlgoSec
Further Reading => List of the TOP Algosec Competitors of the Year
#4) Guardicore
Best for enforcing zero-trust policies.
Akamai’s Guardicore is yet another software-based network segmentation software that exhibits phenomenal functionality. The solution facilitates the fast, simple, and intuitive enforcement of Zero Trust principles. You get to visualize activities that transpire within your network environment and are alerted to security threats in real-time.
You also get all the help you need to set clearly defined segmentation policies that can prevent the lateral movement of malicious threats. The platform works well across your endpoints, multi-cloud environment, and data centers.
Features:
- Custom threat hunting
- Granular segmentation
- Real-time visibility
- Threat Intelligence database
Pros:
- Excellent breach detection
- Broad platform coverage
- Agile Policy Creation
Cons:
- Not enough support for legacy infrastructure
Verdict: With Guardicore Segmentation, you get software that can create segmentation policies with just a few clicks, visualize applications, change policies without disrupting infrastructure, and deploy adaptive policies depending on the business context.
Price: Contact for a quote
Website: Guardicore Segmentation
#5) Cisco Secure Workload
Best for excellent visibility and automation.
Cisco Secure Workload is another in the line of excellent segmentation solutions that facilitate zero-trust micro-segmentation. With this software, you get all the tools you need to accurately enforce segmentation policies across your IT network infrastructure.
Like most good segmentation tools, Cisco also grants you complete visibility into your network’s activity.
You get to know about every workload interaction transpiring within your network with the help of this solution. Plus, the software offers you automation and recommends policies that are best suited for your applications and environment.
Features:
- Consistent enforcement of zero-trust principles
- Excellent visibility and automation into your entire network
- Best practice policy recommendations cater to your infrastructure’s specific applications and environment.
- Automated policies
Pros:
- Real-time alerts
- Strengthened security posture
- Close security gaps with comprehensive auditable reports
Cons:
- Need better documentation
Verdict: There is a lot on offer with Cisco Secure Workload. From easy enforcement of zero-trust segmentation policies to exceptional policy automation, Cisco provides software that can protect your data.
Price: Contact for a quote
Website: Cisco Secure Workload
#6) Nutanix
Best for multi-cloud security.
Nutanix helps you establish a solid security policy that keeps your network infrastructure protected 24/7/365 from a highly volatile threat landscape. The software can be used to define policies that limit access to vulnerable apps and devices, thus operationalizing an effective zero-trust strategy. The software is also great at automating regulatory compliance.
Features:
- Network Threat Protection
- Software-defined firewalls
- Visualize application communication
- Ensure continuous compliance
Pros:
- User-centric security
- Automated reporting and mediation
- Integrate with your entire security landscape
Cons:
- Networking features could work better with some improvement
Verdict: Nutanix is pretty great at automating, simplifying, and strengthening your critical data against all sorts of cyber-attacks. This, along with its automated reporting capabilities and ability to enforce zero-trust initiatives, makes Nutanix a segmentation software that deserves a spot on this list.
Price: Contact for a quote
Website: Nutanix
#7) VMware NSX
Best for consistent policy management and enforcement across the network environment.
VMware allows you to deploy network segmentation and micro-segmentation policies without wasting any time by letting you define policies in the software itself. You don’t need to rely on traffic hair pinning or traffic changes for your network segmentation strategy to work with VMware by your side. Plus, the software is great at threat prevention as well.
Features:
- Multi-site networking
- Advanced Threat Prevention
- Network agility for vSphere Environments
- L2-L7 Network Stack and Overlay services
Pros:
- Best practice network policy recommendations
- Central console to manage multiple environments
- Granular micro-segmentation supported
Cons:
- Weak interoperability in multi-vendor environments
Verdict: VMware helps you achieve granular micro-segmentation with clearly defined security policies. You get to define policies conveniently in the software itself. The software is ideal if you wish to scale and optimize your network quickly.
Price: Contact for a quote
Frequently Asked Questions
Segmentation in the network or network segmentation is a security strategy by which larger networks are divided into many smaller sections. All of these smaller segments are then kept isolated from each other.
This is largely done to ensure hackers and cyber-security threats do not have the means to move across the organization’s network environment. Network segmentation is largely done to protect a company’s data and cloud environment from security threats.
There are two methods commonly used to undertake network segmentation. They are as follows:
Physical Segmentation: This type of segmentation involves the use of special hardware to divide network data. This method of segmentation is highly insecure and also challenging to manage. Plus, it only covers the perimeter.
Virtual Segmentation: Virtual Segmentation can secure your entire network, this includes the perimeter as well. The security policies deployed via virtual segmentation are far more fine-grained and specific. Carrying out virtual segmentation is also easy, thanks to special software.
Normally, security architects advocate for the following network segmentation best practices:
– Avoid over-segmenting
– Put a limit to third-party access
– Monitor and audit the network regularly
– Visualize network
– Bring similar network resources together
With network segmentation, security architects have simple goals to accomplish. The goal is to prevent harmful traffic from making its way to vulnerable devices on the network. With network segmentation, the endpoints that contain vulnerable devices are isolated. This limits the risk of exposure they previously had.
Network segmentation is quite effective in protecting vulnerable devices on the network. This is why it is so popular nowadays. However, the degree of effectiveness that network segmentation delivers will largely depend on the security policies being deployed and the software being used.
Fortunately, you’ll be fine as long as you are opting for any of the 7 network segmentation tools recommended below.
You can effectively segment your network on the following parameters:
– You can segment the network on the basis of users by determining who needs more and least privilege on your network.
– You can separate guest Wi-Fi from Corporate Wi-Fi.
– A segment to assign a dedicated section for IT staff to do their non-administrative tasks.
– Create different sections for different department servers.
– You can also opt to keep communication systems in their own network zones to boost their performance.
– Lastly, you can segment networks based on customer databases.
Different zones or parts of a computer network can be segmented using the following devices:
– Routers
– Switches
– Bridges
You can adhere to the following tips to segment data in the best possible manner:
– Initiate personalization and segmentation of data in real-time.
– Identify and deploy the right segmentation strategy.
– Prioritize data segments based on their value.
– Take an omnichannel approach to segmentation.
Conclusion
There is a good reason why security architects today swear by the merits of network segmentation. It can be used to slow down attackers in their path if they are in the process of breaching your network. This can strengthen the overall security of your data. You can easily restrict access to sensitive information on your network with this security strategy.
Implementing a strong network segmentation strategy can give the data and applications on your network the protection they need. In that process, it can considerably boost your IT team’s productivity and your enterprise’s overall profit. However, it cannot be denied that the process itself is complex, which is why we’ve recommended the above tools.
All of them are great at visualizing activity within your network, defining segmentation policies, and enforcing them so you have an environment that is well protected from malicious cyber-attacks.
As per our recommendation, we would suggest using Tufin for its ability to improve network manageability and simplify the complexities associated with network segmentation.
Research Process:
- We spent 13 hours researching and writing this article so you can have summarized and insightful information on which Network Segmentation tool will best suit you.
- Total Network Segmentation Software Researched: 35
- Total Network Segmentation Software Shortlisted: 7