Page 60 - Cyber Defense eMagazine July 2024

Defense in Diversity: A Strategy for Robust Cybersecurity

By Craig Burland, CISO, Inversion6

The concept of “defense in depth” dates back to ancient times, epitomized by the ramparts, draw-bridge,
towers, and battlements surrounding a medieval castle. Cybersecurity’s adaptation of the idea -- multiple
layers of security controls to protect data and systems forces intruders to “get it right” over and over
before reaching their goal -- has long been a cornerstone of strategic planning and is considered a best
practice.

However, as major cybersecurity vendors like Microsoft, Palo Alto, Okta, and CrowdStrike fill gaps in their
portfolio to provide “complete and comprehensive” security coverage, it’s time to consider a
complementary strategy: "defense in diversity". Defense in Diversity emphasizes the importance of using
different vendors at different layers of defense to mitigate the risk of a compromise due to insular thinking
or a singular, fatal flaw. Diversity in the context of this article means being composed of differing vendor
sources, operating characteristics, defensive philosophies, and fundamental principles, rather than a
political concept.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – July 2024 Edition 60
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