Cisco Hypershield for Federal Government

The world of Information Technology has changed rapidly and continues to evolve every day. Users are everywhere, devices are everywhere, and applications are now everywhere – the main problem here; Security isn’t everywhere. At least not yet. In an effort to minimize this IT issue Cisco will be launching Hypershield in August of 2024. So what is Cisco Hypershield? As a Value Added Reseller of IT Solutions to the Federal Government, Mvation is always researching the latest technologies. Once we watched the Cisco Keynote regarding Hypershield; we started our research, and brought all of our findings here, for you. So let’s go!

 

What is Cisco Hypershield?

 

Cisco Hypershield is a groundbreaking security architecture designed to defend modern, AI-scale data centers. This technology is being called “Groundbreaking” in an industry that is ever changing. Let’s dive in. 

 

 

The idea behind Cisco Hypershield is AI-Native Security everywhere. Cisco Hypershield brings the power of hyperscaler technology to the enterprise, reimagining security for data centers and cloud environments in the era of AI. Here’s what you need to know:

1. AI-Native Design – Cisco Hypershield is designed from the ground up with AI. It delivers high efficacy, faster response, and continuous protection.

• The system earns your trust by striking the right balance between autonomy and control.
• It protects everywhere – from the network to workloads – ensuring end-to-end security.

2. Close the Exploit Gap: 

• In just minutes (versus months), the AI-native rule engine prioritizes vulnerabilities and deploys surgical compensating controls.
• These controls are tested against live production, traffic, ensuring optimal placement. 

3. Segmentation that Works:

• Hypershield creates an extended network that continuously adapts to current realities.
• It considers process behaviors, file changes, and learned policy preferences to place macro-guardrails.
• These guardrails tighten down to regex filters, ensuring effective segmentation.

4. Self-Qualifying Updates:

• Validate upgrades and policy changes against live production traffic using the innovative dual dataplane approach.
• This approach ensures that updates won’t disrupt operations.

5. Fabric that Grows Over Time

• Hypershield’s architecture seamlessly incorporates new enforcement points without overhauling policy.
• As your infrastructure evolves, Hypershield adapts.

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Benefits of Cisco Hypershield for Federal Government

Cisco Hypershield offers several key features and benefits tailored to the needs of the federal government. Including (but not limited to) Distributed security architecture, AI-Driven threat analysis and prioritization, extending security beyond data centers, self-healing and proactive upgrades, and adaptability and scalability. Let’s dive a bit more into each area. 

Distributed Security Architecture:

1. 1. • Hypershield is designed to be distributed across the entire environment, embedding security in every software component. It covers servers, applications, and both public and private cloud deployments.
      • By adopting a hyperscale model inspired by major cloud providers, Hypershield ensures comprehensive protection. 

• AI-Driven Threat Analysis and Prioritization:

1. 1. • Hypershield’s AI engine continuously analyzes threats and assigns risk scores. This prioritizes vulnerabilities, allowing security teams to focus on critical issues. 
      • Efficient resource allocation and effective incident response are facilitated by this automated threat analysis. 

• Extending Security Beyond Data Centers:

1. 1. • Hypershield isn’t limited to traditional data centers. It secures diverse environments, including medical devices in hospitals and technology on factory floors.
      • Federal agencies benefit from this flexibility, ensuring protection across various scenarios.

• Self-Healing and Proactive Upgrades:

1. 1. • Hypershield’s self-qualifying upgrades keep security components up-to-date without manual intervention.
      • The AI engine monitors anomalies and initiates necessary updates or patches, reducing vulnerabilities.

• Adaptability and Scalability:

1. • Hypershield adapts to changing environments, making it suitable for federal agencies with dynamic needs.
   • Its scalability ensures seamless expansion without compromising security.

Cisco Hypershield has Significant Implications for Federal Cybersecurity Roadmaps

Let’s explore some key insights:

• Scalability and Efficiency:

1. 1. • By resolving the inherent weaknesses of traditional security models, Hypershield promises a scalable, efficient, and secure framework. Federal agencies can benefit from enhanced security measures that protect network perimeters, internal data, and critical systems1.

• Adaptation to Evolving Threats:

1. 1. • As the threat landscape evolves, federal agencies need adaptable solutions. Hypershield’s distributed, AI-native approach ensures that security can be embedded wherever it’s needed. This flexibility allows agencies to stay ahead of emerging threats and respond effectively2.

• Holistic Security Fabric:

1. 1. • Hypershield goes beyond traditional perimeter-based security. It acts as a fabric that blankets the entire environment, securing every software component, server, and cloud deployment. For federal agencies dealing with diverse and dynamic ecosystems, this holistic approach is crucial2.

• Integration with Existing Infrastructure:

1. 1. • Federal agencies can integrate Hypershield seamlessly into their existing infrastructure. Whether it’s VMs, Kubernetes clusters, or networking devices, Hypershield’s AI-native capabilities enhance protection without disrupting operations2.

• Future-Proofing and Extensibility:

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   • Hypershield’s roadmap includes extensions beyond data centers. Soon, it will secure medical devices in hospitals and operational technology on factory floors. Federal agencies should consider how Hypershield aligns with their long-term security strategies2.

What the Federal Government Needs to Know About Cisco Hypershield

For more information about Mvation’s AV solutions for the federal government, visit Mvation’s website.

Sources: 

1.  Leveraging Hypershield
2.  Cisco Hypershield; A new era of Distributed, AI-Native Security

3. Cisco brings CI/CD security to embedded infrastructure with HyperShield

4. Cisco ramps up AI era security with Hypershield

5. Cisco Hypershield: Security reimagined — hyper-distributed security for the AI-scale data center