Jisc has launched a managed firewall service (MFS) which is designed to help protect the cyber space of UK colleges, universities, research centres and the public sector.
Developed by Jisc (the UK’s digital and data body for tertiary education and research) with its members, the service is operated by cyber security firm KHIPU Networks using the cyber vendor Palo Alto Networks’ platform.
Configured and revised using threat intelligence from various sources available to Jisc as an umbrella body for tertiary education, the MFS will protect those connected to the Jisc-run national research and education network, Janet.
Jisc’s head of security, David Batho, said: “A key component of any cyber security strategy, a well-configured firewall helps to detect and mitigate potential threats. Our service has been created and developed to meet the specific needs of the tertiary education and research sectors and takes advantage of Jisc’s access to wide-ranging threat information.
“In line with feedback from members, we have taken a flexible approach and members and customers now have options, depending on the level of support they require: a fully managed firewall, or a co-managed service, including virtual options to support cloud infrastructure. Whichever option is chosen, the managed firewall service is proactively maintained, patched and configured, saving IT and security staff time and giving peace of mind.”
KHIPU Networks is already familiar to Jisc members as it also runs Jisc’s simulated phishing and training service. Its chief information officer, Guy Jermany, said: “The different service options will empower institutions to take as little or as much control as they like over their firewall environments, in partnership with KHIPU’s experienced cyber security experts.
“Combining Jisc’s threat intelligence feeds with automation, ensures that members’ firewall security configurations are proactively updated with the latest protection, leading to a continual review and improvement to their cyber security posture.”
Jisc meanwhile is holding in Nottingham a workshop on network current best practice from June 14 to 15 (with online sessions on June 16). Day one includes a session on incident response handling by Paul Knee, head of protective services, Jisc. David Batho, Nicole Stewart, lead cyber security incident invesigator, Jisc and Stuart Wiggins, intelligence advisory lead, EMEA, CrowdStrike are speaking on threat hunting detection and adversarial tactics. Steve Howard, senior product manager – cyber threat monitoring service, Jisc is discussing cyber threats.
On day three, Jatin Patel, senior product manager – cyber security and network services, Jisc covers this new firewall. The day closes with David Batho chairing a panel including a speaker from the UK official NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre); Michael Owen, deputy director, cyber operational services – NHS England; and Nicole Stewart, lead security incident investigator (CTI), Jisc.
Background
A firewall is a barrier between a private internal network and the public internet. Its purpose is to keep out ‘dangerous’ traffic, such as unauthorised users, denial-of-service attacks, spam, and viruses.
Visit https://www.jisc.ac.uk/.
Photo by Mark Rowe; De Montfort University, Leicester.
