Critical infrastructure, from energy utilities to financial services, are the backbone of everyday life. A system failure in these industries can wobble nations, disrupt economies, and up-end communities.

Their importance makes them constant targets of cyberattacks from rogue nations and entrepreneurial thieves. In the past few years, hospitals, power plants, gas pipelines, and transportation have all had their data stolen or locked out for millions of dollars in ransom.

Critical, indeed.

These essential environments demand increasing levels of protection, and there are many methods of controlling the communication and collaboration between multiple types of networks, from information to operational technology to trusted and untrusted. Secure data transfer between these sensitive networks is not easy. Files must be rid of malware and other hidden threats.

Networks must be resilient; they can’t go down. You must also eliminate compromise in code and data corruption as information passes from one critical network to another. How do you do that and ensure Zero Trust?

The most common method to protect these sensitive networks is the use of a “data diode” to enforce flows of data in critical parts of the architecture. Understanding different types of diodes is a valuable step to ensuring the network is rock-solid and impermeable to attack. Forcepoint’s ‘Understanding Reliable Diodes’ guide explains diode advantages and limitations so that you can simplify your approach to protecting critical networks.

High-assurance data transfer devices are designed to protect the critical networks of the most security-conscious organizations. Using one-way links can send data from a high-security network toward one with a lower level, or vice versa. Bad actors cannot use the same connection to attack the network in the opposite direction.

Where additional content transformation, high throughput and resiliency is needed, High Speed Verifiers provide the protection and two-way flow required by the application. Helping organizations share data fast, remove threats, and ensure the IT or OT data is malware-free and safe.

Understanding which hardware-enforced device suits your business requirements to securely and reliably deliver information wherever you need it. For more information, read the full data diodes whitepaper.

Forcepoint is the leading user and data protection cybersecurity company, entrusted to safeguard organizations while driving digital transformation and growth. Our solutions adapt in real-time to how people interact with data, providing secure access while enabling employees to create value.