The risks of public Wi-Fi use are featured heavily in security awareness training and remote worker education programs. They should. Open Wi-Fi attracts security threats like bears to honey.
Securing in-office Wi-Fi is essential as businesses reopen their doors – in one way or another – heading into 2022. Many already have. And a fair number of them – perhaps some of your clients and prospects – have not considered all the security ramifications of that reopening.
Most know the pandemic has been a windfall for cybercrooks. (How could they miss it?) But few have thought through the potential issues of reopening their guest Wi-Fi in a cyber environment that’s far richer in threats than it was pre-pandemic. In fairness, they have plenty of other things on their minds. Plus, that’s why they need you to help them stay safe.
Choosing a DNS Protection Solution for Guest Wi-Fi
With all of this in mind, here are some features you should look for when recommending a DNS protection solution. First, it needs to lock down your clients’ guest Wi-Fi and protect them from risks such as users visiting gambling, adult, shopping or streaming sites:
- Compliance – Depending on a client’s location or industry, they may need to meet compliance regulations. The solution you source should be able to meet those standards.
- Cloud-based – Choosing a solution that delivers security as a service eliminates worries about hardware or software falling out of date.
- OS neutrality – Your solution needs to work with any device, regardless of operating system (OS).
- DNS bypass – Internal domain safelisting can ensure that guests can reach your client’s domains.
- Active threat and malware protection – Your solution should deliver active, reliable malware protection that thwarts threats before they reach connected devices. In today’s threat environment, that doesn’t just mean libraries and known threats, but machine-learning and A.I.-powered threat intelligence that helps your clients stay a step ahead of cybercrooks.
- Connection-point level policy management – Many of your clients will have multiple guest access points. The solution they rely on should enable filtering and policy customizability at each of them.
- HTTPS/SSL compatibility – A surprising number of solutions in the marketplace still struggle with secure connections. Your client’s guest Wi-Fi solution shouldn’t be one of them.
- Scalability and competitive pricing – Scale matters. Your provider should have the global reach to serve all your clients everywhere affordably and reliably.
Other DNS Security Provider Considerations
There’s a lot to consider when securing guest Wi-Fi, but to achieve cyber resilience, your clients need DNS protection beyond office visitors. A good provider should also deliver DNS Protection to your clients’ mobile workforces, [CF3]even if they have a VPN already. And on your side of the equation, you’re going to need support for multilocation clients, so you need to partner with a provider with a global reach and a proven commitment to the channel.