How can you explain network security to non-technical stakeholders?

In a modern world, everything the business does to achieve it's goals will rely on technology and leverage the network in some way. It serves as the core gateway for the sharing of and interacting with data between the company and it's stakeholders. The tremendous productivity gains that technology and digital transformation afford us are also at stake without proper network security. Protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the data is core to information security. But we also must protect the pathways that data will inevitably traverse with the same level of importance. Network security matters because networks matter.

This is stupid. Looks like the content was just lifted off some sales presentation slides & thrown together. If the content does not work already, how would throwing more of the same stuff make any difference to the non-techies?

Network security is the foundation of Cybersecurity, having networking skills is essential to protect your staff. Along with skills knowledge of network topology and setup is critical.

Network security encompasses a spectrum of measures and protocols designed to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data. This includes firewalls, encryption, access controls, and intrusion detection systems, forming a comprehensive defense against potential cyber threats.

Network Security involves having set the right configurations. If your configurations are wrong, it can lead to attacks on the network. Having a strong network also involves constant monitoring and fixing flaws.

It's irrelevant for all non techies client they do not want this much information. It's better to discuss your strategies then explaining all this technical things to them although they are basic but it's irrelevant.

Networks are complex and ever changing. They require specialized expertise and often advanced certs to properly administer/maintain. Often network designs and changes are not well-documented, leading to challenges for security teams. Attackers thrive in this complexity and use networks and hybrid cloud to evade detection and bypass controls as they move laterally. Networks also generate a substantial amount of logs, packets, flows, and other noise which leads to alert fatigue for responders. Attackers use this to their advantage to hide amongst the noise and hide malicious behaviors in "normal" network traffic. This issue is compounded further as the traditional network perimeter has shifted to cloud, hybrid, and a work-from-anywhere world.

Again irrelevant. You should put some examples instead of mentioning all this after 2 line start providing examples to clients to have them better idea about the current challenges.

Effective network security yields numerous benefits, including safeguarding sensitive data, maintaining customer trust, and ensuring business continuity. By preventing unauthorized access and data breaches, organizations can avoid financial losses and protect their reputation.

-Reduces attack surface -Less attack vectors -Better connectivity -Less risk to the company -Reduce long-term costs for the company

To explain network security to a non-technical stakeholder, it's best to use analogies. Ex., Let's assume we need a car to get around most places. We maintain our cars to ensure they can get us from A-to-B. However, we don't often consider the roads themselves. Generally, we simply trust the roads will be maintained in a safe and operable condition. But what if the roads were undrivable and we couldn't go where we needed to? What kinds of problems would that create? In this analogy, the cars are akin to identities/devices and the roads are the networks that transport us. Robust network security strategies ensure the business (and it's stakeholders) can safely, reliably, and efficiently get to where they need to, when they need to be there.

Another apt analogy is with Airport Security. Network security can be compared to the airport's security checks. Just as airport security scans luggage, checks IDs, and uses metal detectors to identify any potential threats, network security uses various authentication methods, encryption techniques, and scanning tools to detect and neutralize any malicious activities, helping to ensure safe communication and data transfer.

You have to adjust your communication style to suit audience needs and goals. Think about who they are, what they need to understand, and what you want them to do. Use simple words, avoid using technical terms that they might not know. If you have to use them, make sure you explain what they mean and why they are important. Back up your arguments with data, facts, or proof to show them that you know what you are talking about and they can trust you Ask for their feedback, questions, or actions to make them feel involved and interested in your topic.

I think for all of these, it's better to use analogies or stories that they can relate to. If the stakeholders aren't technical, using non technical terms and scenarios to help them understand why we are doing this and why it's needed is better. Unless they ask for it, I would even leave the brief low-level explanations of each section out.

Just tell them firewall is like your door and encryption is like sealed envelopes and that is. And phishing is like someone pretending a repairman and ask to enter your home.

It is imperative, the the sender and receiver understands the same factual information, in their own context. Hence we need to provide a measuring stick, and language that both parties understand. There are many of these, but to name one could be CMMI and the scoring of maturity. It should be tied to a business RISK when communicated. This Business risk on the other hand, should be understood in a technical perspective by the Network Architect. CIA. triad could be a way of having joint communication about "technical" stuff, if this is needed for ex. a business case for financial approval.