HSM IT ServicesNobody secured the eighth layer. We do.
Network engineers added an unofficial eighth layer to the OSI model for the people at the keyboard, mostly as a punchline. Attackers took it more seriously.
layer 8
/ ˈleɪ.ər eɪt / · noun · IT slang
- The person using the computer, as in "that is a layer 8 problem."
- The layer attackers try first.
The OSI model describes a network in seven layers, from the copper and fibre at the bottom to the apps at the top. IT people call the person at the keyboard layer 8, usually when something has gone wrong. It is a joke, but it points at something true: a convincing email or a friendly call to the help desk gets past firewalls that took months to configure.
We treat your staff as a layer to defend. That means training people can finish over coffee, access that matches each person's job, and tools that make the secure option the easy one. It also means we do not stop at layer 7. Physical security, from the cable in the wall to the camera over the door, is layer 1, and we look after that too.