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| A C-level insight |
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| Why network monitoring is a strategic imperative! |
IS SECURING A COMPANY'S MOST VALUABLE ASSET not WORTHY OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT?
The effectiveness of software tools chosen to monitor the network is completely intertwined with the physical architecture in which they are deployed. Specifically the architecture drives performance of the monitoring tools for better or worse. This document discusses a new paradigm in network monitoring architecture and presents how a data collection system, independent of servers, dramatically alters the effectiveness of any given forensics, analyzer, IDS or billings solution. This document has particular importance for the C-level in identifying the potential of a network monitoring architecture to create strategic and market opportunities in securing and managing the performance of information on the network.
How important is information?
Information is touted as today's most valuable asset among corporations. Beyond employee knowledge and more than the software applications we use to manage our logistics, HR and financial accounts, it includes the private and financial particulars of our customer, investors, patients and related stakeholders. Governments force us to keep it secure while patients depend on us to keep information flowing so as to keep them alive in emergencies. The World of information dawns a new era upon us and we the executives are charged with the responsibility to protect it and ensure that it works to accomplish the survivability and growth of our corporations. Our market system depends on it, our profits depend on it and our stakeholders depend on us for it.
How can network monitoring leverage the efficient flow of information?
Information is bound to the network and networks are susceptible to intrusion and malicious damage. Furthermore real sabotage is more likely to occur from an inside source. As we have seen before a savvy but disgruntled IT professional can drop a logic bomb on a World leading investment bank and, within minutes, render corrupt the data records of its investors, employees, and executives across their entire network. The resultant damage is ubiquitous. Four years later the company is still locating and trying to remedy the affected equipment.
Security is not the only concern. Networks are also susceptible to performance failures at all levels, from the upper application layer to the lower communication and physical layers. It's highly important to locate and solve existing failures however the network is to a large degree leveraged if the IT professional can locate and analyze the failure before it occurs. Failures can be evident in 'zero connectivity' or have the appearance of perfect connectivity yet somehow certain traffic such as a loan application just refuses to route across a vendor's switch. In an environment where the reliability of SLA's is directly proportional to a company's reputation and market share performance failures need to be addressed as they emerge. A company's quality of service and survivability is dependent on the speed at which we respond to incidents.
Network monitoring creates the visibility to perform troubleshooting and security. Integral to the success of network monitoring are the tools used and the architecture in which they are deployed. If both variables, the monitoring tools and the deployment architecture, are implemented effectively then the security and efficient follow of information is leveraged.
Why should network monitoring objectives be considered strategic?
Because the company's upkeep of information flow is that important! Our entire business systems revolve around the acquisition and use of information. The strategies we employ for growth, whether its market differentiation, cost reductions, M&A or concentrated development, are all dependent on the effectiveness of our people's use of information. The efficient mobility of this asset is therefore a critical success factor in achieving strategic goals, whether or not corporate strategists realize it.
As there is no separation of information from the network (until it is either corrupted or shredded beyond detection) the long term optimization of the network and its related network monitoring architecture is already assumed to be in tact in the corporate goals. However significant adjustments or improvements to network monitoring and security cannot be made on a tactical or day by day basis, they require long term planning and commitment, otherwise the monitoring process will always be reactive and rarely amount to more than a 'band-aid' solution.
Given the complexity of today's network and the constant security threats that exist to information, monitoring the network needs to be placed in high priority by those ultimately accountable to stakeholders and company performance goals, otherwise related strategy initiatives suffer.
How can network monitoring bring about market advantage?
- By making the entire network 100% visible for the monitoring professional
- By enabling immediate response times to troubleshooting and security incidents
- By reducing the cost of the monitoring architecture by up to 80%
VSS monitoring heralds a new and innovative platform of data collection tools that enable distributed monitoring in a single and central location. Enabling 100% visibility and ensuring stealth from intruders, VSS monitoring's remotely managed distributed taps deploy inline in every network link while forwarding multiple copies of selected traffic to a bank of central monitoring tools. The monitoring tools then have deep packet visibility into any network or group of networks throughout the distributed environment.
Market advantage is made possible by leveraging the architecture. The security tools see all traffic simultaneously so threats can be mitigated immediately. The forensics tools, while placed in a single location, are leveraged to include all of the distributed networks critical locations. This means that during a post-attack analysis the source can be located and the company's compromised infrastructure determined so as to minimize the time and resources required for repair. The analyzer tools have immediate response potential to troubleshooting in any location making constant connectivity and information availability a company standard.
For financial companies this level of reliability and information protection reduces the risk to investors. For healthcare institutions a leveraged monitoring architecture plugs the holes in accountability for patient information as well as increases the availability of emergency response systems helping to save patient lives. For Telecoms the leveraged monitoring architecture captures would-be lost revenue for VoIP and other commercial services as well as enhances consumer confidence in the network's reliability.
We live in an era of rapid change. Never before has our society had to adapt and reinvent its tools and processes so frequently. Just as markets change and currencies converge and information becomes a strident corporate asset, the priorities of our enterprises and corporate leadership are also changing. C-levels need to adapt to the new dynamics and realize the opportunities prevailing in information conveyance and monitoring systems.
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