Monday, November 21, 2011

The Importance Of Network Security Hardware

By Paul de Vizard


As companies grow, entrepreneurs have to increase the security of their networks. This is because most fast growing companies usually discover that their current network security hardware cannot meet their privacy and security needs. The good news is that, by setting up a layered network defense, the loopholes in the security of the network can be sealed.

The main principle behind network security is having overlapping layers of protection that can defend the network from intrusions or hacking. This type of protection can be compared to the security of your home. Before and intruder breaks into your home, he or she must first go through the fierce guard dog, the burglar alarm and tamper-proof locks on your doors. A combination of these security measures is better than having just one of them in place.

The same principle applies to the security of your network in that, the more layers and tools you use; the more secure your network and company assets will be. The top 3 most popular tools used by fast growing companies to ensure that their network connections are secure include network traffic analyzers, log analysis tools and firewalls. Below are some brief descriptions of these security features.

A firewall is basically a filter used in networks to permit or deny access to the network. For instance, the firewall can be programmed to deny access to YouTube and allow access to the company website. It acts like a gatekeeper between the internet and your network. Firewalls can be software or hardware based. However, companies that have large networks often use hardware based firewalls. This is because they do not usually slow down connections compared to software versions.

Log analysis tools are used to detect a security breach or a problem with a device. They do this by reading log files. These files provide information regarding problem points, difficulties and how programs are running. They are usually generated by switches, routers, operating systems and some pieces of hardware and software. Since the number of log files can be extremely high, log tools are used to filter them out.

Lastly, a network traffic analyzer allows the administrator to take a more detailed look at the traffic flowing through a network. Regardless of the type of data being sent through a network, this software is necessary for network monitoring and maintenance.

Individually, these hardware tools can offer some degree of protection but combined, the network will be fully protected.




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