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Why Should You Choose an Added Protection Layer with a VPN?

Why Should You Choose an Added Protectio
There was a time when network security meant having servers on-site. A firewall would protect company data whenever internet traffic entered and exited the network. But, what about today? Modern businesses do not strictly function on-premise.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people working off-site part-time or full-time increased enormously – and suddenly. This change compelled cybersecurity professionals to reconsider their security measures. Their online privacy solutions had to ensure that their most precious asset — their data — was secure regardless of where workers accessed it.

Even when restrictions are lifted, businesses continue to use remote teams. As a result, more and more of a company's critical data and services are being housed in the cloud. These two criteria indicate that the need to examine network security on a regular basis is here to stay.

The good news is that a VPN, or virtual private network, is one of the most simple and widely accessible network security solutions for remote worker internet access.


Do VPNs Provide Reliable Business Security?

A virtual private network is a kind of Internet security service that enables users to connect to the internet as if they were on a private network. VPNs utilize encryption to provide a secure connection across vulnerable Internet infrastructure.

VPNs are one method for protecting business data and controlling user access to that data. The VPNs safeguard data as users interact with applications and websites through the Internet, and they can conceal specific resources. They are typically used for access control, although alternative identity and access management (IAM) systems can also assist with user access management.


VPN Encryption Enhances Network Security

Data is encrypted so that only authorized parties can view it. Anyone who manages to intercept it, whether a hacker, a fraudster, or another bad actor, is out of luck.

Imagine an employee is working from a coffeehouse, shared workspace, hotel, or airport and has access to your company's business-grade VPN. (Please keep in mind that business-or enterprise-grade VPNs are not the same as free VPN services.) The employee can create an encrypted connection between both the user's device and your VPN by using a VPN client installed on their preferred device and a public Wi-Fi network. This device, as well as any others that connect to your VPN, will establish encryption keys on both sides of the network connection. These keys will then encrypt and decrypt the information being exchanged.

The data of the person working at the coffeehouse is secured by the VPN after they create an encrypted VPN connection by utilizing the coffeehouse's Wi-Fi as a hotspot with a VPN client. Even if cybercriminals get access to the network of that coffeehouse, your employees and their data are secure within the VPN tunnel.


Closing Lines

Network security requires a VPN service from a trustworthy VPN provider. Our next-generation VPN enables enterprises to fully protect their assets in a dynamic, cost-effective, and scalable manner. A VPN solution enables you to connect private networks, devices, and servers quickly and simply to create a secure, virtualized, modern internet.

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ePlus engineers transformative technology solutions for the most visionary organizations in the world. Through our master architects, engineers, and consultants, we see our clients’ horizons and craft sustainable IT roadmaps to get them there. Then we make it happen. This takes imagination, relentless client service, and the tenacity to enable our clients to achieve their visions. Our deep partnerships with top manufacturers many who look to us for their own technology needs—keep us immersed across the IT ecosystem. From strategy to fulfillment to managed services, we enable our clients to realize what it means for technology to do more.

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Enhancing Network Visibility: Top Books for Effective Network Monitoring

Article | July 5, 2023

Discover network intrusion monitoring with top network monitoring books. Explore insights, best practices, and tools to secure network visibility and processes used in monitoring network performance. Observing networks for performance and security anomalies is crucial for businesses that rely on their business network. Network monitoring solutions monitor performance metrics across an entire network to guarantee that your systems operate properly. From monitoring network performance to ensuring comprehensive visibility, the books listed below will offer a wealth of knowledge and expertise to empower professionals in the networking industry. 10 Network Monitoring Books to Effectively Monitor Performance 1 Zabbix Network Monitoring Author: Rihards Olups Zabbix Network Monitoring book is an indispensable resource for networking professionals seeking to enhance their network visibility and improve network performance monitoring. 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The book's author, Richard, guides readers through implementing network security monitoring (NSM) as a proactive defense strategy. The book emphasizes integrating NSM into security measures to effectively detect and respond to intrusions. It also provides practical insights on deploying, building and operating an NSM operation using open-source software and vendor-neutral tools. With a focus on proactive incident response, this book equips readers with the knowledge and techniques to establish a robust security net that detects, contains and controls attacks. By implementing the practices outlined in this book, organizations can better safeguard their networks and prevent the loss of sensitive data. 3 Internet and Network Architecture Author: Sang Hinch Internet and Network Architecture: Analyzing Performance with Network Monitoring Tools is a must-read for professionals in the networking industry seeking to enhance network visibility and optimize network performance monitoring. This comprehensive guide offers a thorough introduction to TCP/IP, FTP, IP addresses, ports, and web page retrieval, providing a solid foundation in internet and network architecture. The book explores the complex workings of routers, data transmission, network configuration, and architecture, enabling readers to build efficient and secure networks. Focusing on practicality, it emphasizes using network monitoring tools to analyze performance and troubleshoot issues effectively. By mastering the fundamentals presented in this book, readers will gain the knowledge and confidence to navigate the World Wide Web, understand network protocols, and make informed decisions for network optimization. 4 Zabbix 4 Network Monitoring Author: Patrik Uytterhoeven & Rihards Olups Zabbix 4 Network Monitoring: Monitor the performance of your network devices and applications using the all-new Zabbix 4.0, 3rd Edition is a comprehensive and highly valuable resource for professionals in the networking industry. This book serves as an essential guide to effectively monitor the performance of network devices and applications using Zabbix 4.0. Written for both beginners and experienced users, the book offers a step-by-step approach to help readers quickly grasp the installation process and explore the new features of network monitoring. From understanding native Zabbix agents and SNMP devices to harnessing Zabbix's integrated functionality for monitoring Java application servers and VMware, readers will gain comprehensive knowledge. With insights into optimizing performance, automating configurations, and troubleshooting network issues, it will develop advanced skills to ensure a healthy and efficient network. 5 Applied Network Security Monitoring Author: Chris Sanders & Jason Smith An indispensable book for professionals in the networking industry Applied Network Security Monitoring: Collection, Detection, and Analysis offers a comprehensive guide to become a proficient NSM analyst. Focusing on NSM's collection, detection, and analysis stages, this book equips readers with essential concepts through real-world examples and practical scenarios. Recognizing that prevention is not foolproof, the book emphasizes the critical role of detection and response in minimizing the impact of network intrusions. With insights from experienced NSM professionals and access to sample data, readers gain valuable knowledge to analyze network security incidents effectively. From data collection methods to in-depth coverage of tools like Snort, Suricata, Bro-IDS, SiLK, and Argus, this monitoring book provides hands-on experience and practical examples using real PCAP files. By leveraging Security Onion for lab examples, readers can develop and enhance their analytic techniques. 6 Practical Network Security Monitoring: Using Free Software Author: Elizabeth Graham Practical Network Security Monitoring: Using Free Software offers guidance on utilizing free software to collect, monitor, and analyze network traffic, thereby detecting and identifying potential threats. With a focus on providing practical exercises, this book equips beginner to intermediate users with the necessary knowledge to detect and defend cyber threats. Step-by-step instructions enable readers to install, configure, and effectively use free tools, allowing hands-on experience in analyzing network traffic and identifying malicious activity. This book edition covers Security Onion, introducing significant changes to the platform. The updated content includes new intrusions, malware, PCAP examples, and an introduction to web-based PCAP analysis tools. A bonus chapter challenges readers to test their knowledge through self-assessment. 7 Efficient Body Sensor Networks for Patient Monitoring Author: Jawaid Iqbal Efficient Body Sensor Networks for Patient Monitoring is a book for professionals in the networking and healthcare industry, focusing on the challenges, Body Sensor Networks (BSNs) face in continuously monitoring patient vital signs. BSNs operate in constrained environments and encounter issues such as patient information privacy, secure data transmission over public networks, high overhead, and energy constraints. Being one of the prominent network monitoring books, it presents five efficient and secure attribute-based schemes designed explicitly for BSNs. These schemes address the mentioned challenges comprehensively, providing practical solutions to enhance network monitoring performance in patient monitoring scenarios. By proposing novel approaches, this book contributes to the advancement of efficient and secure patient monitoring within BSNs. 8 Mastering Python Networking Author: Eric Chou A comprehensive guide created for professionals in the networking industry seeking to leverage Python for network automation, monitoring, and management, Mastering Python Networking: Utilize Python packages and frameworks for network automation, monitoring, cloud, and management, focuses on the latest Python libraries and frameworks and equips readers with the necessary skills to tackle common & complex network challenges effectively. From interacting with network devices to implementing advanced features using Python 3, the book covers a wide range of topics, including Docker containers, network data analysis, cloud networking, and DevOps practices. With practical examples and insights into tools like GitLab & ELK, network engineers, developers, and SREs will gain valuable knowledge to enhance their network performance monitoring and visibility. 9 AWS Security Cookbook Author: Heartin Kanikathottu Focusing on securing Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure, AWS Security Cookbook: Practical solutions for managing security policies, monitoring, auditing, and compliance with AWS is written. Being one of the network monitoring books that provide professionals with valuable insights related to network visibility and network performance management in the networking industry, this book offers practical solutions to address common security challenges, including permission policies, key management, network security, and cloud security best practices. Industry professionals can explore various AWS services and features that enhance security, including IAM, S3, CloudWatch, CloudTrail, Config, GuardDuty, and Macie. In addition, the book also covers compliance requirements and demonstrates how to maintain security and compliance using AWS security services. 10 The Best of TaoSecurity Blog, Volume 2 Author: Richard Bejtlich The Best of TaoSecurity Blog, Volume 2: Network Security Monitoring, Technical Notes, Research, and China and the Advanced Persistent Threat, guides professionals in the networking industry, particularly those interested in network security monitoring. 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Top 10 Network Traffic Analysis Tools for Enhanced Network Monitoring

Article | July 10, 2023

Discover the effective tools for analyzing network traffic to improve monitoring efficiency. Enhance the network's performance and raise the network's potential by choosing the appropriate tool. Automation adoption has become critical for companies in the dynamic fields of manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain management. By minimizing costs, enhancing efficiency, and reducing downtime, automation delivers optimal value for manufacturers. However, selecting the right partner can be challenging with numerous warehouse automation companies available. This article provides the features and benefits of top ten warehouse automation tools, offering expertise in improving business operations. These data warehouse tools provide comprehensive solutions to meet diverse needs, whether through software solutions or tools. 1. Network Performance Monitoring Datadog Network Performance Monitoring is an exceptional software tool that enhances network monitoring capabilities, providing comprehensive visibility into all components of on-prem, cloud, and hybrid environments. With minimal overhead, the tool monitors the performance of connections among hosts, services, virtual private clouds (VPCs), and other elements, enabling quick identification of network-related issues. It tracks essential network metrics such as TCP retransmits, latency, and connection churn. It also allows monitoring of traffic health between any endpoints at the app, IP address, port, or process ID (PID) layers. Datadog aids in isolating network issues within Envoy-powered service meshes and troubleshooting inefficient load balancing. The software also helps manage cloud networking costs by identifying the responsible services and teams for significant traffic spikes. Deep DNS visibility allows system-wide analysis of DNS performance without SSHing into individual machines. For granular insights, users can explore S3 buckets or RDS databases. 2. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor Paessler PRTG Network Monitor is a powerful and user-friendly real time network monitoring tool that helps enhance network traffic analysis for industry experts. It offers central monitoring for a comprehensive view of the entire IT infrastructure in one place. With on-premises installation, users have full control over data and configuration. The software supports various technologies and protocols, with automatic network discovery simplifying setup. Feature like custom maps, real-time alerts, and customizable reports provide an overview of the network and facilitate proactive monitoring. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor allows distributed monitoring across remote locations and offers a user-friendly interface for easy installation and use. With full administrative control and perpetual licenses, users have flexibility and cost-effective access to all monitoring features. It is a reliable solution trusted by businesses worldwide for efficient network monitoring, providing industry experts with enhanced visibility, control, and peace of mind. 3. OpManager Plus OpManager Plus is a robust enterprise network monitoring software that optimizes network performance and ensures an error-free network. It offers real-time health, availability, and performance monitoring, enabling proactive and reactive monitoring techniques. OpManager Plus provides critical metrics for traffic analysis, such as packet loss, response time, resource utilization, errors, and network traffic via SNMP. It includes in-depth server monitoring features, enabling efficient monitoring of servers, routers, switches, and firewalls. The software leverages Cisco IPSLA for WAN and VoIP monitoring, visualizing paths, resolving outages, and diagnosing poor performance. OpManager Plus also offers built-in network troubleshooting tools like ICMP Ping, Traceroute, Switch Port Mapper, SNMP MIB Browser, and Telnet/SSH, empowering industry experts with the necessary tools for first and second-level troubleshooting. It is one of the best network monitoring tools for industry professionals that enhance performance, ensure network availability, and enable efficient troubleshooting. 4. Domotz A powerful network performance monitoring tool, Domotz revolutionizes network monitoring and management. With its streamlined IT operations, it enhances efficiency and strengthens security measures. As one in many top network monitoring tools, it offers unmatched visibility into digital assets and data flows, empowering users with critical insights from their networks. Its feature-rich software including network autodiscovery, automated mapping, IT asset inventory, and SNMP-based device monitoring caters to MSPs, System Integrators, IT and Security Professionals. These features facilitate effective traffic analysis and resource monitoring. Domotz also offers integrated capabilities like configuration management, versioning, backup, and seamless integrations with PSA systems. By leveraging Domotz, industry experts gain a powerful tool to monitor network traffic, optimize performance, and strengthen overall security. 5. checkmk checkmk is a powerful network performance monitoring tool that enhances network monitoring and management. Its latest version, checkmk 2.2, provides a comprehensive solution for monitoring hybrid IT infrastructures, including native cloud applications and OpenShift support. The software offers real-time monitoring of dynamic cloud workloads, allowing users to map their cloud infrastructure, monitor cloud-native services, and track resource consumption and costs. checkmk seamlessly integrates with major cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, offering cloud-specific dashboards and easy cloud deployment. The monitoring agents of checkmk support push mode for autonomous data transmission and auto-registration for real-time host addition and service discovery. Industry experts benefit from the robust features of checkmk for effective traffic analysis, improved cloud monitoring, and simplified implementation in dynamic cloud environments. checkmk is a reliable choice among network management tools for optimizing network performance and ensuring efficient cloud monitoring. 6. NinjaOne RMM NinjaOne RM, recognized as the top-rated network performance monitoring tool. It offers powerful and user-friendly RMM software that efficiently manages client endpoints. With NinjaOne, industry experts can monitor, support, and control a wide range of devices, servers, virtual machines, and networking devices from a single interface. The real-time network monitoring software features include alert notifications, automated patching for enhanced security, one-click device actions for streamlined management, secure remote access for fast support, endpoint task automation to optimize workflows, and a self-service portal for client end-users. Its scalability, intuitive UI, and comprehensive support make it one of the best network monitoring tools. Industry experts benefit from improved technician efficiency, reduced complexities, and enhanced service delivery, leading to greater profitability and customer satisfaction. 7. Fortra’s Intermapper Fortra's Intermapper is an intuitive network mapping tool to monitor network traffic autodiscovery features. The network map is constantly refreshed, ensuring an up-to-date representation of any network. This software offers SNMP-based network monitoring, performance alerts, and a capacity planning tool. By implementing Intermapper, industry experts can efficiently analyze network traffic and detect performance issues in real-time. The tool allows users to set performance threshold levels and receive alerts via email or text, ensuring proactive monitoring and reducing the need for constant screen monitoring. 8. Site24x7 Network Monitoring Site24x7 is one of the leading tools to monitor network traffic that enhances network monitoring capabilities with its comprehensive features. With granular visibility at the device and interface levels, Site24x7 enables thorough network performance monitoring. The tool offers intelligent features for deep observability, proactive insights, and root cause analysis, all within a single window. This cloud-based solution help users have complete control over their network. It monitors network traffic, allowing users to analyze traffic, packets, errors, and discards, providing actionable insights for optimizing network performance. Additionally, Site24x7 offers automatic network discovery, real-time application and device monitoring, and powerful reporting, analytics, and alerts. 9. Nagios Core Nagios Core is one of the top network security monitoring tools that serves as an event scheduler, processor, and alert manager. It offers a robust architecture and extensive scope for monitoring various elements. With its APIs, Nagios Core allows easy extension and customization to meet specific monitoring requirements. Implemented as a highly efficient C-based daemon, it delivers optimal performance on Linux and Unix systems. Nagios Core provides a solid foundation for network security monitoring, enabling industry experts to analyze network traffic, detect issues, and receive timely alerts. Its scalability and flexibility features make it a valuable tool for enhancing network traffic analysis and ensuring the security and stability of IT infrastructures. 10. Catchpoint Network Experience Catchpoint Network Experience, part of the Catchpoint platform, is a comprehensive network performance monitoring tool that ensures the successful delivery of web applications. It offers key features such as internet connectivity checks, BGP assessments, and the ability to assess ISPs and other services. By monitoring network performance, Catchpoint helps identify the root cause of performance issues and ensures optimal delivery of web systems. It analyzes virtual networks, identifies performance issues with remote access and site-to-site VPNs, and traces connections from LAN to web servers. Industry experts can benefit from its website delivery performance tracking, root cause analysis, and virtual network performance monitoring capabilities, making it an invaluable tool for enhancing network monitoring and optimizing web application performance. Final Thoughts Maintaining a robust and efficient IT infrastructure relies heavily on effective network monitoring. Integrating server, application, storage, and network management functions enables companies to deliver services seamlessly to end users. A comprehensive suite of network monitoring tools is essential for addressing various aspects of networking technology, including physical components, security measures, and environmental conditions. The ultimate goal is to proactively identify and mitigate potential network issues, reducing their impact on user productivity. In the event of failure, prompt detection and resolution become crucial, and a responsive help desk plays a valuable role in quickly receiving user alerts and uncovering previously undetected problems. By leveraging top network traffic analysis tools, businesses can elevate their network monitoring capabilities and establish a solid foundation for optimal performance and unwavering reliability.

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Enhancing Network Resilience in the Healthcare Sector to Prevent Downtime and Unusable Uptime

Article | July 5, 2023

The RAN (Radio Access Network) architecture for mobile networks includes a remote radio unit (RRU) located at the top of a cell tower, which communicates with a baseband unit (BBU) at the base of the tower. The hardware and communication interfaces are owned by a specific vendor, and its software-driven functionality is tightly coupled within the hardware. Traditionally, this has worked well for mobile network operators (MNOs). However, there are several drawbacks to consider – for instance, upgrading or changing the wireless network demands physical hardware replacements throughout the network, which is cost-inefficient, labor-intensive, and time-consuming. Furthermore, the equipment and interfaces that connect the hardware are owned by the vendors that originally supplied them, which locks MNOs into existing relationships with them.

Read More
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Enhancing Network Visibility: Top Books for Effective Network Monitoring

Article | June 16, 2023

The third Annual OCP China Day, organized by the Open Compute Project (OCP) Foundation and hosted by Inspur, will be held on July 27, 2021 in Beijing. It marks another step in the right direction to popularizing open computing across the globe. This year is the tenth anniversary of the open compute project and the theme of OCP China Day is “Open compute for a new decade: Decarbonization, Efficiency, Adoption”. Omdia has tracked the open computing market in detail for 5 years and over that period we have seen the end-user base expand and adoption take off. We expect 40% of the servers shipped in 2025 to be developed based on open standard, up from 7% in 2016. This is a very significant number, partularly given that our forecast takes into account large scale adoption at only two or three of the hyperscale cloud service providers. Most of the net new deployments are expected to be at tier-2 cloud, communication service providers and enterprises, including the public or government sector.

Read More
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Enhancing Network Resilience in the Healthcare Sector to Prevent Downtime and Unusable Uptime

Article | July 5, 2023

Discover network intrusion monitoring with top network monitoring books. Explore insights, best practices, and tools to secure network visibility and processes used in monitoring network performance. Observing networks for performance and security anomalies is crucial for businesses that rely on their business network. Network monitoring solutions monitor performance metrics across an entire network to guarantee that your systems operate properly. From monitoring network performance to ensuring comprehensive visibility, the books listed below will offer a wealth of knowledge and expertise to empower professionals in the networking industry. 10 Network Monitoring Books to Effectively Monitor Performance 1 Zabbix Network Monitoring Author: Rihards Olups Zabbix Network Monitoring book is an indispensable resource for networking professionals seeking to enhance their network visibility and improve network performance monitoring. This comprehensive guide offers an approach to effectively monitor network devices and applications using Zabbix 3.0. One of the network monitoring books, Zabbix Network Monitoring covers essential topics such as data collection, native Zabbix agents, and SNMP devices. It also delves into monitoring Java application servers, VMware, notifications, permission management, system maintenance, and troubleshooting. It empowers readers to build a robust network monitoring solution to gather data from various systems. By exploring the intricacies of Zabbix, this book ensures that network monitoring becomes an efficient and effortless task, ultimately enhancing network visibility and performance for all stakeholders. 2 The Practice of Network Security Monitoring Author: Richard Bejtlich An essential book for networking professionals, The Practice of Network Security Monitoring: Understanding Incident Detection and Response, helps to enhance network visibility and strengthen network security. The book's author, Richard, guides readers through implementing network security monitoring (NSM) as a proactive defense strategy. The book emphasizes integrating NSM into security measures to effectively detect and respond to intrusions. It also provides practical insights on deploying, building and operating an NSM operation using open-source software and vendor-neutral tools. With a focus on proactive incident response, this book equips readers with the knowledge and techniques to establish a robust security net that detects, contains and controls attacks. By implementing the practices outlined in this book, organizations can better safeguard their networks and prevent the loss of sensitive data. 3 Internet and Network Architecture Author: Sang Hinch Internet and Network Architecture: Analyzing Performance with Network Monitoring Tools is a must-read for professionals in the networking industry seeking to enhance network visibility and optimize network performance monitoring. This comprehensive guide offers a thorough introduction to TCP/IP, FTP, IP addresses, ports, and web page retrieval, providing a solid foundation in internet and network architecture. The book explores the complex workings of routers, data transmission, network configuration, and architecture, enabling readers to build efficient and secure networks. Focusing on practicality, it emphasizes using network monitoring tools to analyze performance and troubleshoot issues effectively. By mastering the fundamentals presented in this book, readers will gain the knowledge and confidence to navigate the World Wide Web, understand network protocols, and make informed decisions for network optimization. 4 Zabbix 4 Network Monitoring Author: Patrik Uytterhoeven & Rihards Olups Zabbix 4 Network Monitoring: Monitor the performance of your network devices and applications using the all-new Zabbix 4.0, 3rd Edition is a comprehensive and highly valuable resource for professionals in the networking industry. This book serves as an essential guide to effectively monitor the performance of network devices and applications using Zabbix 4.0. Written for both beginners and experienced users, the book offers a step-by-step approach to help readers quickly grasp the installation process and explore the new features of network monitoring. From understanding native Zabbix agents and SNMP devices to harnessing Zabbix's integrated functionality for monitoring Java application servers and VMware, readers will gain comprehensive knowledge. With insights into optimizing performance, automating configurations, and troubleshooting network issues, it will develop advanced skills to ensure a healthy and efficient network. 5 Applied Network Security Monitoring Author: Chris Sanders & Jason Smith An indispensable book for professionals in the networking industry Applied Network Security Monitoring: Collection, Detection, and Analysis offers a comprehensive guide to become a proficient NSM analyst. Focusing on NSM's collection, detection, and analysis stages, this book equips readers with essential concepts through real-world examples and practical scenarios. Recognizing that prevention is not foolproof, the book emphasizes the critical role of detection and response in minimizing the impact of network intrusions. With insights from experienced NSM professionals and access to sample data, readers gain valuable knowledge to analyze network security incidents effectively. From data collection methods to in-depth coverage of tools like Snort, Suricata, Bro-IDS, SiLK, and Argus, this monitoring book provides hands-on experience and practical examples using real PCAP files. By leveraging Security Onion for lab examples, readers can develop and enhance their analytic techniques. 6 Practical Network Security Monitoring: Using Free Software Author: Elizabeth Graham Practical Network Security Monitoring: Using Free Software offers guidance on utilizing free software to collect, monitor, and analyze network traffic, thereby detecting and identifying potential threats. With a focus on providing practical exercises, this book equips beginner to intermediate users with the necessary knowledge to detect and defend cyber threats. Step-by-step instructions enable readers to install, configure, and effectively use free tools, allowing hands-on experience in analyzing network traffic and identifying malicious activity. This book edition covers Security Onion, introducing significant changes to the platform. The updated content includes new intrusions, malware, PCAP examples, and an introduction to web-based PCAP analysis tools. A bonus chapter challenges readers to test their knowledge through self-assessment. 7 Efficient Body Sensor Networks for Patient Monitoring Author: Jawaid Iqbal Efficient Body Sensor Networks for Patient Monitoring is a book for professionals in the networking and healthcare industry, focusing on the challenges, Body Sensor Networks (BSNs) face in continuously monitoring patient vital signs. BSNs operate in constrained environments and encounter issues such as patient information privacy, secure data transmission over public networks, high overhead, and energy constraints. Being one of the prominent network monitoring books, it presents five efficient and secure attribute-based schemes designed explicitly for BSNs. These schemes address the mentioned challenges comprehensively, providing practical solutions to enhance network monitoring performance in patient monitoring scenarios. By proposing novel approaches, this book contributes to the advancement of efficient and secure patient monitoring within BSNs. 8 Mastering Python Networking Author: Eric Chou A comprehensive guide created for professionals in the networking industry seeking to leverage Python for network automation, monitoring, and management, Mastering Python Networking: Utilize Python packages and frameworks for network automation, monitoring, cloud, and management, focuses on the latest Python libraries and frameworks and equips readers with the necessary skills to tackle common & complex network challenges effectively. From interacting with network devices to implementing advanced features using Python 3, the book covers a wide range of topics, including Docker containers, network data analysis, cloud networking, and DevOps practices. With practical examples and insights into tools like GitLab & ELK, network engineers, developers, and SREs will gain valuable knowledge to enhance their network performance monitoring and visibility. 9 AWS Security Cookbook Author: Heartin Kanikathottu Focusing on securing Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure, AWS Security Cookbook: Practical solutions for managing security policies, monitoring, auditing, and compliance with AWS is written. Being one of the network monitoring books that provide professionals with valuable insights related to network visibility and network performance management in the networking industry, this book offers practical solutions to address common security challenges, including permission policies, key management, network security, and cloud security best practices. Industry professionals can explore various AWS services and features that enhance security, including IAM, S3, CloudWatch, CloudTrail, Config, GuardDuty, and Macie. In addition, the book also covers compliance requirements and demonstrates how to maintain security and compliance using AWS security services. 10 The Best of TaoSecurity Blog, Volume 2 Author: Richard Bejtlich The Best of TaoSecurity Blog, Volume 2: Network Security Monitoring, Technical Notes, Research, and China and the Advanced Persistent Threat, guides professionals in the networking industry, particularly those interested in network security monitoring. Written by Richard Bejtlich, a renowned cybersecurity expert, he curates the best entries from his 17 years of writing on the TaoSecurity Blog. The book explores various intervention detection and response aspects, leveraging threat intelligence sources, network data, application and infrastructure data, and endpoint data. Additionally, it provides insights into Chinese hacking activities over the past two decades, offering a unique perspective from a defender on the front lines. With new analysis accompanying each post, readers can gain valuable knowledge on the evolution of the security industry, defensive methodologies, and strategies for enhancing national security. Conclusion In conclusion, the recommended books discussed in this article provide valuable insights and guidance for networking experts in the B2B sector. These resources cover various aspects of monitoring network performance, enhancing network visibility, and addressing security concerns. By delving into these monitoring books, professionals can gain a deeper understanding of effective network performance monitoring techniques, ensuring optimal visibility across their infrastructure. With the ever-evolving networking landscape, staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices, it is crucial for maintaining a high-performing network. These books offer industry-relevant knowledge and empower networking experts to make informed decisions, ultimately leading to a robust and efficient network infrastructure.

Read More
Unified Communications, Network Security

Top 10 Network Traffic Analysis Tools for Enhanced Network Monitoring

Article | July 10, 2023

Discover the effective tools for analyzing network traffic to improve monitoring efficiency. Enhance the network's performance and raise the network's potential by choosing the appropriate tool. Automation adoption has become critical for companies in the dynamic fields of manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain management. By minimizing costs, enhancing efficiency, and reducing downtime, automation delivers optimal value for manufacturers. However, selecting the right partner can be challenging with numerous warehouse automation companies available. This article provides the features and benefits of top ten warehouse automation tools, offering expertise in improving business operations. These data warehouse tools provide comprehensive solutions to meet diverse needs, whether through software solutions or tools. 1. Network Performance Monitoring Datadog Network Performance Monitoring is an exceptional software tool that enhances network monitoring capabilities, providing comprehensive visibility into all components of on-prem, cloud, and hybrid environments. With minimal overhead, the tool monitors the performance of connections among hosts, services, virtual private clouds (VPCs), and other elements, enabling quick identification of network-related issues. It tracks essential network metrics such as TCP retransmits, latency, and connection churn. It also allows monitoring of traffic health between any endpoints at the app, IP address, port, or process ID (PID) layers. Datadog aids in isolating network issues within Envoy-powered service meshes and troubleshooting inefficient load balancing. The software also helps manage cloud networking costs by identifying the responsible services and teams for significant traffic spikes. Deep DNS visibility allows system-wide analysis of DNS performance without SSHing into individual machines. For granular insights, users can explore S3 buckets or RDS databases. 2. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor Paessler PRTG Network Monitor is a powerful and user-friendly real time network monitoring tool that helps enhance network traffic analysis for industry experts. It offers central monitoring for a comprehensive view of the entire IT infrastructure in one place. With on-premises installation, users have full control over data and configuration. The software supports various technologies and protocols, with automatic network discovery simplifying setup. Feature like custom maps, real-time alerts, and customizable reports provide an overview of the network and facilitate proactive monitoring. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor allows distributed monitoring across remote locations and offers a user-friendly interface for easy installation and use. With full administrative control and perpetual licenses, users have flexibility and cost-effective access to all monitoring features. It is a reliable solution trusted by businesses worldwide for efficient network monitoring, providing industry experts with enhanced visibility, control, and peace of mind. 3. OpManager Plus OpManager Plus is a robust enterprise network monitoring software that optimizes network performance and ensures an error-free network. It offers real-time health, availability, and performance monitoring, enabling proactive and reactive monitoring techniques. OpManager Plus provides critical metrics for traffic analysis, such as packet loss, response time, resource utilization, errors, and network traffic via SNMP. It includes in-depth server monitoring features, enabling efficient monitoring of servers, routers, switches, and firewalls. The software leverages Cisco IPSLA for WAN and VoIP monitoring, visualizing paths, resolving outages, and diagnosing poor performance. OpManager Plus also offers built-in network troubleshooting tools like ICMP Ping, Traceroute, Switch Port Mapper, SNMP MIB Browser, and Telnet/SSH, empowering industry experts with the necessary tools for first and second-level troubleshooting. It is one of the best network monitoring tools for industry professionals that enhance performance, ensure network availability, and enable efficient troubleshooting. 4. Domotz A powerful network performance monitoring tool, Domotz revolutionizes network monitoring and management. With its streamlined IT operations, it enhances efficiency and strengthens security measures. As one in many top network monitoring tools, it offers unmatched visibility into digital assets and data flows, empowering users with critical insights from their networks. Its feature-rich software including network autodiscovery, automated mapping, IT asset inventory, and SNMP-based device monitoring caters to MSPs, System Integrators, IT and Security Professionals. These features facilitate effective traffic analysis and resource monitoring. Domotz also offers integrated capabilities like configuration management, versioning, backup, and seamless integrations with PSA systems. By leveraging Domotz, industry experts gain a powerful tool to monitor network traffic, optimize performance, and strengthen overall security. 5. checkmk checkmk is a powerful network performance monitoring tool that enhances network monitoring and management. Its latest version, checkmk 2.2, provides a comprehensive solution for monitoring hybrid IT infrastructures, including native cloud applications and OpenShift support. The software offers real-time monitoring of dynamic cloud workloads, allowing users to map their cloud infrastructure, monitor cloud-native services, and track resource consumption and costs. checkmk seamlessly integrates with major cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, offering cloud-specific dashboards and easy cloud deployment. The monitoring agents of checkmk support push mode for autonomous data transmission and auto-registration for real-time host addition and service discovery. Industry experts benefit from the robust features of checkmk for effective traffic analysis, improved cloud monitoring, and simplified implementation in dynamic cloud environments. checkmk is a reliable choice among network management tools for optimizing network performance and ensuring efficient cloud monitoring. 6. NinjaOne RMM NinjaOne RM, recognized as the top-rated network performance monitoring tool. It offers powerful and user-friendly RMM software that efficiently manages client endpoints. With NinjaOne, industry experts can monitor, support, and control a wide range of devices, servers, virtual machines, and networking devices from a single interface. The real-time network monitoring software features include alert notifications, automated patching for enhanced security, one-click device actions for streamlined management, secure remote access for fast support, endpoint task automation to optimize workflows, and a self-service portal for client end-users. Its scalability, intuitive UI, and comprehensive support make it one of the best network monitoring tools. Industry experts benefit from improved technician efficiency, reduced complexities, and enhanced service delivery, leading to greater profitability and customer satisfaction. 7. Fortra’s Intermapper Fortra's Intermapper is an intuitive network mapping tool to monitor network traffic autodiscovery features. The network map is constantly refreshed, ensuring an up-to-date representation of any network. This software offers SNMP-based network monitoring, performance alerts, and a capacity planning tool. By implementing Intermapper, industry experts can efficiently analyze network traffic and detect performance issues in real-time. The tool allows users to set performance threshold levels and receive alerts via email or text, ensuring proactive monitoring and reducing the need for constant screen monitoring. 8. Site24x7 Network Monitoring Site24x7 is one of the leading tools to monitor network traffic that enhances network monitoring capabilities with its comprehensive features. With granular visibility at the device and interface levels, Site24x7 enables thorough network performance monitoring. The tool offers intelligent features for deep observability, proactive insights, and root cause analysis, all within a single window. This cloud-based solution help users have complete control over their network. It monitors network traffic, allowing users to analyze traffic, packets, errors, and discards, providing actionable insights for optimizing network performance. Additionally, Site24x7 offers automatic network discovery, real-time application and device monitoring, and powerful reporting, analytics, and alerts. 9. Nagios Core Nagios Core is one of the top network security monitoring tools that serves as an event scheduler, processor, and alert manager. It offers a robust architecture and extensive scope for monitoring various elements. With its APIs, Nagios Core allows easy extension and customization to meet specific monitoring requirements. Implemented as a highly efficient C-based daemon, it delivers optimal performance on Linux and Unix systems. Nagios Core provides a solid foundation for network security monitoring, enabling industry experts to analyze network traffic, detect issues, and receive timely alerts. Its scalability and flexibility features make it a valuable tool for enhancing network traffic analysis and ensuring the security and stability of IT infrastructures. 10. Catchpoint Network Experience Catchpoint Network Experience, part of the Catchpoint platform, is a comprehensive network performance monitoring tool that ensures the successful delivery of web applications. It offers key features such as internet connectivity checks, BGP assessments, and the ability to assess ISPs and other services. By monitoring network performance, Catchpoint helps identify the root cause of performance issues and ensures optimal delivery of web systems. It analyzes virtual networks, identifies performance issues with remote access and site-to-site VPNs, and traces connections from LAN to web servers. Industry experts can benefit from its website delivery performance tracking, root cause analysis, and virtual network performance monitoring capabilities, making it an invaluable tool for enhancing network monitoring and optimizing web application performance. Final Thoughts Maintaining a robust and efficient IT infrastructure relies heavily on effective network monitoring. Integrating server, application, storage, and network management functions enables companies to deliver services seamlessly to end users. A comprehensive suite of network monitoring tools is essential for addressing various aspects of networking technology, including physical components, security measures, and environmental conditions. The ultimate goal is to proactively identify and mitigate potential network issues, reducing their impact on user productivity. In the event of failure, prompt detection and resolution become crucial, and a responsive help desk plays a valuable role in quickly receiving user alerts and uncovering previously undetected problems. By leveraging top network traffic analysis tools, businesses can elevate their network monitoring capabilities and establish a solid foundation for optimal performance and unwavering reliability.

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Network Security

Ampliphae, HPE Athonet and Arqit deliver Quantum-Safe Private 5G using Symmetric Key Agreement

PR Newswire | January 19, 2024

Arqit Quantum Inc, a leader in quantum-safe encryption, and Ampliphae Ltd (Ampliphae), a leader in network cyber security solutions, have today announced successful completion of a project that will deliver enhanced quantum-safe security for Private 5G networks. The Security Enhanced Virtualised Networking for 5G (SEViN-5G) project, funded by Innovate UK, the UK Government’s innovation agency, leveraged Ampliphae’s network security analytics technology and Arqit’s Symmetric Key Agreement Platform to deliver a quantum-secure Private 5G testbed that can protect against both current and future cyber threats. Athonet, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise acquisition, provided the Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment for the project with a cloud core hosted on AWS. Private enterprise networks based on 5G cellular technology are accelerating digital transformation across industries including manufacturing, healthcare, defence and smart cities. Private 5G gives enterprises access to high-speed, massively scalable, and ultra-reliable wireless connectivity, allowing them to implement innovative IoT and mobile solutions that enhance productivity, drive automation and improve customer engagement. The security of these networks will be paramount as they will support safety-critical infrastructure and carry highly sensitive data. But like any new technology, 5G comes with potential new threats and security risks including the threat from quantum computing. The project finished in December 2023 and customer engagement has already begun. David Williams, Arqit Founder, Chairman and CEO said: “Enterprises want to deploy Private 5G networks with complete confidence that they will be safe from both current and future cyber threats including from quantum computers. Working alongside Ampliphae, we have shown that a quantum-safe Private 5G network is deliverable using Arqit’s unique encryption technology.” Trevor Graham, Ampliphae CEO said: “Private 5G can be hosted partly or completely in the Cloud, giving enterprises the opportunity to rapidly set up their own cellular networks customised to support their operations. With Ampliphae and Arqit they can now be certain that those Private 5G networks are monitored and secure against eavesdropping and disruption.” Nanda Menon, Senior Advisor Hewlett Packard Enterprise said: “In an era where security is paramount, the completion of the SEViN-5G project is a significant milestone. The delivery of a quantum-secure Private 5G testbed, achieved where Athonet have combined the Athonet core with CableFree radios, underscores the commitment to innovation and reinforces the confidence enterprises can have in deploying networks that are both cutting-edge and secure from both present and future threats.” About Arqit Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, ARQQW) (Arqit) supplies a unique encryption Platform as a Service which makes the communications links of any networked device, cloud machine or data at rest secure against both current and future forms of attack on encryption – even from a quantum computer. Compliant with NSA standards, Arqit’s Symmetric Key Agreement Platform delivers a lightweight software agent that allows devices to create encryption keys locally in partnership with any number of other devices. The keys are computationally secure and operate over zero trust networks. It can create limitless volumes of keys with any group size and refresh rate and can regulate the secure entrance and exit of a device in a group. The agent is lightweight and will thus run on the smallest of end point devices. The Product sits within a growing portfolio of granted patents. It also works in a standards compliant manner which does not oblige customers to make a disruptive rip and replace of their technology. Recognised for groundbreaking innovation at the Institution of Engineering and Technology awards in 2023, Arqit has also won the Innovation in Cyber Award at the National Cyber Awards and Cyber Security Software Company of the Year Award at the Cyber Security Awards. Arqit is ISO 27001 Standard certified. www.arqit.uk About Ampliphae Ampliphae’s distributed network analytics technology provides insight into how networks are used to support enterprise operations at every level. A graduate of the prestigious LORCA cyber accelerator in London, and the AWS European Defence Accelerator, Ampliphae’s technology is already used by enterprises across multiple verticals to discover, analyse and secure the network traffic that supports their key applications and business processes. Ampliphae’s Encryption Intelligence product operates at enterprise scale to discover devices and applications that use cryptography, analysing their encryption capabilities to detect risks, including assets that are vulnerable to future quantum computer attack. Using Encryption Intelligence, the organisation can gather effective operational intelligence about their encryption landscape, both within and outside the organisation, and build an effective mitigation program to address current and future vulnerabilities.

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Network Security

Cato Networks Introduces World's First SASE-based XDR

PR Newswire | January 25, 2024

Cato Networks, the leader in SASE, announced the expansion of the Cato SASE Cloud platform into threat detection and incident response with Cato XDR, the world's first SASE-based, extended detection and response (XDR) solution. Available immediately, Cato XDR utilizes the functional and operational capabilities of the Cato SASE Cloud to overcome the protracted deployment times, limited data quality, and inadequate investigation and response experience too often associated with legacy XDR solutions. Cato also introduced Cato EPP, the first SASE-managed endpoint protection platform (EPP/EDR). Together, Cato XDR and Cato EPP mark the first expansion beyond the original SASE scope pioneered by Cato in 2016 and defined by industry analysts in 2019. SASE's security capabilities encompassed threat prevention and data protection in a common, easy-to-manage, and easy-to-adopt global platform. With today's announcement, Cato is expanding SASE into threat detection, incident response, and endpoint protection without compromising on the architectural elegance captured by the original SASE definition. "Cato SASE continues to be the antidote to security complexity," says Shlomo Kramer, CEO and co-founder of Cato Networks. "Today, we extend our one-of-a-kind SASE platform beyond threat prevention and into threat detection and response. Only Cato and our simple, automated, and elegant platform can streamline security this way." An early adopter of Cato XDR is Redner's Markets, an employee-owned supermarket chain headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania, with 75 locations. Redner's Markets' vice president of IT and Infrastructure, Nick Hidalgo, said, "The Cato platform gave us better visibility, saved time on incident response, resolved application issues, and improved network performance ten-fold." (Read more about Redner's Markets and Cato in this blog. "The convergence of XDR and EPP into SASE is not just another product; it's a game-changer for the industry," said Art Nichols, CTO of Windstream Enterprise, a Cato partner. "The innovative integration of these capabilities brings together advanced threat detection, response capabilities, and endpoint security within a unified, cloud-native architecture—revolutionizing the way enterprises protect their networks and data against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats." (Read more about what Cato partners are saying about today's news in this blog.) Platform vs. Product: The Difference Matters Cato XDR takes full advantage of the enormous benefits of the Cato SASE Cloud platform, the first platform built from the ground up to enable enterprises to connect, secure, and manage sites, users, and cloud resources anywhere in the world. Unlike disjointed point solutions and security appliances, Cato capabilities are instantly on, always available at scale, and fully converged, giving IT teams a single, shared context worldwide to understand their networks, prevent threats, and resolve problems. As an autonomous platform, Cato SASE Cloud sustains its evolution, resiliency, optimal performance, and security posture, saving enterprises the operational overhead of maintaining enterprise infrastructure. Enterprises simply subscribe to Cato to meet their business needs. Cato's cloud-native model revolutionized security and networking operations when it was introduced in 2016, a fact validated three years later in 2019 when the Cato approach was formally recognized by the industry as SASE. Breach Times Still Too Long; Limitations of Legacy XDR Cato is again revolutionizing cybersecurity with the first SASE platform to expand into threat detection, empowering security teams to become smarter and remediate incidents faster. The flood of security alerts triggered by network sensors, such as firewalls and IPS, complicates threat identification. In 2023, enterprises required 204 days on average to identify breaches.1 XDR tools help security analysts close this gap by ingesting, correlating, and contextualizing threat intelligence information with the data from native and third-party sensors. However, legacy XDR tools suffer from numerous problems relating to data quality. Sensor deployment extends the time-to-value as IT must not only install the sensors but also develop a baseline of specific organizational activity for accurate assessments. Data quality is also compromised when importing and normalizing third-party sensor data, complicating threat identification and incident response. Security analysts waste time sorting through incident stories to identify the ones most critical for immediate remediation. Once determined, incident remediation is often hampered by missing information, requiring analysts to master and switch between disparate tools. No wonder in 2023, average breach containment required more than two months.1 Cato XDR and Cato EPP Expands the Meaning of SASE Cato XDR addresses legacy XDR's limitations. Instantly activated globally, Cato XDR provides enterprises with immediate insights into threats on their networks. Incident detection is accurate due to Cato's many native sensors – NGFW, advanced threat prevention (IPS, NGAM, and DNS Security), SWG, CASB, DLP, ZTNA, RBI, and now EPP/EDR. Powered by Bitdefender's world-leading malware prevention technology, Cato EPP protects endpoints from attack – in the Cato way. Endpoint threat and user data are stored in the same converged Cato data lake as the rest of the customer's network data, simplifying cross-domain event correlation. The result is incredibly high-quality data that improves the incident identification and remediation process. Cato AI uses the data to accurately identify and rank incidents, empowering analysts to focus critical resources on an organization's most important remediation cases. Cato AI is battle-tested and proven across years of threat hunting and remediation handling by Cato MDR service agents. Remediation times reduce as detected incident stories contain the relevant information for in-depth investigation. Cato's tools sit in the same console as the native engines, enabling security analysts to view everything in one place -- the current security policy and the reviewed story. Finally, incident reporting is simplified with generative AI. Purpose-built for investigations, this natural language engine provides human-readable explanations of incident stories. Analysts save time sharing incident information with other teams and reporting to their managers.

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Network Infrastructure

DISH Wireless Awarded $50 Million NTIA Grant for 5G Open RAN Integration and Deployment Center

PR Newswire | January 16, 2024

DISH Wireless, a subsidiary of EchoStar, was awarded a historic $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish the Open RAN Center for Integration & Deployment (ORCID). ORCID will allow participants to test and validate their hardware and software solutions (RU, DU and CU) against a complete commercial-grade Open RAN network deployed by DISH. "The Open RAN Center for Integration and Deployment (ORCID) will serve a critical role in strengthening the global Open RAN ecosystem and building the next generation of wireless networks," said Charlie Ergen, co-founder and chairman, EchoStar. "By leveraging DISH's experience deploying the world's first standalone Open RAN 5G network, ORCID will be uniquely positioned to test and evaluate Open RAN interoperability, performance and security from domestic and international vendors. We appreciate NTIA's recognition of DISH and ORCID's role in driving Open RAN innovation and the Administration's ongoing commitment to U.S. leadership in wireless connectivity." To date, this grant represents NTIA's largest award under the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (Innovation Fund). ORCID will be housed in DISH's secure Cheyenne, Wyoming campus and will be supported by consortium partners Fujitsu, Mavenir and VMware by Broadcom and technology partners Analog Devices, ARM, Cisco, Dell Technologies, Intel, JMA Wireless, NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Samsung. NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson and Innovation Fund Director Amanda Toman will join EchoStar Co-Founder and Chairman Charlie Ergen, EchoStar CEO Hamid Akhavan, EVP and Chief Network Officer Marc Rouanne and other stakeholders to announce the grant and tour a DISH 5G Open RAN cell site later today in Las Vegas. During this event, DISH will outline ORCID's unique advantages, including that it will leverage DISH's experience as the only operator in the United States to commercially deploy a standalone Open RAN 5G network. DISH and its industry partners have validated Open RAN technology at scale across the country; today DISH's network covers over 246 million Americans nationwide. At ORCID, participants will be able to test and evaluate individual or multiple network elements to ensure Open RAN interoperability, performance and security, and contribute to the development, deployment and adoption of open and interoperable standards-based radio access networks. ORCID's "living laboratory" will drive the Open RAN ecosystem — from lab testing to commercial deployment. Below are highlights of ORCID: ORCID will combine both lab and field testing and evaluation activities. ORCID will be able to test elements brought by any qualified vendor against DISH's live, complete and commercial-grade Open RAN stack. ORCID will use DISH's spectrum holdings, a combination of low-, mid- and high-band frequencies, enabling field testing and evaluation. ORCID will evaluate Open RAN elements through mixing and matching with those of other vendors, rather than validating a single vendor's stack. DISH's experience in a multi-vendor environment will give ORCID unique insights about the integration of Open RAN into brownfield networks. ORCID's multi-tenant lab and field testing will occur in DISH's secure Cheyenne, Wyoming facility, which is already compliant with stringent security protocols in light of its satellite functions. About DISH Wireless DISH Wireless, a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), is changing the way the world communicates with the Boost Wireless Network. In 2020, the company became a nationwide U.S. wireless carrier through the acquisition of Boost Mobile. The company continues to innovate in wireless, building the nation's first virtualized, Open RAN 5G broadband network, and is inclusive of the Boost Infinite, Boost Mobile and Gen Mobile wireless brands.

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Network Security

Ampliphae, HPE Athonet and Arqit deliver Quantum-Safe Private 5G using Symmetric Key Agreement

PR Newswire | January 19, 2024

Arqit Quantum Inc, a leader in quantum-safe encryption, and Ampliphae Ltd (Ampliphae), a leader in network cyber security solutions, have today announced successful completion of a project that will deliver enhanced quantum-safe security for Private 5G networks. The Security Enhanced Virtualised Networking for 5G (SEViN-5G) project, funded by Innovate UK, the UK Government’s innovation agency, leveraged Ampliphae’s network security analytics technology and Arqit’s Symmetric Key Agreement Platform to deliver a quantum-secure Private 5G testbed that can protect against both current and future cyber threats. Athonet, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise acquisition, provided the Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment for the project with a cloud core hosted on AWS. Private enterprise networks based on 5G cellular technology are accelerating digital transformation across industries including manufacturing, healthcare, defence and smart cities. Private 5G gives enterprises access to high-speed, massively scalable, and ultra-reliable wireless connectivity, allowing them to implement innovative IoT and mobile solutions that enhance productivity, drive automation and improve customer engagement. The security of these networks will be paramount as they will support safety-critical infrastructure and carry highly sensitive data. But like any new technology, 5G comes with potential new threats and security risks including the threat from quantum computing. The project finished in December 2023 and customer engagement has already begun. David Williams, Arqit Founder, Chairman and CEO said: “Enterprises want to deploy Private 5G networks with complete confidence that they will be safe from both current and future cyber threats including from quantum computers. Working alongside Ampliphae, we have shown that a quantum-safe Private 5G network is deliverable using Arqit’s unique encryption technology.” Trevor Graham, Ampliphae CEO said: “Private 5G can be hosted partly or completely in the Cloud, giving enterprises the opportunity to rapidly set up their own cellular networks customised to support their operations. With Ampliphae and Arqit they can now be certain that those Private 5G networks are monitored and secure against eavesdropping and disruption.” Nanda Menon, Senior Advisor Hewlett Packard Enterprise said: “In an era where security is paramount, the completion of the SEViN-5G project is a significant milestone. The delivery of a quantum-secure Private 5G testbed, achieved where Athonet have combined the Athonet core with CableFree radios, underscores the commitment to innovation and reinforces the confidence enterprises can have in deploying networks that are both cutting-edge and secure from both present and future threats.” About Arqit Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, ARQQW) (Arqit) supplies a unique encryption Platform as a Service which makes the communications links of any networked device, cloud machine or data at rest secure against both current and future forms of attack on encryption – even from a quantum computer. Compliant with NSA standards, Arqit’s Symmetric Key Agreement Platform delivers a lightweight software agent that allows devices to create encryption keys locally in partnership with any number of other devices. The keys are computationally secure and operate over zero trust networks. It can create limitless volumes of keys with any group size and refresh rate and can regulate the secure entrance and exit of a device in a group. The agent is lightweight and will thus run on the smallest of end point devices. The Product sits within a growing portfolio of granted patents. It also works in a standards compliant manner which does not oblige customers to make a disruptive rip and replace of their technology. Recognised for groundbreaking innovation at the Institution of Engineering and Technology awards in 2023, Arqit has also won the Innovation in Cyber Award at the National Cyber Awards and Cyber Security Software Company of the Year Award at the Cyber Security Awards. Arqit is ISO 27001 Standard certified. www.arqit.uk About Ampliphae Ampliphae’s distributed network analytics technology provides insight into how networks are used to support enterprise operations at every level. A graduate of the prestigious LORCA cyber accelerator in London, and the AWS European Defence Accelerator, Ampliphae’s technology is already used by enterprises across multiple verticals to discover, analyse and secure the network traffic that supports their key applications and business processes. Ampliphae’s Encryption Intelligence product operates at enterprise scale to discover devices and applications that use cryptography, analysing their encryption capabilities to detect risks, including assets that are vulnerable to future quantum computer attack. Using Encryption Intelligence, the organisation can gather effective operational intelligence about their encryption landscape, both within and outside the organisation, and build an effective mitigation program to address current and future vulnerabilities.

Read More

Network Security

Cato Networks Introduces World's First SASE-based XDR

PR Newswire | January 25, 2024

Cato Networks, the leader in SASE, announced the expansion of the Cato SASE Cloud platform into threat detection and incident response with Cato XDR, the world's first SASE-based, extended detection and response (XDR) solution. Available immediately, Cato XDR utilizes the functional and operational capabilities of the Cato SASE Cloud to overcome the protracted deployment times, limited data quality, and inadequate investigation and response experience too often associated with legacy XDR solutions. Cato also introduced Cato EPP, the first SASE-managed endpoint protection platform (EPP/EDR). Together, Cato XDR and Cato EPP mark the first expansion beyond the original SASE scope pioneered by Cato in 2016 and defined by industry analysts in 2019. SASE's security capabilities encompassed threat prevention and data protection in a common, easy-to-manage, and easy-to-adopt global platform. With today's announcement, Cato is expanding SASE into threat detection, incident response, and endpoint protection without compromising on the architectural elegance captured by the original SASE definition. "Cato SASE continues to be the antidote to security complexity," says Shlomo Kramer, CEO and co-founder of Cato Networks. "Today, we extend our one-of-a-kind SASE platform beyond threat prevention and into threat detection and response. Only Cato and our simple, automated, and elegant platform can streamline security this way." An early adopter of Cato XDR is Redner's Markets, an employee-owned supermarket chain headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania, with 75 locations. Redner's Markets' vice president of IT and Infrastructure, Nick Hidalgo, said, "The Cato platform gave us better visibility, saved time on incident response, resolved application issues, and improved network performance ten-fold." (Read more about Redner's Markets and Cato in this blog. "The convergence of XDR and EPP into SASE is not just another product; it's a game-changer for the industry," said Art Nichols, CTO of Windstream Enterprise, a Cato partner. "The innovative integration of these capabilities brings together advanced threat detection, response capabilities, and endpoint security within a unified, cloud-native architecture—revolutionizing the way enterprises protect their networks and data against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats." (Read more about what Cato partners are saying about today's news in this blog.) Platform vs. Product: The Difference Matters Cato XDR takes full advantage of the enormous benefits of the Cato SASE Cloud platform, the first platform built from the ground up to enable enterprises to connect, secure, and manage sites, users, and cloud resources anywhere in the world. Unlike disjointed point solutions and security appliances, Cato capabilities are instantly on, always available at scale, and fully converged, giving IT teams a single, shared context worldwide to understand their networks, prevent threats, and resolve problems. As an autonomous platform, Cato SASE Cloud sustains its evolution, resiliency, optimal performance, and security posture, saving enterprises the operational overhead of maintaining enterprise infrastructure. Enterprises simply subscribe to Cato to meet their business needs. Cato's cloud-native model revolutionized security and networking operations when it was introduced in 2016, a fact validated three years later in 2019 when the Cato approach was formally recognized by the industry as SASE. Breach Times Still Too Long; Limitations of Legacy XDR Cato is again revolutionizing cybersecurity with the first SASE platform to expand into threat detection, empowering security teams to become smarter and remediate incidents faster. The flood of security alerts triggered by network sensors, such as firewalls and IPS, complicates threat identification. In 2023, enterprises required 204 days on average to identify breaches.1 XDR tools help security analysts close this gap by ingesting, correlating, and contextualizing threat intelligence information with the data from native and third-party sensors. However, legacy XDR tools suffer from numerous problems relating to data quality. Sensor deployment extends the time-to-value as IT must not only install the sensors but also develop a baseline of specific organizational activity for accurate assessments. Data quality is also compromised when importing and normalizing third-party sensor data, complicating threat identification and incident response. Security analysts waste time sorting through incident stories to identify the ones most critical for immediate remediation. Once determined, incident remediation is often hampered by missing information, requiring analysts to master and switch between disparate tools. No wonder in 2023, average breach containment required more than two months.1 Cato XDR and Cato EPP Expands the Meaning of SASE Cato XDR addresses legacy XDR's limitations. Instantly activated globally, Cato XDR provides enterprises with immediate insights into threats on their networks. Incident detection is accurate due to Cato's many native sensors – NGFW, advanced threat prevention (IPS, NGAM, and DNS Security), SWG, CASB, DLP, ZTNA, RBI, and now EPP/EDR. Powered by Bitdefender's world-leading malware prevention technology, Cato EPP protects endpoints from attack – in the Cato way. Endpoint threat and user data are stored in the same converged Cato data lake as the rest of the customer's network data, simplifying cross-domain event correlation. The result is incredibly high-quality data that improves the incident identification and remediation process. Cato AI uses the data to accurately identify and rank incidents, empowering analysts to focus critical resources on an organization's most important remediation cases. Cato AI is battle-tested and proven across years of threat hunting and remediation handling by Cato MDR service agents. Remediation times reduce as detected incident stories contain the relevant information for in-depth investigation. Cato's tools sit in the same console as the native engines, enabling security analysts to view everything in one place -- the current security policy and the reviewed story. Finally, incident reporting is simplified with generative AI. Purpose-built for investigations, this natural language engine provides human-readable explanations of incident stories. Analysts save time sharing incident information with other teams and reporting to their managers.

Read More

Network Infrastructure

DISH Wireless Awarded $50 Million NTIA Grant for 5G Open RAN Integration and Deployment Center

PR Newswire | January 16, 2024

DISH Wireless, a subsidiary of EchoStar, was awarded a historic $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish the Open RAN Center for Integration & Deployment (ORCID). ORCID will allow participants to test and validate their hardware and software solutions (RU, DU and CU) against a complete commercial-grade Open RAN network deployed by DISH. "The Open RAN Center for Integration and Deployment (ORCID) will serve a critical role in strengthening the global Open RAN ecosystem and building the next generation of wireless networks," said Charlie Ergen, co-founder and chairman, EchoStar. "By leveraging DISH's experience deploying the world's first standalone Open RAN 5G network, ORCID will be uniquely positioned to test and evaluate Open RAN interoperability, performance and security from domestic and international vendors. We appreciate NTIA's recognition of DISH and ORCID's role in driving Open RAN innovation and the Administration's ongoing commitment to U.S. leadership in wireless connectivity." To date, this grant represents NTIA's largest award under the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (Innovation Fund). ORCID will be housed in DISH's secure Cheyenne, Wyoming campus and will be supported by consortium partners Fujitsu, Mavenir and VMware by Broadcom and technology partners Analog Devices, ARM, Cisco, Dell Technologies, Intel, JMA Wireless, NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Samsung. NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson and Innovation Fund Director Amanda Toman will join EchoStar Co-Founder and Chairman Charlie Ergen, EchoStar CEO Hamid Akhavan, EVP and Chief Network Officer Marc Rouanne and other stakeholders to announce the grant and tour a DISH 5G Open RAN cell site later today in Las Vegas. During this event, DISH will outline ORCID's unique advantages, including that it will leverage DISH's experience as the only operator in the United States to commercially deploy a standalone Open RAN 5G network. DISH and its industry partners have validated Open RAN technology at scale across the country; today DISH's network covers over 246 million Americans nationwide. At ORCID, participants will be able to test and evaluate individual or multiple network elements to ensure Open RAN interoperability, performance and security, and contribute to the development, deployment and adoption of open and interoperable standards-based radio access networks. ORCID's "living laboratory" will drive the Open RAN ecosystem — from lab testing to commercial deployment. Below are highlights of ORCID: ORCID will combine both lab and field testing and evaluation activities. ORCID will be able to test elements brought by any qualified vendor against DISH's live, complete and commercial-grade Open RAN stack. ORCID will use DISH's spectrum holdings, a combination of low-, mid- and high-band frequencies, enabling field testing and evaluation. ORCID will evaluate Open RAN elements through mixing and matching with those of other vendors, rather than validating a single vendor's stack. DISH's experience in a multi-vendor environment will give ORCID unique insights about the integration of Open RAN into brownfield networks. ORCID's multi-tenant lab and field testing will occur in DISH's secure Cheyenne, Wyoming facility, which is already compliant with stringent security protocols in light of its satellite functions. About DISH Wireless DISH Wireless, a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), is changing the way the world communicates with the Boost Wireless Network. In 2020, the company became a nationwide U.S. wireless carrier through the acquisition of Boost Mobile. The company continues to innovate in wireless, building the nation's first virtualized, Open RAN 5G broadband network, and is inclusive of the Boost Infinite, Boost Mobile and Gen Mobile wireless brands.

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