The Key Benefits of Managing Security at a Network Level vs. a Device Level

Next Generation Communications Blog

The Key Benefits of Managing Security at a Network Level vs. a Device Level

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Cliff Grossner of security solutions marketing at Alcatel-Lucent. He explained that while certain kinds of security can be derived from managing security at the end point, Alcatel-Lucent's brand of enterprise security is more about managing security from the network.
 
"If you manage it from the endpoint you always get a fragmented view of the current security status of the enterprise, so that's always incomplete," Grossner said. "However, when you manage security from within the network, you then get the ability to have security that's applied consistently corporate-wide, applied consistently across voice data and mobility and also provides a very independent chain of control for the security team. That's also very important. We do not want the security team to be beholden to the application group, we don't want them to be beholden to the people that assigns the switches. And what's also very important is that even if security is tight, from a security perspective that tightness is transparent to the user. It's really about that transparency to the user."
 
With assets secured, organizations are better poised to leverage Web 2.0, cloud computing and mobile communications technology. A security blueprint also provides an independent chain of control for security. This allows security to evolve continuously to confront new threats and compliance requirements.
 
According to the Alcatel-Lucent, a security blueprint helps enterprises deploy user-centric security from within their own network. The pillars of this blueprint are:
 
·         A global, corporate-wide security infrastructure;
·         Consistent and corporate-wide application of security (voice, data, mobility);
·         Security delivered separately from endpoints and applications;
·         An independent chain of control for security;
·         Security that is transparent to the user; and
·         Always-on and highly available security.
 
"If you know the security is on a particular endpoint, if that endpoint disappears off the network, then where's the rest of the security around that?" Grossner continued. "So when the security is supplied from within the network, you get that ability to have security that's always on and highly available."
 
For more information about security in the dynamic enterprise, visit Alcatel-Lucent's Next Generation Communications community on TMCnet.
 


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