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As enterprise networks grow and become the most crucial driver of business, they are also becoming increasingly vulnerable to attacks from diverse sources. Most corporations—especially those for whom network downtime means not just loss of business but also of reputation—are well aware of the vulnerability of their networks.

Unfortunately, except for a few large corporations, most of them still have a piecemeal and reactive approach towards security. However, it is now being accepted that threats to networks must be taken care of in a holistic and proactive manner. And since the source of attacks can be as diverse as the number of vulnerable points on the network, networks needed to be guarded by an integrated security solution.

Integrated Security solutions
While on one hand, many security solutions vendors have been promoting the concept of an integrated security solution, on the other hand, many enterprises too have shown an inclination towards deploying a comprehensive solution instead of going for point solutions or appliances that address only one or a few portions of the security. This broad-based approach to security has happened largely in the past one year. As Avinash Purwar, business development manager, Cisco Systems (India & SAARC) points out that in the last financial year, Cisco India’s focus was on selling individual boxes which could fit into the customers network and deliver specific functionalities. Therefore, PIX Firewall boxes, 42XX IDS boxes and 3000 series VPN concentrator boxes were positioned with the customer. "However, the sales team found that many times, the customers did not really require dedicated (and thereby, more expensive) solutions—but integrated solutions which could deliver multiple functionalities and could be scaled up as and when the requirements went up," he says.

Integrated Network Security Architecture

Even though various security solutions vendors have different definitions for an integrated security solution, such solutions must offer a combination of hardware and software platforms including a security management solution that offers multiple functionalities and takes care of the entire gamut of security on a network. Rakesh Singh, general manager, Asia operations, NetScaler, defines an integrated security solution as "one that encompasses not only a point security problem (like worms/intrusions), but also handles a variety of network and/or application-layer security challenges." Pointing out that the concept of integrated security is emerging as an effective approach to address the new challenges facing e-businesses, Joy Ghosh, country manager–India, Symantec, says, "This method combines multiple security technologies with policy compliance, customer management, service and support, and advanced research for complete protection."

On the other hand, Nortel Networks definition of integrated network security is based on a key tenet known as ‘Security in the DNA’. Nortel Networks strategy for enterprise security called ‘Unified Security Architecture’ assumes that all components of an IT infrastructure are targets... that even internal users could be network threats... attacks are inevitable... network performance cannot be compromised by processing-intensive security measures...and IT budgets are constrained. "It is not a one-size-fits-all prescription, but rather a framework of functionality that offers multiple implementation choices suitable for closed, extended, and open enterprises in different industries—and for diverse application requirements within all enterprise types," emphasizes Sanjay Jotshi, director-marketing & channels, Nortel Networks India.

Vishak Raman, country manager–India, WatchGuard Technologies, makes an altogether different observation. He says that today there is no clear-cut definition for an integrated solution. "At one end of the spectrum, there is a growth in specialized appliances like HHTP Proxy and Blue Coat, SSL-based  (Neoteris) and on the other end there are integrated appliances which claim to have application proxies, IDS, IDP, URL filtering, routing, anti-virus, firewall, VPN, QOS, SLB (Server Load balancing) etc," he points out, adding that a customer might not need or might not use the entire piece of features. His take is that it is eventually enterprises that would define what would be an integrated solution for his existing set-up.

The Key Elements
Key security technologies that can be integrated include firewalls (they control all network traffic by screening the information entering and leaving a network or portion of a network to help ensure that no unauthorized access to computers and/or the network occurs), intrusion detection (detects unauthorized access and provides alerts and reports that can be analyzed for patterns and planning), content filtering (identifies and eliminates unwanted traffic) virtual private networks (secure connections beyond the perimeter, enabling organizations to safely communicate with other networks across the Internet), vulnerability management (enables assessments of a network’s security position by uncovering security gaps and suggesting improvements) and virus protection (protects against viruses, worms, and Trojan horses).

Singh of NetScaler says that an integrated security solution can have a wide range of elements but common application-layer security challenges (which NetScaler focuses on) include denial of service (DoS) attacks, intrusion attacks (worms and viruses) and overall encryption to protect transmitted data (SSL encryption).

Benefits
Companies usually perceive security as an expensive proposition (that’s not always without a reason), which also involves lots of management complexities. As such any security solution must offer benefits in terms of total cost of ownership, functional depth and efficiency and ease of management. From an enterprise standpoint, though security is a big concern, keeping operational costs low is also a big concern. Many products implemented in the operating environment means increase in management and manpower overheads and would in turn increase complexity.

An integrated security solution takes care of many of these concerns of an enterprise. By adopting a comprehensive strategy that holistically addresses security at each tier of the network (client, server and gateway), organizations are able to reduce costs, improve manageability, enhance performance, tighten security, and reduce risk of exposure.

"We feel these three metrics would define the success of an integrated solution in the market place—cost, performance and depth of the specialization of that feature available in that integrated appliance," observes Raman of Watch Guard.

Integrated security solution can offer much more seamless operation. "Multiple devices (from different vendors) often don’t work well together, as encryption or other issues can challenge data flows and visibility of traffic streams — doing the majority of one type or other of security operations in the same device maximizes the chances of success," emphasizes Singh of NetScaler.

Integrated security solution reduces the need to purchase, install, update, and manage multiple security products from multiple vendors or address interoperability issues between various vendors’ products at each network tier. Such a solution enables reallocation of IT personnel to other strategic projects while maximizing the productivity of the often overburdened IT-department, improving overall security manageability. "Since an integrated security solution can be implemented at all network tiers, it offers greater protection of proprietary assets. Integrated security allows for uninterrupted business operations, promotes employee productivity, maximizes revenues, and minimizes the possibility of litigation," says Ghosh of Symantec India.

Integrated security solutions may be the future of network security. However, that should not mean enterprise networks are tied to security devices or appliances from one vendor. Enterprise must always deploy best of breed solutions and products. And this is what is beginning to happen. No doubt, large security vendors like Cisco and NetScreen have found it useful in putting together an ecosystem of partners or frantically acquiring specialist single product companies that would help them build more effective and powerful security solutions.

Ravi Shekhar Pandey