These days, networks, applications and their security have become quite a complex affair. There are all sorts of angles: access control, device configuration and protection, vulnerability scanning and remediation, policy creation and enforcement, regulatory compliance, intrusion detection, patch management and many other factors, all of which must be taken into consideration with respect to contemporary IT networks.
This "moving picture" has implications for an organization's technical architecture, as changes in one area have an effect in another. One must therefore choose such tools carefully, and periodically review their fit within the prevailing situation. Clearly, flexibility within such tools — and how they might be deployed — will be an important factor in this context. Similarly, an intuitive configuration, ease of deployment, and general interoperability will prove important as networks develop to accommodate ever-changing IT estates and associated business requirements.
The question for many will be: where do we stop? Any such tool will have its own ongoing support issues and costs, and may add complexity to the overall deployed product portfolio and technical architecture. Security pros must therefore be selective as to which functions they really need and how to provide them.
BEST BUY
Product: Security Center Lite
Vendor: Lan-Secure
Verdict: A useful introduction to vulnerability scanning and intrusion detection for the smaller enterprise.
Website: www.lan-secure.com
RECOMMENDED
Product: AirMagnet Enterprise
Vendor: AirMagnet
Verdict: Innovative and capable solution for protecting your wireless LAN.
Website: www.airmagnet.com
