Developing a Modern Networking Strategy

An automated, API-driven approach ensures that new technology can be acquired, configured, deployed, consumed, maintained, and sunset with minimal disruption.

Automation offers several benefits. It can work to improve security policies by making standards repeatable and consistent for existing and future use. Automation also reduces time spent on complex, manual tasks—removing commonly faced obstacles for networking teams. Rather than manually addressing issues, the network team can use code, APIs, and automation to troubleshoot without interfering with other processes.

While some solutions boast network automation out-of-the-box, true automation requires comprehensive strategic planning. Network teams should focus on enabling agility within their organization’s network and collaborate with their DevOps and cloud peers to unlock the power of modern APIs in software-defined networks.

To allow for this collaboration, it is critical to identify and close the gaps between disparate teams that oversee the data center, applications, public cloud, monitoring, networking, and security. Doing so helps an organization achieve end-to-end network visibility.

In other words, when networking has a seat at the table, an organization is not just solving issues as they occur. Instead, they are working together to anticipate issues before they arise.

To get started, technology teams should first monitor the user experience (UX). Teams can proactively use simulated/synthetic user tests to identify issues. Rigorous UX testing exposes issues when and where they exist: site, switch, connection, computer, app, internet, etc. Successfully executing this approach is far more effective than leveraging centralized monitoring only. A main component of user experience, internet uptime, is more critical than ever and must be examined closely for the health of entire network infrastructure.

If guard rails surrounding network standards, frameworks, and templates are in place, users can realize the benefits of automation skillsets, consistency, repeatability, and security.

For a fully locked-down modern network, your security strategy should include:

• Consistent, strong security policies: Security has become increasingly complex—and the need for consistent, strong security policies has become more pressing to keep track of various environments. An effective, end-to-end strategy starts with maintaining consistency across security policies. This makes everything easier from an operational perspective while lowering your organization’s risk profile.
• Effective access controls: Complex security means that there are several tools that may cross different realms in your modern network. It is important to have policies and controls surrounding each tool. Access controls directly impact who can operate and act on each tool or product.
• Constant monitoring: Everything—from the firewall to your organization’s internal components to incoming traffic—must be monitored. The internet has become the new medium of how people are connecting securely to either private applications or private services. Because monitoring the internet can be a daunting task, it often leads to a lack of accountability when it comes to who is responsible for resolving an issue. These connections are crucial in getting the job done—but the key here is making sure they happen securely with consistent monitoring. It requires a big picture view when thinking about security and how everything connects. Automating security helps enable constant monitoring as well.

• Complete traceability and visibility: You must have seamless traceability from the controls to the policy of the tools that implement the policy and beyond. Unfortunately, this does not always happen—and when it does, it can be fragmented. Focusing on traceability creates an ideal environment in which you can quickly trace issues down the stack. Similarly, network managers must have complete visibility into the security patterns of users for logging, encrypting users’ connectivity and stopping potential outbreaks.
• Thorough asset inventory: Taking full inventory of what is connected to your network can be incredibly effective in enhancing your organization’s security strategy.
• Network segmentation: In traditional networking, there are large zones with hundreds, if not thousands, of endpoints. With increasing instances of ransomware attacks, the risk of one of these zones becoming infected (and then infecting other mission-critical zones) continues to rise. Network segmentation—categorizing different components to deliver more granular security—can help combat these risks.

By including each of these elements, you can develop an effective security strategy that works to stop potential outbreaks, reduce risk, and avoid the exponential costs associated with security breaches.