NETWORK SECURITY

Security at the network level is basically who needs access to what, and how what is secured across differing systems separated by a distance. With the majority of systems having access to the Internet, Network Security has become greatly complicated. Engineered viruses along with hackers, use ports and exploits that traditionally are not monitored on an Intranet system, without Internet access. Vulnerabilities in code, hardware, and design become exploits that can slow operations, or bring them to a screeching halt. Network Security supports the flow of operations so this does not happen.

Not many people like Network Security administrators, due to their typical approach of damming all access, and only letting through the trickles of information upon complaint or request. This too can bring operations to a screeching halt.

The big step in Network Security is, analysis! To keep the dynamic flow of operations a security policy needs to be in place. Writing one, that can be agreed upon by the groups it supports, is the hardest task. Many groups don't know how to describe what they need. This is where the Security professional reasserts they are there for support, not control of the groups.

There are many devices, appliances, monitoring systems, and design concepts, which all have pros and cons. It is the Security professionals job to fit these into the security policy that is written, and correspond to the incident response plan.

Always remember that Network Security is a support function, not a police function.