Stories about: EndPoints

A recent buzzword in security is endpoint: any device that can connect to the corporate network, ranging from a desktop workstation to a laptop, PDA or even mobile phone. As the number of endpoints increases, firewalls and antivirus software are no longer adequate protection

The marriage of SonicWall and Aventail could result in a new network access control (NAC) vendor after the companies have the chance to assess and integrate their respective technologies.

My heart sank when I first saw Al Gore pull out his BlackBerry. It was in the waning weeks of the 2000 US presidential campaign, and there he was on the TV, tapping away on his then-novel converged device. Though I had no evidence, I was positive that whatever he was reading had already been perused by some conservative skunk works, with his responses scrutinized not long after. Given recent revelations about the opposition's ethics and panting obsession with domestic spying, I still suspect that any eavesdropping technically possible at the time was probably being done.

Network access control stands out as one of the most promising security technologies, but it also is one of the most misunderstood. That's in part because vendors want in on the NAC buzz and are clamoring for attention, despite selling products that are only peripheral. This raises problems for companies that want to consider NAC but don't have a solid sense of what it is, what it might do for them and what kind of investment it requires.

It's a new world of security threats out there. Are Australian businesses ready?

As an avowed IPSec zealot, I generally recommend the technology for remote access. But the SSL VPN vendors have been building such great technology that there are now places where SSL-based remote access is clearly a better choice than IPSec. One of the best places for SSL VPNs is in the ad hoc environment -- places where your employees want to connect but would have to use someone else's computer, such as in an Internet caf‚ or at their brother-in-law's barbecue.

If you manage IT for a government organization -- be it federal, state, or local -- you don't have the luxury of waiting to harden your network defenses, unlike IT managers of commercial enterprises. Public agencies are legally accountable for safeguarding the information they have on their computers, so you must protect that information to avoid serious consequences.

Network security continues to be a fast-growing market of keen interest to investors. Core network connectivity traditionally has fallen under the purview of hardware manufacturers such as Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks, whereas companies such as Symantec and McAfee (formerly Network Associates) generally have been considered the primary sources of security products. However, this long-established boundary separating networking and security is rapidly blurring and might soon disappear entirely.

Forrester Research says that organisations have felt the sting of focusing security on the perimeter while neglecting to secure the end points (such as desktops, laptops) in the enterprise.