Network visibility means knowing what’s happening within your company’s computer network. It involves understanding the components and data flowing through that network. This awareness usually comes from various tools that help companies keep track of their network data and other information.
Why does network visibility matter? It allows organizations to grasp traffic behavior and improves network efficiency, security, and performance. With the rise in data volume and complexity, this understanding is becoming crucial. Companies are responsible for the data that moves across their networks. As data grows in complexity, monitoring it can become challenging. A lack of visibility increases the risk of security threats and data breaches. When businesses have clear visibility, they can sift through the chaos of their data environments and ensure that sensitive information is safe.
However, maintaining network visibility isn’t without its challenges. Modern networks are faster and larger, making it tough to keep up without slowing down performance. Here are some specific hurdles that organizations often face:
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Remote Work: While VPNs allow employees to work securely from anywhere, they can obscure visibility. SD-WANs help tackle this issue. But when employees connect mobile devices directly to the cloud, it can lead to visibility losses.
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Network Blind Spots: Using cloud services creates areas where it’s hard to monitor traffic. Cloud platforms have their own protocols, complicating the ability to assess traffic at the application level.
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Performance Issues: Traditional monitoring tools often struggle with cloud environments because they were designed for on-site networks.
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Encrypted Data: A significant portion of traffic is encrypted, making it harder to monitor and sometimes hiding vulnerabilities.
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Tool Limitations: The tools used for visibility have their own constraints. For example, network switches come with a limited number of ports for monitoring, and changes in network infrastructure can make existing tools less effective.
- Complex Networks: Modern networks rely on a mix of monitoring and analysis tools, which can complicate data visibility. As networks grow in complexity, linking these elements without degrading performance becomes more challenging.
To succeed in network monitoring, adopting best practices is vital. A solid network visibility framework should be scalable, sustainable, and flexible:
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Scalability: Choose tools that can handle increases in connectivity speeds and adapt to network growth.
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Sustainability: Make sure visibility technology can be easily upgraded.
- Flexibility: Tools should adapt to changes in the network with minimal maintenance.
When implementing and maintaining visibility, consider these practices:
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Packet Source Selection: Focus on monitoring specific network points with the best visibility, rather than trying to capture every packet.
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Choosing a Packet Access Technique: Decide on the method for monitoring packets, like using TAPs for passive monitoring or SPAN ports for mirroring. Both have advantages and limitations.
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Passive vs. Active Technologies: You can choose between passive monitoring for basic insights or active setups for real-time traffic management.
- Accommodating Virtual Infrastructure: Ensure you have the right tools to handle cloud and mobile visibility challenges.
Various tools and vendors can help enhance network visibility:
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Network Packet Brokers (NPBs): These tools aggregate data from multiple sources, helping security tools manage large data volumes.
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Network TAPs: These devices allow access to network traffic without interrupting it, though they have physical limitations.
- SD-WANs: These shift the focus from appliances to software-defined solutions, improving performance and security while maintaining visibility.
Vendors like Broadcom, Cisco, Fortra, Keysight, and others offer a mix of these tools and services.
Network visibility is also crucial for compliance with various regulations concerning data protection and privacy. Without adequate visibility, organizations may miss cyber threats that could lead to data loss or breaches. This oversight can lead to productivity losses, legal fees, and reputational damage. For example, healthcare providers must comply with regulations like HIPAA, and financial services need to meet PCI DSS standards. In multi-cloud environments, visibility is even more critical to keeping track of distributed data across various platforms.