Security beyond the network devices

Network security is like the proverbial chain. It's only as strong as its weakest link. The organization's IT infrastructure is most secure when every security element works together and threats are contained at every point of entry. A detailed discussion of these systems is beyond the scope of the current book, but this section describes the broad aspects of security beyond the network devices to provide a holistic view to the reader.

Securing the network perimeter

Most of the attacks generally originated from outside the network perimeter. The network perimeter is always treated as the boundary between inside and outside networks. Therefore, it is very important to secure this perimeter. Some of the security devices/technologies used at the network perimeter from a security perspective are firewalls and services protection systems.

Firewalls

We have described firewalls at length in Chapter 7, Understanding and Configuring Data Center Technologies. The firewalls...