Finally, there's the challenge of creating a consistent application infrastructure that adjusts to rapidly changing business and security conditions by letting apps share common services. Think about it: Moving SOA and Web 2.0 security functions into a network device makes sense, because it's wholly consistent with SOA's overall principle of reuse. An appliance can complement end-node memory protection products by preventing attacks and eliminating data integrity issues before they do any harm.
Scanners: Deployed Or Deplored?
The more your network is exposed to the public through Web access, the more critical the need for an automated means of finding security flaws. Fortunately, vulnerability and malware scanners continue to become more sophisticated, even as they are being subsumed into the NAC juggernaut, which we discuss in "Network Infrastructure," page 69. We're not ready to declare vulnerability scanners dead as a standalone product category, however--in fact, we expect to see their use grow and their maturity level improve in 2007. There are some places NAC systems just can't go.
Code scanners, on the other hand, have been around forever, and we seem to go through love-hate relationships with them. As we mentioned, we'll review these next year. For now, let's leave it at this: If a code scanner finds even one vulnerability, it was useful. But it's critical to remember that these tools are but one part of the overall security architecture, and the bad guys are not slowing down their attempts to find new attack vectors.
One take on this situation that we found very interesting is Blue Lane Technologies' eponymous security appliance, a passive scanner that watches the network and buys time in the patching arms race.
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
There are many network courses that can address your present job's priorities and help you gain the needed skills to keep pace with industry changes and new technologies.
