Making money from network security

1
Making money from network security

• David Strom
• CMP Xchange Emerging Techs
• October 2002

2
Issues

• Network penetrations continue to climb in number,
  sophistication, and complexity
• Proliferation of spam and viruses
• Risk of infection rises as everything is
  connected
• Remote teleworkers and wireless networks bring
  their own complexities

3
Wireless network issues

• More than half of wireless networks operate with
  no security whatsoever
• War driving is now a popular sport
• WEP isnt even that good a protocol
• Mostly outside of control of IT/integrator

4
Wireless solutions

• How do you know if wLANs are running?
• NetStumbler and AirMagnet can help!
• Best to make use of appliances like BlueSocket,
  ReefEdge, Vernier, others
• Need a separate firewall for wireless users to
  separate from main corp. net

5
Remote teleworker isses

• Your corp. net now reaches into peoples homes
• Your net is only as secure as your weakest link
• VPNs are essential to protect corp. net
• Yet another opportunity for resellers!

6
Teleworker solutions

• Understand how remote users are connecting to
  internal nets
• Simplify, simplify, simplify
• Dont poke holes in firewalls just because users
  ask you -- HAVE A PLAN!
• Think big and deploy for the long haul

7
Bright spots on the security horizon

• Biometrics -- just beginning to take off (IBM
  Thinkpad and NetVista line)
• Anti-virus screening almost a given now
• VPNs and secured access to internal nets
• Web applications monitoring shows promise

8
Places of despair

• Secure email -- still not happening
• Key servers and PKI -- not much better
• Secure database access via the web -- not really
  happening yet
• Email filtering software pretty grim

9
Panel

• Brian Cohen, SPIdynamics
• Luis Claret, Rainbow Technologies
• Alonzo Ellis, Imperito Networks
• Chris Fleck, Omnicluster Technologies

10
Questions for the panel

• Has anti-virus screening become a commodity?
• Is there such as thing as a secure Web server?
• What penetrations can resellers stop quickly?
• Can corporations who have firewalls operate them
  effectively?
• How can resellers find the most profitable areas
  for providing better security for their clients?
• How large a corp. to use enterprise-based
  anti-virus solutions?
• How can a VAR sell customers additional security
  beyond just firewalls?