Network Security

No one has put it more eloquently than Bruce Schneier when he said “security is a process, not a product.” That statement has never been more true than now. In the face of ever evolving and intensifying security threats both inside and outside the network perimeter, some vendors would have you believe that you can purchase a “security appliance” that will handle the job of network security for you.

We do not subscribe to that philosophy and we don't advise that you do. In the field of network security there is no substitute for a trained expert. In fact, a poorly configured firewall (substitute any "security device" here) can be worse than no firewall at all, as it inspires false confidence.

We can help you avoid those and other pitfalls. If you don't have a written security policy, we can work with you to develop one. Once you have that, we will work with you to build an infrastructure that adheres to the principles of defense in depth, avoiding single points of security failure. We can help you combine the best Open Source and commercial products to provide layered security for your environment.

Some of the specific services that we offer are:

• Security Policy development
• Security Infrastructure design and implementation
• Vulnerability scanning and assessment
• Network and/or host audits
• Firewall, IDS, IPS, VPN implementation and administration
• Monitoring/log analysis

Please contact us to discuss your network security needs and how we may be able to meet them.

Some great places to start if you want more information about network security are:

• SANS provides security training and information. Their courses and certifications are the industry's best.
• Center for Internet Security provides benchmarks and auditing tools for a number of operating systems, network devices, and even applications.
• ISACA provides resources and certification for IT Governance professionals.
• Internet Storm Center was founded by a former colleague. It uses a distributed intrusion detection system to provide real-time feedback on security incidents around the globe including early detection and warning of new worms and viruses.
• US Computer Emergency Readiness Team provides information, advisories, and newsletters on security threats.
• Bruce Schneier's Crypto-Gram is the monthly newsletter provided by the well-known security and cryptography expert and author.