NC Aug-Sep 2024
Transform your PDFs into Flipbooks and boost your revenue!
Leverage SEO-optimized Flipbooks, powerful backlinks, and multimedia content to professionally showcase your products and significantly increase your reach.
NETWORKcomputing<br />
I N F O R M A T I O N A N D C O M M U N I C A T I O N S – N E T W O R K E D www.networkcomputing.co.uk<br />
A GREAT NIGHT FOR NETWORKING<br />
Discover this year’s Network Computing Awards winners inside!<br />
SMOOTH OPERATOR<br />
Getting NetOps and<br />
SecOps in harmony<br />
DEVICE AS A SERVICE<br />
The evolution of end-user<br />
computing<br />
ESTABLISHING ZERO<br />
TRUST<br />
Why a machine identity<br />
management policy is key<br />
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> VOL 33 NO 03
SAVE THE DATE<br />
RDS, Dublin: 20-21 Nov <strong>2024</strong><br />
Infrastructure • Services • Solutions<br />
DataCentres Ireland combines a dedicated exhibition and<br />
multi-streamed conference to address every aspect of<br />
planning, designing and operating your Datacentre, Server/<br />
Comms room and Digital storage solution – Whether<br />
internally, outsourced or in the Cloud.<br />
DataCentres Ireland is the largest and most complete event in<br />
the country. It is where you will meet the key decision makers as<br />
well as those directly involved in the day to day operations.<br />
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS I<strong>NC</strong>LUDE:<br />
Multi Stream Conference<br />
25 Hours of Conference Content<br />
International & Local Experts<br />
Entry to ALL aspects of<br />
DataCentres Ireland is FREE<br />
• Market Overview<br />
• Power Sessions<br />
• Connectivity<br />
• Regional Developments<br />
• Open Compute Project<br />
• Heat Networks and the Data Centre<br />
• Renewable Energy<br />
• Standby Generation<br />
• Updating Legacy Data Centres<br />
Meet your market<br />
60+ Speakers & Panellists<br />
100+ Exhibitors<br />
Networking Reception<br />
Ticket & Registration<br />
Sponsor<br />
Lanyard Sponsor<br />
For the latest information & to register online visit<br />
www.datacentres-ireland.com
COMMENT<br />
COMMENT<br />
ARE WE SPEAKING AI'S LANGUAGE YET?<br />
Anew survey from intelligent automation experts ABBYY this month has focused on the<br />
'FOMO' experienced by organisations in the UK and worldwide when it comes to adopting<br />
AI. Conducted in June, the Intelligent Automation: AI Trust Barometer <strong>2024</strong> survey asked<br />
1,200 IT decision makers in the UK, US, France, Germany, Australia and Singapore about their<br />
levels of trust in AI and their deployment of the technology. In the UK respondents reported that<br />
their average AI investment reached £730,000 in the past year despite more than a third (37%)<br />
of business leaders having concerns about implementation costs. Almost all (95%) of the UK business<br />
leaders surveyed said they plan to increase their AI investment in the year ahead, with just<br />
over half (52%) stating that a key driver for adoption was pressure from customers. However<br />
'hype' for AI was not seen as an important factor for the UK respondents, with only 18% saying it<br />
was a consideration.<br />
The main AI fears reported concerned misuse of the technology by their own staff and cost (both<br />
37%), concerns about data protection (36%), AI hallucinations (35%), and compliance risk (32%).<br />
Interestingly the UK respondents reported a very high level of trust in AI tools at 85% with small<br />
language models (SLMs) or purpose-built AI (92%) deemed the most trustworthy. The UK also<br />
reported the highest levels of generative AI use, with 77% saying they use it compared with 65%<br />
globally. Commenting, Maxime Vermeir, Senior Director of AI Strategy at ABBYY, said, "It's no surprise<br />
to me that organisations have more trust in small language models due to the tendency of<br />
LLMs (large language models) to hallucinate and provide inaccurate and possibly harmful outcomes.<br />
We're seeing more business leaders moving to SLMs to better address their specific business<br />
needs, enabling more trustworthy results."<br />
REVIEWS:<br />
Dave Mitchell<br />
DEPUTY EDITOR: Mark Lyward<br />
(netcomputing@btc.co.uk)<br />
PRODUCTION: Abby Penn<br />
(abby.penn@btc.co.uk)<br />
DESIGN: Ian Collis<br />
(ian.collis@btc.co.uk<br />
SALES:<br />
David Bonner<br />
(david.bonner@btc.co.uk)<br />
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Christina Willis<br />
(christina.willis@btc.co.uk)<br />
PUBLISHER: John Jageurs<br />
(john.jageurs@btc.co.uk)<br />
Published by Barrow & Thompkins<br />
Connexion Ltd (BTC)<br />
35 Station Square,<br />
Petts Wood, Kent, BR5 1LZ<br />
Tel: +44 (0)1689 616 000<br />
Fax: +44 (0)1689 82 66 22<br />
SUBSCRIPTIONS:<br />
UK: £35/year, £60/two years, £80/three<br />
years;<br />
Europe: £48/year, £85/two years £127/three<br />
years;<br />
ROW:<br />
£62/year, £115/two years, £168/three years<br />
© <strong>2024</strong> Barrow & Thompkins Connexion Ltd.<br />
All rights reserved. No part of the magazine<br />
may be reproduced without prior consent,<br />
in writing, from the publisher.<br />
Sasa Crnojevic at SAS also sounds a note of caution about LLMs deployment in his article on<br />
data-driven networks this issue, observing that while Gen AI is "a top priority for organisations in<br />
<strong>2024</strong> to increase efficiency, automate operational tasks and spur creativity, there is still some caution<br />
around its implementation due to the challenges, including orchestration and governance,<br />
which must be overcome to successfully adopt and align it with existing business frameworks. LLM<br />
models displaying hallucinations is one of the best known examples." He adds that "AI models are<br />
only as good as the data fed into them, so without high quality data the algorithms won't reach<br />
their maximum potential."<br />
SolarWinds Database Expert Kevin Kline also points some potential pitfalls of LLM adoption,<br />
warning that "In the rush to leverage Gen AI, some organisations have created their own large<br />
language model based on internal data. More often than not, they are unprepared for this giant<br />
leap forward. Without the right data governance in place, there's a risk of error-prone data or<br />
data without proper tagging or categorisation proliferating through the organisation. The result is<br />
two-fold: First, an LLM system built on poor-quality data that can lead to spurious results. Second,<br />
data that is improperly tagged or categorised means that a Gen AI prompt might retrieve data<br />
inappropriate for the end-user." Garbage in, garbage out? Some things never change. <strong>NC</strong><br />
GET FUTURE COPIES FREE<br />
BY REGISTERING ONLINE AT<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK/REGISTER<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> NETWORKcomputing 03
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> VOL 33 NO 03<br />
CONTENTS<br />
CONTENTS<br />
A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 4<br />
NETWORKcomputing<br />
I N F O R M A T I O N A N D C O M M U N I C A T I O N S – N E T W O R K E D www.networkcomputing.co.uk<br />
A GREAT NIGHT FOR NETWORKING<br />
Discover this year’s Network Computing Awards winners inside!<br />
SMOOTH OPERATOR<br />
Getting NetOps and<br />
SecOps in harmony<br />
DEVICE AS A SERVICE<br />
The evolution of end-user<br />
computing<br />
ESTABLISHING ZERO<br />
TRUST<br />
Why a machine identity<br />
management policy is key<br />
SAFETY IN UNITY..................14<br />
James Campanini at Logitech outlines<br />
five steps businesses can take to secure<br />
their unified communications<br />
environment and protect their business<br />
ESTABLISHING ZERO TRUST....20<br />
David Higgins at CyberArk explains how<br />
machine identitiy management can play<br />
a pivotal role in an organisation's Zero<br />
Trust strategy<br />
SMOOTH OPERATOR...........10<br />
Network packet data could prove crucial<br />
in driving NetOps and SecOps<br />
collaboration, according to Mark Evans<br />
at Endace<br />
THE EVOLUTION OF END USER<br />
COMPUTING.........................18<br />
John Hayes-Warren at Agilitas explains<br />
how DaaS (device as a service) could<br />
hold the key to monitoring and<br />
maintaining remote technology<br />
NETWORK COMPUTING<br />
AWARDS <strong>2024</strong>.......................27<br />
Now in their 18th year, the winners of the<br />
<strong>2024</strong> Network Computing Awards were<br />
announced at an evening awards<br />
ceremony held in London in May<br />
COMMENT.....................................3<br />
Are we speaking AI's language yet?<br />
INDUSTRY NEWS.............................6<br />
The latest networking news<br />
ARTICLES<br />
CLOSING THE I.T. SKILLS GAP WITH<br />
MANAGED SERVICES......................08<br />
By Adam Gaca at Future Processing<br />
FIVE TIPS FOR IMPLEMENTING AI<br />
WITHOUT RISKING YOUR DATA.....09<br />
By Andrew Smith at Kyocera<br />
TUNING IN TO THE CHANNEL.......22<br />
By Zhanna Boguslavska at SolarWinds<br />
NETWORK DATA ANALYTICS...........24<br />
By Sasa Crnojevic at SAS<br />
REMOTE WORK IN THE FACE OF<br />
EVOLVING CYBER THREATS............26<br />
By Jonathan Wright at GCX<br />
CASE STUDY<br />
DRIVEN BY OT SECURITY................12<br />
SGF relies on macmon NAC's 20 years of<br />
experience in the field of network security for<br />
their central security solution<br />
REVIEWS<br />
NETALLY LINKRUNNER AT 4000.......07<br />
BACKBOX NETWORK AUTOMATION<br />
PLATFORM.........................................16<br />
04 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
NEWSNEWS<br />
NEWS NEWS<br />
NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS<br />
NEWS NEWS<br />
Enhanced backup and recovery for Microsoft 365<br />
Hornetsecurity has released an enhanced version of its 365<br />
Total Backup solution for Microsoft 365, now including<br />
comprehensive backup and recovery support for Microsoft<br />
Planner. This enhancement follows the roll-out of Microsoft’s<br />
Planner function to manage tasks and projects. The free update<br />
is available for Hornetsecurity customers on both its 365 Total<br />
Backup products and 365 Total Protection (Plans 3 and 4). The<br />
broader scope of protection supports GDPR compliance and<br />
adds to the existing backup and recovery functionality across<br />
essential M365 applications, including Mailbox, OneDrive,<br />
SharePoint, and Teams.<br />
A key feature of this upgrade is the granular restore option,<br />
which empowers administrators to choose multiple restore<br />
points. It provides a visual representation of the plan and its<br />
evolution within selected timestamps, allowing users to restore<br />
specific tasks with ease. This mirrors that of Microsoft Planner<br />
for enhanced usability. Additionally, the full restore function<br />
allows administrators to restore all plans associated with one or<br />
more Microsoft 365 Groups to the same group, a different<br />
group, or a zip archive.<br />
Are your endpoint devices ready for Windows 11?<br />
ControlUp has announced the initial findings from its new<br />
ControlUp Edge DX Windows 11 readiness assessment<br />
tool. Across a sample set of over 750,000 enterprise<br />
Windows endpoint devices, the findings reveal that 82% have<br />
not yet migrated to Windows 11, while only 18% are running<br />
the new Microsoft operating system. Of the devices yet to<br />
migrate, 88% are ready for migration, 1% can be upgraded<br />
to meet the requirements prior to migration, and 11% need<br />
to be fully replaced. The ControlUp Windows 11 readiness<br />
data was compiled from a sample set of over 750,000<br />
enterprise Windows devices managed by ControlUp as of<br />
early <strong>Aug</strong>ust <strong>2024</strong>.<br />
The best (and worst) places for tech jobs in the UK<br />
Anew study from eskimoz.co.uk has looked at the best and worst<br />
places for tech jobs in the UK in <strong>2024</strong>. According to the study<br />
London continues to dominate the top spots for tech jobs, while<br />
certain North East and Wales areas face challenges. The City of<br />
London is the best place for tech jobs in the UK, boasting the<br />
highest wages (£30.15/hour) and the shortest commute (5,348 km<br />
annually). This area achieved the highest final score of 90.00, with<br />
a notable 6.97% growth in the number of tech enterprises.<br />
Conversely, Thurrock was found to be the least desirable area for<br />
tech jobs, experiencing the second-fastest rate of decline in the tech<br />
sector (35.48%). Despite these challenges, some areas like Bexley<br />
have seen significant pay increases within the industry. Thurrock has a<br />
final score of 50, with an average hourly wage of £16.33 and a total<br />
of 300 enterprises. View the full study here: https://shorturl.at/UJrdc<br />
Staying on the PULSE of security engagement testing<br />
Independent cybersecurity consultancy, Prism Infosec has<br />
announced the launch of its PULSE testing service to enable<br />
organisations which may not have the bandwidth or resource to<br />
dedicate to a full-scale red team exercise to assess their defence<br />
capabilities against real-world threats. PULSE addresses the gap<br />
that currently exists between penetration testing and red teaming<br />
which can prevent organisations from gaining an accurate<br />
understanding of their security posture.<br />
Penetration Tests are contained evaluations that assess security<br />
boundaries and controls of distinct systems that excel at the<br />
analysis of specific vulnerabilities contained to specific control<br />
planes of individual systems. In contrast, red teaming is a realworld<br />
test of the organisation's defences against threat actor<br />
activities and capabilities which sees the tester adopt a more<br />
opportunistic approach that more closely mirrors the attacks the<br />
business could expect to be subjected to. PULSE has been devised<br />
to bridge the gap between the two different approaches using<br />
threat actor simulation.<br />
PULSE evaluates the security of an organisation's perimeter,<br />
endpoint security, and environment, from the point of view of a<br />
time-limited opportunistic threat actor. Conducted over five days<br />
using techniques aligned with the MITRE ATT&CK framework, tests<br />
are carried out that are flexible, repeatable and measurable.<br />
Suitable for organisations that have invested in security tooling but<br />
lack a full-time dedicated Security Operations Centre (SOC) and<br />
staff, the timeframe and methods used ensure PULSE tests are not<br />
disruptive while still subjecting systems to rigorous assault.<br />
06 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
PRODUCT REVIEW<br />
NetAlly LinkRunner<br />
AT 4000<br />
PRODUCT REVIEW<br />
PRODUCT<br />
REVIEWPRODUCT RE<br />
Since their introduction over two decades<br />
ago, NetAlly's LinkRunner® AT network<br />
cable testers have become the go-to tool<br />
for network engineers - and they just got even<br />
better. The latest LinkRunner 3000 and 4000<br />
models take everything that made their<br />
predecessors famous and add a wealth of new<br />
and valuable features.<br />
The LinkRunner AT 3000 is a direct<br />
replacement for the 1000 and 2000 models<br />
while the LinkRunner AT 4000 on review takes<br />
over from the G2. Both offer advanced<br />
copper NBase-T and fibre cable testing<br />
facilities which the 4000 expands on with<br />
network discovery, periodic AutoTests,<br />
HTTP/FTP response measurements, path<br />
analysis and packet capture.<br />
There's much more, as both models offer<br />
network switch and Power over Ethernet (PoE)<br />
testing capabilities. They can automatically<br />
detect and run diagnostics on switches to<br />
provide information such as their name, data<br />
rate, port number plus VLAN ID, and support<br />
the 802.3af/at/bt standards, all classes from 0<br />
to 8 and Cisco's proprietary UPoE.<br />
Using the LinkRunner AT 4000 couldn't be<br />
easier as it runs NetAlly's embedded Androidbased<br />
OS and will appeal to novices as well as<br />
technicians. The bottom line is if they can use a<br />
mobile then they'll have no problems with the<br />
LinkRunner AT 4000.<br />
The 5in. colour touchscreen presents icons for<br />
swift access to all tasks and you can install<br />
other third-party Android apps as well. The<br />
screen's FAB (floating access button) opens<br />
action menus offering instant access to further<br />
analysis tools related to the selected task.<br />
The unit includes a default profile for quick<br />
one-tap tests of wired networks, and after only<br />
20 seconds it reported back with an impressive<br />
amount of network information. This is<br />
presented as 'cards' colour coded to indicate<br />
warnings or errors and you can tap on any of<br />
them and drill down for more details.<br />
With the PoE test enabled in the profile and<br />
a class selected, it showed details of power<br />
delivery and the measured voltage under<br />
load for our Netgear 48-port PoE+ Smart<br />
switch. You can easily customise AutoTest<br />
profiles, place them in groups, add new ones<br />
and enable periodic tests using preset or<br />
custom intervals.<br />
As you'd expect, cable tests are in abundance<br />
and just as easy to run. For unterminated<br />
cables, it reports back on the measured length<br />
plus shorts, splits and opens with the optional<br />
Wiremapper accessory identifying split pairs,<br />
crossover cables, normal or negative pair<br />
polarity and shielded cables.<br />
The Discovery tool presented us with a card<br />
for every device on our network which we could<br />
tap on to pull up more detail such as their<br />
network interfaces, addresses and where<br />
appropriate, SNMP agent uptime. The integral<br />
iPerf app can run performance tests to the<br />
NetAlly iPerf accessory or a system hosting an<br />
iPerf server.<br />
The LinkRunner AT 4000 works directly with<br />
NetAlly's Link-Live cloud portal for topology<br />
mapping and analytics. Its smart interactive<br />
dashboard view provides technicians with an 'at<br />
a glance' snapshot of what is happening on<br />
their networks.<br />
After claiming the LinkRunner 4000 for our<br />
account, we could upload test results and<br />
packet capture data. Many test results are<br />
uploaded automatically to the portal and<br />
used for further analysis and report creation,<br />
and the device can be remotely controlled<br />
securely from Link-Live or V<strong>NC</strong> where the<br />
technician is presented with a precise<br />
representation of its screen.<br />
NetAlly's LinkRunner AT 4000 raises the bar<br />
for cable testing and network analysis as it<br />
delivers a remarkably powerful set of<br />
diagnostics and troubleshooting features in a<br />
ruggedised handheld device. Its large screen<br />
and Android-based OS make it incredibly easy<br />
to use, it integrates seamlessly with NetAlly's<br />
Link-Live cloud portal and with prices starting at<br />
around £3,225, is very affordable. <strong>NC</strong><br />
Product: LinkRunner AT 4000<br />
Supplier: NetAlly<br />
Web site: www.netally.com<br />
Telephone: +44 (0)115 865 5676<br />
Price: From £3,225 exc VAT<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> 07<br />
NETWORKcomputing<br />
@<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards
OPINION: MSPs<br />
CLOSING THE I.T. SKILLS GAP WITH MANAGED SERVICES<br />
MANAGED SERVICE PROVIDERS (MSPs) CAN HELP ALLEVIATE THE IMPACT OF THE WIDENING IT SKILLS GAP<br />
ACCORDING TO ADAM GACA, VICE PRESIDENT OF CLOUD SOLUTIONS AT FUTURE PROCESSING<br />
Business operations have become<br />
increasingly digital to facilitate remote<br />
working and improve access to<br />
computing infrastructure. Therefore, it is<br />
becoming vital for organisations to balance<br />
operational stability, while also pushing the<br />
boundaries of innovation. However, with a<br />
surge in demand the IT skills gap widens,<br />
leaving most businesses in a precarious<br />
position with limited growth opportunities.<br />
Research indicates that over 55% of<br />
businesses in the UK are experiencing a severe<br />
digital skills shortage, with organisations<br />
struggling to train staff on new IT infrastructures.<br />
As technology continues to progress at a rapid<br />
pace, businesses are finding it difficult to keep<br />
up, leading to this<br />
significant disparity<br />
between the skills<br />
employees possess<br />
and the skills required<br />
to effectively leverage<br />
new technology.<br />
Currently, 27% of<br />
UK workers<br />
believe that they<br />
lack sufficient<br />
digital skills<br />
required for their<br />
job role. If this<br />
trajectory<br />
continues,<br />
businesses<br />
must take<br />
decisive action<br />
or face risks of<br />
operational<br />
imbalances<br />
and limited<br />
growth<br />
opportunities.<br />
One solution gaining traction is the<br />
adoption of managed services, as it enables<br />
businesses to access a team of experts and<br />
specialists. By utilising a managed service<br />
provider, companies can alleviate pressures<br />
caused by the IT skills gap, with flexibility to<br />
meet the specific needs of the business, at<br />
any specific time.<br />
ACCESS TO ON DEMAND EXPERTS<br />
As the IT skills gap widens, businesses are left<br />
with a digital skills shortage, with an estimated<br />
20% of the workforce in the UK predicted to<br />
be significantly underskilled for their jobs by<br />
2030. By onboarding a managed service<br />
provider, organisations can gain access to<br />
experts and specialists when required to<br />
alleviate pressures that arise from the IT gap.<br />
By taking advantage of on-demand specialists,<br />
businesses' internal teams can reallocate time<br />
to focus on core functions and growth in order<br />
to bridge the growing gap.<br />
Furthermore, by leveraging managed services,<br />
businesses can mitigate the risks associated<br />
with IT infrastructures and operations. By<br />
reducing the risks of software downtimes and<br />
data breaches through external monitoring, a<br />
managed service can deliver a reliable IT<br />
support system that evolves with the changing<br />
landscape, and ultimately the business.<br />
I<strong>NC</strong>REASED FLEXIBILITY<br />
With over 85% of organisations identifying an<br />
increased adoption of new technology,<br />
businesses are more likely to need the flexibility<br />
to ensure adaptation to emerging software to<br />
drive transformation. As the gap widens, this<br />
poses a significant challenge for businesses,<br />
halting the opportunity for future success.<br />
Businesses can streamline their operations with<br />
the introduction of a managed capacity - a<br />
flexible competency-based model which allows<br />
them to access specialists within a specific skill<br />
set to target exact pain points.<br />
The customisable attributes of a managed<br />
capacity offer businesses scalable support.<br />
Compared to a whole team of experts working<br />
across a broad scope, businesses can fine-tune<br />
specialists to target a weak point on a rolling<br />
basis, filling precise gaps. Enlisting a managed<br />
capacity model also enables businesses to be<br />
brought back up to speed with new software<br />
better positioning the company with their best<br />
foot forwards to drive transformations.<br />
ADOPTING NEW TECHNOLOGIES<br />
With the adoption of emerging technologies<br />
such as AI and the cloud, businesses require a<br />
specific skill set, further creating a global lack of<br />
in-house skills. With more than 75% of<br />
companies looking to adopt cloud computing<br />
and AI technologies in the next five years<br />
according to the World Economic Forum,<br />
businesses must ensure they have a highly skilled<br />
workforce to leverage a streamlined enrollment<br />
process. By shifting to a managed service<br />
operation, businesses can tap into a team of<br />
expert IT consultants for cost-effective solutions<br />
and services, allowing businesses to meet<br />
increasing demand, without heavily investing in<br />
resources needed to train existing teams.<br />
With the acceleration of emerging<br />
technology, leveraging a managed service<br />
provider could be the key for businesses to<br />
close the IT skills gap, by providing expert IT<br />
support that drives innovation and operational<br />
efficiency. The solution can significantly reduce<br />
operational costs, freeing up resources to<br />
invest in other critical areas to accelerate<br />
growth. Tailored solutions with managed<br />
capacity ensure that specific pain points can<br />
be bridged, empowering more agility and<br />
success now and in the future. <strong>NC</strong><br />
08 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
OPINON: AI SECURITY<br />
IMPLEMENTING AI WITHOUT RISKING YOUR DATA<br />
KYOCERA'S ANDREW SMITH SHARES HIS TOP FIVE TIPS FOR ANY ORGANISATION LOOKING TO<br />
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AI - WITHOUT THE SECURITY PITFALLS<br />
The Gen AI bubble might not be growing<br />
as quickly as it was in 2023, but as<br />
adoption continues apace, organisations<br />
across the globe are still being caught out by<br />
outdated security protocols. To combat the risks<br />
associated with AI and to help more<br />
organisations take advantage of it, Andrew<br />
Smith, CISO for Kyocera Document Solutions<br />
UK has shared his top five tips for making sure<br />
any organisation can implement AI without<br />
putting their data security at risk:<br />
1: Avoid using personal or proprietary<br />
information in Gen AI LLMs<br />
It is not common knowledge how and where<br />
data is used when utilising generative AI<br />
models. Often end users do not know the<br />
sensitivity of the data they are uploading and<br />
are more focused on the potential outcome AI<br />
technology can generate. The important<br />
approach for business leaders is to ensure they<br />
do not restrict AI use, and in turn create<br />
shadow use, but instead provide education to<br />
users on how to safely use AI in addition to<br />
providing AI models that are safe to use in the<br />
business domain.<br />
2: Create a company policy on AI & privacy<br />
From my experience the challenge colleagues<br />
are facing here is the lack of reference material<br />
and best practise in which to build from.<br />
Instead, the source of reference is best practise<br />
in data use, safety and privacy and adopting<br />
this approach in the utilisation of AI. This way<br />
the core topic in which is the data is utilised<br />
and generated is protected and considered by<br />
the foundation of well-established data and<br />
privacy policies.<br />
3: Manage data privacy settings<br />
Data privacy settings are challenging in this<br />
space, with many different AI toolsets being<br />
launched on a daily basis being web-based.<br />
Our approach in this space is utilising broader<br />
data privacy controls and data boundaries and<br />
sources to ensure extraction of data is<br />
understood and controlled prior to it being<br />
uploaded to insecure sources. As more private<br />
AI tools and models are released, IT have the<br />
ability to control the use cases and abilities of<br />
the toolsets as well as expanding the outcomes<br />
and outputs of the technology. This is where we<br />
believe mainstream adoption may be achieved.<br />
4: Regularly change passwords and use data<br />
access controls<br />
It is important that companies have strong IT<br />
policies that guide and control how users use<br />
systems and in particular the rules in which they<br />
must comply with. Modern IT platforms and<br />
data loss prevention policies and controls<br />
allow IT to have greater influence on user<br />
behaviour, BUT end user education is always<br />
essential to ensure the best possible protection<br />
for corporate IT systems.<br />
5: Audit AI interactions and monitor data<br />
breaches<br />
The important element with trying to audit AI<br />
use and subsequent data breaches is first to<br />
ensure there is strong guidance around<br />
permitted use cases and to utilise work groups<br />
that understand how users want to develop<br />
business operations utilising AI.<br />
Depending on the AI use case and in<br />
particular with new private AI models<br />
there are options for IT to have much<br />
greater control and insight. For<br />
data breaches, it is essential to<br />
utilise IT controls alongside<br />
industry leading cyber toolsets to<br />
monitor and spot potential data<br />
leaks or breaches. <strong>NC</strong><br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> NETWORKcomputing 09
OPINON: NETOPS<br />
SMOOTH OPERATOR<br />
NETWORK PACKET DATA COULD PROVE CRUCIAL IN DRIVING NETOPS AND SECOPS<br />
COLLABORATION ACCORDING TO MARK EVANS, PACKET CAPTURE EVANGELIST AT ENDACE<br />
Historically, many networking and<br />
security teams have operated quite<br />
independently with different - and<br />
often conflicting - priorities, separate<br />
budgets, and their own specific sets of tools<br />
and technologies.<br />
However, this is quickly changing. NetOps<br />
and SecOps teams are increasingly<br />
collaborating much more closely and even,<br />
in many cases, merging to form a combined<br />
NetSecOps team - as noted in Enterprise<br />
Management Associates' recent report<br />
'NetSecOps: Examining How Network and<br />
Security Teams Collaborate for a Better<br />
Digital Future'.<br />
There have been some significant changes<br />
in this <strong>2024</strong> report since the last NetSecOps<br />
report released in 2021. However, it notes<br />
that executives still believe that collaboration<br />
has increased more than middle managers<br />
and technical staff indicate, suggesting that<br />
more focus on enabling closer collaboration<br />
- such as sharing tools, budgets and data<br />
sources - may be required.<br />
Some of the key factors driving this closer<br />
collaboration between NetOps and SecOps<br />
teams are:<br />
The desire to automate network and<br />
security functions<br />
The move towards hybrid cloud<br />
environments<br />
Adopting SASE (Secure Access Service<br />
Edge)<br />
Managing OT (Operational Technology)<br />
environments<br />
Multi-cloud usage<br />
Work-from-home<br />
The good news is that network and<br />
security teams understand the need for<br />
increased collaboration: many teams have<br />
already converged to increase<br />
collaborative activity and this trend is<br />
continuing to grow. The benefits of this<br />
closer collaboration are clear too -<br />
reduced security risk, improved operational<br />
efficiency, faster issue resolution, cost<br />
savings and improved reliability are all<br />
reported as significant benefits.<br />
The bad news is that closer collaboration<br />
is not always simple to achieve: NetSecOps<br />
teams often struggle to gain visibility into all<br />
their hybrid cloud environments, and many<br />
are concerned about the integrity of their<br />
data collection tools, which may be<br />
susceptible to compromise by attackers.<br />
As organisations look to increase<br />
collaboration to stay on top of hybrid and<br />
multi-cloud architectures, there are several<br />
trends we're seeing across processes, tools,<br />
and technologies.<br />
KEY CHALLENGES TO MONITORING<br />
IN THE CLOUD<br />
The reality is that most NetSecOps teams find<br />
it challenging to monitor the performance of<br />
applications and infrastructure in the cloud.<br />
Both NetOps and SecOps need access to<br />
relevant data for end-to-end cloud monitoring,<br />
but it's not always easily accessible.<br />
Often, when a SecOps team needs data,<br />
they request it from the network engineering<br />
team, which is a slow and manual process.<br />
These requests can become particularly<br />
drawn out when there is limited or no<br />
interaction between network engineering<br />
team and security teams, and no<br />
transparency between how either team access<br />
data to monitor cloud networks.<br />
Even worse, security teams often have<br />
their own infrastructure and ways of<br />
monitoring data, which can result in<br />
duplicating efforts and costs when network<br />
engineering teams begin using different<br />
tools for the same purpose - and paying<br />
twice for the same outcome.<br />
Where many teams are seeing improved<br />
results for cloud transparency is by architecting<br />
a shared infrastructure for both network and<br />
security teams. This approach ensures they<br />
share the same source of truth and avoid<br />
unnecessary expenses.<br />
HOW NETWORK PACKETS CAN DRIVE<br />
NETSECOPS COLLABORATION<br />
Whether through on-demand requests or<br />
10 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
OPINON: NETOPS<br />
establishing dedicated repositories, security<br />
teams often rely on the expertise of network<br />
engineers to access and analyse packet<br />
data effectively. Packet data plays a pivotal<br />
role in incident reconstruction during<br />
forensic analysis, providing organisations<br />
with a comprehensive understanding of<br />
security incidents.<br />
Unlike log data, which may be missing<br />
vital information, or may have been<br />
modified or deleted by attackers, full<br />
network packet data provides the absolute<br />
truth about what happened on the network.<br />
It lets security teams get to the root cause of<br />
security and performance issues quickly and<br />
conclusively without the need for guesswork.<br />
In EMA's report, 87% of senior engineers,<br />
analysts and architects surveyed recognised<br />
the value of providing security teams with<br />
access to full packet data, with 39%<br />
considering this access essential.<br />
The research points to a growing trend that<br />
we're seeing at enterprise organisations<br />
globally: as data and applications have<br />
steadily moved to the cloud, traditional<br />
security perimeters have changed. Achieving<br />
true hybrid cloud visibility for security and<br />
network operations teams means that<br />
organisations require a single, unified view<br />
of network activity across on-premise,<br />
branch and cloud assets. It's time to make<br />
sure full network packet data is universally<br />
accessible across both on-premise and<br />
cloud networks, and ensure network and<br />
security operations teams have the skills to<br />
be able to analyse packet data.<br />
USING PACKET DATA TO IMPROVE<br />
COLLABORATION<br />
The increasing importance of packet data<br />
for security teams has driven closer<br />
collaboration between NetOps and SecOps<br />
teams and is fuelling an increased need for<br />
the ability to share packet data and make it<br />
available to both teams on demand. This<br />
replaces the scenario<br />
where previously SecOps teams have<br />
had to request packet data (and sometimes<br />
the analysis of that data too) from their<br />
NetOps colleagues and wait for a response.<br />
That delay is no longer acceptable if<br />
SecOps teams are to be able to respond to<br />
threats quickly enough to prevent escalation.<br />
HOW ARE SECURITY TEAMS USING<br />
PACKET DATA?<br />
The EMA report also found that the primary<br />
use case amongst those surveyed was to<br />
investigate alerts tied to host-based security<br />
solutions, including endpoint detection and<br />
response (EDR) or virus scanners. Teams are<br />
also using packet capture to investigate<br />
alerts from network security tools, such as<br />
NDR/XDR, WAF, IDA, IPS/IDS, SIEM and<br />
SOAR platforms. Packet capture was also<br />
reported to be widely used for investigating<br />
data exfiltration or indicators of<br />
compromise, threat hunting, compliance,<br />
and forensic security analysis.<br />
Network operations teams are looking to<br />
use packet data to enable increased<br />
automation of network management tasks<br />
such as network and application<br />
troubleshooting remediation.<br />
CHALLENGES TO CLOUD TRAFFIC<br />
DATA VISIBILITY<br />
EMA's research also found that gaining<br />
visibility into cloud traffic data is a major<br />
factor in facilitating increased<br />
collaboration<br />
amongst security and network<br />
teams. Almost 90% of organisations<br />
surveyed said it was valuable for both<br />
networking and security personnel to have<br />
access to cloud network traffic.<br />
While most teams understand the value of<br />
having access to cloud traffic data, the<br />
research showed that only 38% have full<br />
packet access: "Organisations have better<br />
visibility into cloud traffic when IT<br />
leadership successfully encourages network<br />
and security teams to deploy shared tools<br />
to enhance collaboration. We also found<br />
that deep cloud traffic visibility enabled this<br />
collaboration to reduce security risk, speed<br />
up network problem resolution, and boost<br />
both teams' influence over technical<br />
initiatives, like cloud migration and<br />
transformation"<br />
There are clear benefits to encouraging<br />
closer collaboration between NetOps and<br />
SecOps teams - and potentially good<br />
arguments for merging these teams (and<br />
their budgets) to promote the use of shared<br />
tools, workflows and processes. In<br />
addition, the cross-pollination of skills from<br />
both teams can result in a whole that's<br />
greater than the sum of its parts and give<br />
members of both teams significant<br />
opportunities for career growth. <strong>NC</strong><br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> NETWORKcomputing 11
CASE STUDY<br />
DRIVEN BY OT SECURITY<br />
SGF, A LEADING PROVIDER<br />
OF GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE<br />
ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS,<br />
RELIES ON MACMON'S 20<br />
YEARS OF EXPERIE<strong>NC</strong>E IN THE<br />
FIELD OF NETWORK SECURITY<br />
FOR THEIR CENTRAL<br />
SECURITY SOLUTION.<br />
According to a study by PwC, five<br />
out of six SMEs were targeted by<br />
email phishing in 2022.<br />
Ransomware attacks also continue to<br />
weigh heavily on the German economy:<br />
73% of the SMEs surveyed were victims of<br />
an attack last year. Business leaders<br />
should be aware that they are an<br />
important element of a vulnerable supply<br />
chain and therefore are of interest to<br />
extortion attempts by criminals. In<br />
particular, the automotive industry, which<br />
is considered a central pillar of the<br />
German economy, is targeted by<br />
cybercriminals worldwide.<br />
SGF: FROM BAVARIA INTO THE<br />
WORLD<br />
In the more than 75 years since it was<br />
founded as a family-owned company,<br />
Süddeutsche Gelenkscheibenfabrik<br />
(SGF) GmbH & Co. KG has developed<br />
into a global market leader with its<br />
products. The company offers<br />
international customers individual and<br />
sophisticated noise, vibration and<br />
harshness (NVH) solutions for<br />
the decoupling and<br />
damping<br />
of vibrations and noises in the<br />
automotive, rail and industrial<br />
applications. In the field of metal forming,<br />
SGF manufactures high-strength metal<br />
parts for electric motors for cars.<br />
In the financial year 2022, 700<br />
employees at 4 locations worldwide<br />
generated 120 million euros. SGF has<br />
developed into the market leader in<br />
torque transmission and has 75 years of<br />
experience in thread and binder<br />
technology. In addition to highly qualified<br />
employees and state-of-the-art<br />
development and production facilities,<br />
special know-how from rubber and<br />
silicone processing is the basis for the<br />
high-quality standard of the products.<br />
SGF is certified according to DIN EN ISO<br />
9001 and ISO/TS 16949 and thus meets<br />
the highest requirements of the<br />
automotive industry.<br />
BELDEN'S MACMON NAC:<br />
PROFITABILITY, COMFORT AND<br />
SECURITY<br />
SGF recognises the growing threat to the<br />
security of their IT and OT (operational<br />
technology) networks. In the digital world<br />
the best security strategies are<br />
increasingly deciding the future of<br />
companies. In cooperation with CyProtect<br />
AG as an experienced gold partner of<br />
macmon secure, a proof of concept was<br />
set up for SGF, with macmon NAC as the<br />
central security solution.<br />
CyProtect AG is a manufacturer-agnostic<br />
cybersecurity service provider and<br />
combines a profound understanding of<br />
IT/OT and IoT for safety-critical processes<br />
with the cutting-edge technologies of<br />
leading security manufacturers. In<br />
particular, the company was constantly<br />
relocating employees. The associated<br />
manual configuration of the security ports<br />
12 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
CASE STUDY<br />
to which the endpoints were connected<br />
always proved to be time-consuming<br />
for the IT administration.<br />
PARTICULARITIES OF SECURING<br />
THE OT NETWORK<br />
In addition to IT security, operational<br />
technology security has been gaining<br />
importance at SGF for years. The focus<br />
is on the secure access of internal<br />
employees and external service<br />
providers to their own in-house<br />
machines and systems. The access to<br />
endpoints must be secure and<br />
monitored. The security here is primarily<br />
regulated by the enterprise firewall.<br />
The range of OT devices available in<br />
the company is diverse at SGF. These<br />
include numerous IoT devices, robots,<br />
programmable logic controllers (PLCs),<br />
sensors, cameras, and remote<br />
maintenance routers. macmon NAC<br />
supports numerous processes by<br />
creating an overview of all endpoints in<br />
the OT network. The administrator can<br />
see the exact physical location and see<br />
which VLAN the device is currently in.<br />
Thomas Schuster, System<br />
Administrator at SGF, explains the<br />
points of contact between IT and OT<br />
security: "In our industrial business, we<br />
have been working on joint solutions<br />
for years, because the more IT is<br />
installed in OT, the closer the<br />
cooperation must be. Even in the<br />
decision-making process, the IT<br />
department is informed by the OT, and<br />
we clarify the remote maintenance<br />
options or the required connectivity<br />
before new purchases are done."<br />
Schuster adds: "This is the only way to<br />
ensure that there are no surprises<br />
during commissioning." In general, OT<br />
security must guarantee absolute<br />
reliability, because nothing is more<br />
economically damaging to a production<br />
operation than delays or even the<br />
failure of production facilities. Schuster<br />
explains: "It has proven its worth that<br />
each machine has its own VLAN - so we<br />
currently have to manage a large<br />
number of over 250 networks."<br />
This is a complex challenge in which<br />
macmon NAC provides an overview<br />
and control by identifying the<br />
endpoints. Thomas Schuster confirms:<br />
"Especially in the case of machine<br />
relocations - extensions and<br />
reconstructions - macmon is here to<br />
help. I am often asked by the<br />
developers of programmable logic<br />
controllers (PLCs) why a certain device<br />
cannot communicate. Here it is<br />
essential to quickly find out where the<br />
device I am looking for is physically<br />
plugged in. In addition, I need to know<br />
on a case-by-case basis whether it is<br />
not or possibly even wrongly plugged<br />
in. This way I can reliably help our<br />
developers."<br />
RELIABILITY IS A TOP PRIORITY IN<br />
OT ENVIRONMENTS<br />
"By identifying all endpoints, no<br />
unknown or unauthorised devices can<br />
be present in our OT network," adds<br />
Thomas. "In contrast to IT<br />
environments, however, it is not allowed<br />
to temporarily block a plant in which<br />
are sometimes more than 100 devices.<br />
Maintaining smooth production<br />
operations is a top priority.<br />
Nevertheless, reporting a newly<br />
detected IP/MAC address helps us<br />
significantly in troubleshooting.<br />
macmon is indispensable for your IT<br />
and OT security."<br />
Thomas concludes by outlining the<br />
following benefits of implementing<br />
macmon:<br />
I can protect what I see thanks to the<br />
overview and transparency.<br />
I know immediately which device is<br />
plugged into which switch port.<br />
I can search and filter extensively in<br />
the data. In a live view and a<br />
historical overview, all devices can<br />
be made visible.<br />
I can easily see that there are a lot<br />
of ports on a switch that have not<br />
been used in a long time and I can<br />
plug them out. I don't have to buy<br />
new switches, it's budget friendly.<br />
I am happy about the enormous<br />
time savings for administrative<br />
processes, which relieves our scarce<br />
resources. <strong>NC</strong><br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> NETWORKcomputing 13
OPINION: UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS<br />
SAFETY IN UNITY<br />
JAMES CAMPANINI, HEAD OF B2B EUROPE AT LOGITECH, OUTLINES FIVE STEPS BUSINESSES CAN<br />
TAKE TO SECURE THEIR UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS ENVIRONMENT AND PROTECT THEIR BUSINESS<br />
Unified Communication (UC)<br />
systems are now a critical part of<br />
business technology, allowing<br />
organisations to align communication<br />
tools, enhance collaboration and support<br />
an evolving range of employee needs.<br />
But in recent years, we've seen a rise in<br />
security threats and attacks. From DDoS<br />
(Distributed Denial of Service) attacks<br />
targeting VoIP systems and mobile apps, to<br />
a rise in numerous hacking strategies, from<br />
phishing, to malware, the avenues into UC<br />
make them an attractive target for<br />
criminals. The results can be catastrophic.<br />
Failure to invest in the right security<br />
standards can lead to significant<br />
reputational damage, lost consumer trust,<br />
and serious fines. For instance, in 2023,<br />
Equifax was fined £11,164,400 by the<br />
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for a<br />
major security breach that exposed<br />
consumer data.<br />
How can organisations protect<br />
themselves? It's important businesses<br />
secure UC environments through a multifaceted<br />
approach. Here are five steps<br />
businesses can take to implement this.<br />
Step 1: Choose the right UC software<br />
The first step in securing UC<br />
environments is working with a<br />
communication vendor that can adhere<br />
to your specific security needs. Businesses<br />
should assess their threat environment,<br />
and determine exactly which features<br />
you'll need to protect sensitive data.<br />
For instance, some may require a<br />
UCaaS solution that's already compliant<br />
with specific industry standards like<br />
GDPR, PCI payment processing, and<br />
HIPAA (for healthcare). To ensure<br />
adherence to data sovereignty<br />
requirements, also consider where your<br />
data is stored. Whatever the nature of<br />
your business, you should always ensure<br />
the right solution has:<br />
Comprehensive encryption capabilities:<br />
The right UC solution should offer endto-end<br />
encryption for data in transit and<br />
at rest. Look for Transport Layer Security<br />
(TLS), and Secure Real-Time Transport<br />
protocol from your voice vendor.<br />
Access controls: Most leading UCaaS<br />
and UC solutions should come with<br />
features that allow you to assign specific<br />
permissions to each of your employees.<br />
Ensure you can guarantee only the right<br />
people in your organisation can access<br />
specific resources and perform certain<br />
tasks.<br />
Visibility: Your UC solution should allow<br />
you to track the movement of your data,<br />
determine where files and information are<br />
stored, and audit your ecosystem<br />
whenever necessary. It's also worth<br />
looking for solutions that allow you to<br />
implement your own security policies.<br />
Step 2: Consider your wider cloud<br />
security strategy<br />
A broader cloud security strategy should<br />
accompany UC systems. This is<br />
14 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
OPINION: UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS<br />
particularly crucial if you will be<br />
building a team of in-office, hybrid,<br />
and remote or mobile workers.<br />
Consider what type of network security<br />
strategies you'll need to implement,<br />
such as firewalls that can protect your<br />
company from outside attacks. Think<br />
about how your employees gain access<br />
to your cloud ecosystem, and whether<br />
you should be implementing Zero Trust<br />
strategies, to ensure the wrong people<br />
can't enter your ecosystem.<br />
It's also worth looking at apps and<br />
software that can help to enhance your<br />
cloud security strategies, such as<br />
endpoint device management tools,<br />
automated vulnerability management<br />
software, and solutions that can<br />
monitor threats, and notify your teams<br />
when risks emerge.<br />
Step 3: Don't forget your hardware<br />
Software makes up a significant part of<br />
the UC experience. However, you also<br />
need the right hardware, to ensure<br />
employees can remain productive, and<br />
connect with colleagues wherever they<br />
are. If you're leveraging a cloud-based<br />
environment for communications, you'll<br />
need a secure SBC (Session Border<br />
Controller) solution.<br />
Companies now offer solutions with<br />
tools for protecting against significant<br />
threats such as SQL injection and<br />
denial-of-service attacks. When<br />
purchasing hardware for meeting<br />
rooms and collaboration, choose a<br />
vendor that takes a security-first<br />
approach to design.<br />
Step 4: Address the issue of human<br />
error<br />
Up to 88% of data breaches and<br />
security issues in any business are a<br />
result of human error. UC system<br />
controls can also limit who can access<br />
specific tools and resources to reduce<br />
your exposure to threats.<br />
However, there are other steps to take<br />
to create a truly secure environment.<br />
For instance, implementing multi-factor<br />
authentication methods can protect<br />
accounts from outside attacks. Business<br />
should also provide password<br />
management tools, alongside training<br />
staff on how to identify common unified<br />
communication threats.<br />
Step 5: Constantly monitor and analyse<br />
risks<br />
It's not enough to simply put security<br />
standards in place. Businesses require<br />
systems that them to keep track of<br />
potential issues, determine threats, and<br />
implement more comprehensive future<br />
security strategies. Intelligent monitoring<br />
software can help you to monitor calls<br />
and conversations in real-time, looking<br />
for signs of suspicious activity.<br />
The right tools can also make it easier<br />
to track how endpoints and hardware<br />
are used, and look for gaps in security<br />
settings. Plus, there are solutions that<br />
can give you a real-time view of your<br />
network security at any moment.<br />
Make sure you have a plan in place<br />
for maintaining full visibility into any<br />
security issues, and build a disaster<br />
recovery plan, so your teams know<br />
what to do if something does go<br />
wrong.<br />
KEEPING YOUR UC SECURITY<br />
UNIFIED<br />
Now more than ever, it's crucial to<br />
ensure that your UC environment is<br />
protected against an evolving variety of<br />
threats. The right security strategy,<br />
combining hardware, software, and<br />
intelligent processes, will protect your<br />
company's reputation, and keep you<br />
compliant with industry regulations. <strong>NC</strong><br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> NETWORKcomputing 15
PRODUCT REVIEW<br />
BackBox Network<br />
Automation Platform<br />
PRODUCT REVIEW<br />
PRODUCT<br />
REVIEWPRODUCT RE<br />
As enterprise networks grow in complexity<br />
businesses can no longer afford to rely<br />
on inefficient and error-prone manual<br />
processes to manage and maintain critical<br />
infrastructure devices. Network automation is<br />
now an essential tool for support departments<br />
and change management teams as it brings<br />
operational efficiencies, not least in terms of<br />
significantly reduced security risks.<br />
This can be challenging in geographically<br />
distributed, multi-vendor environments, but<br />
BackBox's Network Automation Platform (NAP)<br />
has you covered as it supports over 180<br />
technology vendors. It provides an impressive<br />
suite of tools that include network vulnerability<br />
and change management, automated device<br />
configuration backup with five-step verification,<br />
device updates, configuration comparisons, a<br />
smart one-click restore service and much more.<br />
A key feature is the BackBox automation<br />
library, which offers over 3,000 pre-configured<br />
tasks for common use cases such as firmware<br />
and OS updates, vulnerability management,<br />
compliance audits and device backups. The<br />
beauty of this no-code automation approach<br />
is support staff don't need to be versed in<br />
complex scripting languages as they can<br />
create custom automation tasks using only API<br />
commands or the CLI.<br />
Installation is a breeze and the NAP CentOS<br />
ISO or OVA/VHDX file can be deployed on<br />
physical, cloud or virtual servers. We loaded it<br />
on a Hyper-V host, followed the quick start<br />
wizard and had NAP ready for action in only<br />
twenty minutes.<br />
The web console is easy to navigate, and you<br />
start by running an SNMP discovery job on<br />
selected networks. An instant time saver is the<br />
ability to assign a backup task to these jobs, so<br />
that as your devices are being discovered they<br />
will also be backed up for the first time.<br />
Regardless of the type of device, all<br />
configuration backups can be stored in the<br />
same repository for consistency. Alternatively,<br />
you can send them to different local, remote or<br />
cloud locations, and ransomware protection<br />
comes into play as BackBox supports<br />
immutable cloud storage.<br />
For backup integrity and assured recovery,<br />
BackBox applies five checks on every backup<br />
which include end of file, file size, checksum<br />
matches and file size comparisons with<br />
previous backups. Configuration recovery is a<br />
swift process as you choose a device, view its<br />
log history, pick a backup job and select the<br />
restore option.<br />
Remote sites are integrated into BackBox by<br />
deploying agents which take their instructions<br />
from the central console. These run distributed<br />
parallel executions and perform backups<br />
locally so there are no overheads on the main<br />
server. Furthermore, businesses can keep<br />
backups at remote locations if they need to<br />
demonstrate regional compliance.<br />
The Network Vulnerability Manager component<br />
inventories network devices, reports back on<br />
discovered vulnerabilities, prioritises them and<br />
delivers full remediation services. It follows all<br />
industry standard benchmarks and provides<br />
technical surveys during backups. It works hand<br />
in glove with Intelli-Check tasks which monitor<br />
health and compliance of all devices by<br />
regularly running tests on them and optionally<br />
remediating out of compliance devices.<br />
Using threat intelligence from NIST and other<br />
bodies such as CISA, Backbox manages the<br />
entire lifecycle of vulnerabilities by matching<br />
inventory against all CVEs and using<br />
configuration information to determine risk.<br />
You can run tasks to find all vulnerable devices<br />
on the network, see which CVEs apply to<br />
specific devices and find out what their risk<br />
level is. BackBox runs scheduled remediation<br />
jobs and accelerates remediation by<br />
performing multi-step updates and applying<br />
them to high availability pairs with one task.<br />
BackBox's Network Automation Platform<br />
takes the pain out of configuration<br />
management, network security and<br />
compliance. Easy to deploy, it can streamline<br />
all essential backup and update operations<br />
across multi-vendor environments and its smart<br />
zero-code automations will appeal to busy<br />
support departments. <strong>NC</strong><br />
Product: Network Automation Platform<br />
Supplier: BackBox Software<br />
Web site: www.backbox.com<br />
Sales: info@backbox.com<br />
16 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
EVENT ORGANISERS:<br />
Do you have something coming up that may<br />
interest readers of Network Computing?<br />
Contact dave.bonner@btc.co.uk<br />
FORTHCOMING EVENTS<br />
<strong>2024</strong><br />
FORTHCOMING EVENTS<br />
FORTHCOMING EVENTS<br />
4-6<br />
JUNE<br />
13<br />
JUNE<br />
19<br />
SEPT<br />
2-3<br />
OCT<br />
20-21<br />
NOV<br />
INFOSECURITY EUROPE<br />
ExCel London<br />
www.infosecurityeurope.com<br />
<strong>2024</strong> CIO/CISO DACH SUMMIT<br />
Frankfurt, Germany<br />
www.cdmmedia.com/events<br />
<strong>2024</strong> CIO/CISO IRELAND SUMMIT<br />
Dublin, Ireland<br />
www.cdmmedia.com/events<br />
<strong>2024</strong> UC EXPO EUROPE<br />
ExCel, London<br />
https://ucxevents.io/ucexpo/en/page<br />
/ucexpo-home<br />
DATA CENTRES IRELAND<br />
RDS, Dublin<br />
www.datacentres-ireland.com
OPINION: DAAS<br />
FOUR YEARS ON: THE EVOLUTION OF END-USER COMPUTING<br />
JOHN HAYES-WARREN, CEO AT AGILITAS EXPLAINS WHY DAAS (DEVICE AS A SERVICE) COULD<br />
HOLD THE KEY TO MONITORING AND MAINTAINING REMOTE TECHNOLOGY<br />
The world of work has changed<br />
significantly in recent years, and how<br />
we distribute and maintain the office<br />
equipment that we have come to rely on<br />
has shifted the current landscape. In the<br />
years since the pandemic, however,<br />
the location and condition of these<br />
devices are often unknown, with the<br />
tech not just kept in multiple business<br />
locations, but in people's homes too.<br />
With the pandemic causing<br />
overnight shutdowns, some of this kit<br />
may have been distributed in haste,<br />
meaning it has not been properly<br />
managed. So the question is: how<br />
are businesses monitoring<br />
and maintaining their<br />
remote tech?<br />
DaaS (Device as a<br />
Service) adoption is<br />
one area that<br />
continues to surge,<br />
driven by the<br />
evolving needs of<br />
businesses<br />
worldwide.<br />
The DaaS market has experienced<br />
substantial growth in the past few years,<br />
predicted to grow by 28.71% between<br />
<strong>2024</strong> and 2029. This can be largely<br />
attributed to the escalating demand for<br />
the flexibility of working from anywhere<br />
and scalable work solutions.<br />
As the need for a circular economy and<br />
more sustainable culture grows, break/fix<br />
is an easy business approach for IT<br />
service providers - but it comes with its<br />
challenges as technology continues to<br />
advance. As the IT landscape continues to<br />
navigate the lasting impact of the<br />
pandemic, businesses must now consider<br />
the best way to manage and utilise team<br />
equipment.<br />
MAINTAINING I.T. HARDWARE: A<br />
MUST FOR REMOTE TEAMS<br />
Hybrid working models have transformed<br />
the way IT businesses operate. Remote<br />
teams rely heavily on technology for<br />
seamless communication and<br />
collaboration. Connecting dispersed<br />
workforces is a necessity, with remote<br />
technology tools like video conferencing,<br />
instant messaging, and project<br />
management platforms vital for enhancing<br />
productivity and ensuring data security.<br />
Managing and maintaining technology<br />
bolsters remote operations in the evolving<br />
digital age. Therefore, IT businesses need<br />
to ensure their devices are reliable and<br />
durable to maintain optimal performance.<br />
Regular maintenance activities like<br />
software updates, security patches, and<br />
hardware inspections can help secure<br />
business processes by preventing potential<br />
issues and vulnerabilities from occurring.<br />
18 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
OPINION: DAAS<br />
Businesses can also take a proactive<br />
approach to their device management<br />
by frequently monitoring the health and<br />
performance of devices, addressing<br />
issues promptly, and regularly<br />
replacing old or malfunctioning<br />
hardware. By investing in maintenance<br />
and upkeep, companies can minimise<br />
downtime, prevent data loss, and<br />
prolong the lifespan of their remote<br />
tech infrastructure.<br />
UNLOCKING SCALABILITY AND<br />
SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH DAAS<br />
Device as a Service represents a new<br />
phase in IT hardware management.<br />
Businesses have gradually shifted away<br />
from a break/fix model that only<br />
prioritises software and hardware units<br />
when an issue arises, leaving<br />
companies victim to unexpected<br />
downtime and hardware vulnerabilities.<br />
The flexibility and scalability offered<br />
by DaaS serve as a key advantage. By<br />
leveraging DaaS, Channel<br />
organisations can shift from traditional<br />
ownership models to a more flexible<br />
subscription or lease-based service.<br />
This allows companies to scale<br />
back on costs by minimising<br />
upfront expenditure.<br />
Through seamless scalability<br />
options, DaaS can also<br />
improve resource allocation<br />
by allowing companies to<br />
adapt to evolving business<br />
needs. Through continuous<br />
device support,<br />
maintenance, and lifecycle<br />
management, DaaS<br />
ensures that organisations<br />
have access to the latest<br />
up-to-date hardware to<br />
support processes.<br />
DaaS adoption can also unlock<br />
sustainability benefits for Channel<br />
businesses. By leveraging DaaS, they<br />
can scale back on the resources and<br />
energy required to refurbish and<br />
operate devices. It can also enable e-<br />
waste reduction by ensuring that retired<br />
devices are recycled responsibly,<br />
minimising the impact on the<br />
environment. Furthermore, integrating<br />
DaaS into business strategies can help<br />
align technology investments with<br />
sustainability goals, reduce carbon<br />
footprints and contribute to a more<br />
sustainable IT ecosystem.<br />
END-USER COMPUTING IN THE<br />
NEW DIGITAL AGE<br />
The pandemic played a key role in the<br />
development of remote access solutions<br />
and technologies. With organisations<br />
continuing to grow globally, it has led to<br />
end-user computing needs evolving<br />
significantly. The ability to manage what<br />
these systems need has never been more<br />
important, with efficiency key to<br />
innovation across the IT landscape.<br />
When implementing DaaS in an office<br />
environment, organisations should<br />
consider their current and future<br />
hardware needs. By assessing current IT<br />
infrastructure, companies can make<br />
informed decisions when selecting the<br />
right DaaS provider and service plan. IT<br />
operators must also evaluate the<br />
provider's capabilities in terms of device<br />
provisioning, deployment, maintenance,<br />
and support.<br />
As businesses continue to navigate the<br />
complexities that come with new<br />
technology, DaaS can serve as a<br />
strategic enabler, but only when<br />
managed correctly. Through proactive<br />
maintenance, seamless device<br />
provisioning and responsive support,<br />
DaaS can unlock sustainability,<br />
scalability, and cost-efficiency benefits -<br />
allowing organisations to optimise their<br />
IT infrastructure, remain competitive<br />
and adapt to the evolving demands of<br />
today's workforce. <strong>NC</strong><br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> NETWORKcomputing 19
SECURITY UPDATE<br />
ESTABLISHING ZERO TRUST<br />
DAVID HIGGINS, SENIOR DIRECTOR, FIELD TECHNOLOGY OFFICE AT CYBERARK, OUTLINES THE<br />
CRITICAL ROLE OF MACHINE IDENTITIES IN ENHA<strong>NC</strong>ING CYBERSECURITY<br />
Today's rapid technological evolution has<br />
had a profound impact on working<br />
behaviours and processes. It's especially<br />
apparent in the consistent rise of cloud services,<br />
which have prompted unparalleled scalability<br />
and accessibility by allowing workers to access<br />
data and applications from anywhere and<br />
collaborate more efficiently.<br />
But, alongside immense flexibility, these new<br />
ways of working have also brought<br />
considerable challenges, including the rise of<br />
more sophisticated cyber threats. And that has<br />
given rise to the philosophy of Zero Trust - the<br />
principle that no entity inside or outside the<br />
network perimeter should be trusted by default.<br />
Zero Trust is widely recognised as an effective<br />
route to mitigating the risks associated with<br />
compromised credentials and unauthorised<br />
access, and yet accelerating adoption and use<br />
of machine identities is posing questions of<br />
existing frameworks. So what exactly do these<br />
identities entail?<br />
WHAT ARE MACHINE IDENTITIES?<br />
Put simply, a machine identity is a unique digital<br />
credential used to distinguish certified software<br />
code, applications, virtual machines or even<br />
physical IoT devices from others on a network.<br />
They can be incredibly useful in a security<br />
context, allowing IT teams to authenticate and<br />
authorise devices and applications within the<br />
network and grant seamless access to various<br />
resources and services.<br />
Typically machine identities use secrets, API<br />
keys, Cloud Access Keys, digital certificates and<br />
other credentials to enable machines to<br />
communicate securely with other systems.<br />
Under a Zero Trust framework, those identities<br />
need to be protected in exactly the same way<br />
as their human counterparts; the integrity of<br />
every machine seeking access needs to<br />
be verified and subjected to strict<br />
access controls before they're<br />
granted access to mission<br />
critical information.<br />
As organisations<br />
digitally<br />
transform<br />
however, doing so effectively is becoming more<br />
and more difficult. The number of machine<br />
identities that the average organisation uses<br />
continues to grow exponentially, to the extent<br />
that they now outweigh human identities by a<br />
factor of 45:1, meaning that they have greater<br />
access to sensitive data than human identities.<br />
So without the right policies and automation,<br />
machine identities and secrets can easily be<br />
exploited by cyber attackers and become a<br />
vastly expanding attack surface.<br />
SAFEGUARDING MACHINE IDENTITIES<br />
THROUGH AUTOMATION<br />
Whilst it is common for companies to use<br />
software as a service (SaaS) applications to<br />
store and process data, they will also develop<br />
their own software applications to respond to<br />
customers' needs and requests - and with digital<br />
transformation, there is a good chance the<br />
number of applications used will keep rising.<br />
Research suggests organisations expect an<br />
increase of 68% in the number of SaaS<br />
applications deployed in their environment.<br />
As the volume of machines in organisations'<br />
networks continues to increase, the number of<br />
secrets needed to access IT and other<br />
resources securely keeps growing. What's<br />
concerning is that this rapid growth has<br />
outpaced IT teams' ability to manually track the<br />
number, purpose and location of machines<br />
and secrets. It's a big reason why 65% of<br />
organisations report they took the necessary<br />
steps to protect machine identities last year, or<br />
plan to do so in the next 12 months.<br />
Automation in particular is on the rise.<br />
Organisations are looking to move away from<br />
manual processes, which are prone to errors<br />
and make it difficult to keep pace with the<br />
speed at which modern IT environments<br />
change. Automating processes makes it easier<br />
20 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
SECURITY UPDATE<br />
to safeguard machine identities and secrets,<br />
and ensure the security and integrity of digital<br />
infrastructures.<br />
THEY KEY TO BUILDING A STRONG<br />
ZERO TRUST STRATEGY<br />
Machine identities and secrets management<br />
are essential components of a Zero Trust<br />
security strategy because they provide a<br />
means of authentication and secure<br />
communication between machines on a<br />
network. As organisations start building their<br />
Zero Trust roadmap, disclosing machine<br />
identities and secrets management in their<br />
identity governance policy and procedures<br />
contributes to boosting security. This way,<br />
organisations have the power to ensure that<br />
only trusted machines are able to<br />
communicate on the network, and detect<br />
and prevent unauthorised access attempts.<br />
So, when building out machine identities,<br />
there are at least four goals to aim for, the<br />
first one being greater visibility. Operating<br />
with limited visibility across the company's<br />
environment makes the task of securing<br />
machine identities challenging and<br />
inefficient. That's why a comprehensive<br />
secrets management and machine identity<br />
management policy is so important. It offers<br />
greater visibility into an organisations'<br />
network, allowing them to closely monitor<br />
and track managed and unmanaged secrets<br />
and machine activity.<br />
The second key goal is improved security.<br />
Centralised management of secrets and<br />
machine identities is vital to build a<br />
comprehensive Zero Trust strategy.<br />
Functions like centralised rotation of secrets<br />
help eliminate the problem of hard-coded<br />
secrets and enable organisations to audit<br />
which applications and machines are using<br />
each secret.<br />
Aiming for lower risk digital transformation<br />
enablement is also important. The dynamism<br />
of hybrid and multi-cloud environments and<br />
DevOps practices<br />
demands agile central management for<br />
secrets and machine identities. Integrating<br />
identity security automatically in CI/CD<br />
pipelines, for instance, ensures that identity<br />
integrity becomes an inherent part of the<br />
company's development processes rather<br />
than just an afterthought. In other words,<br />
identities within the network are accurately<br />
verified and protected.<br />
The final thing not to forget is the need to<br />
work towards improved operations efficiency.<br />
While automation tools are incredibly useful,<br />
native integrations with DevOps tools and<br />
the cloud provider's built-in services lead to<br />
an even higher boost in efficiency. Overall,<br />
this helps increase developers' adoption of<br />
secure coding practices, ultimately improving<br />
productivity and accelerating the deployment<br />
of new services more rapidly.<br />
Ultimately, incorporating machine identities<br />
and secrets management into a Zero Trust<br />
strategy brings a lot of advantages. It gives<br />
organisations the chance to establish a<br />
more robust and secure network<br />
architecture and minimise costs associated<br />
with traditional security approaches, while<br />
reducing the time required to deploy new<br />
services. So, investing in tools and processes<br />
to manage these identities effectively will pay<br />
dividends by reducing risk and ultimately<br />
fortifying the company's security posture in<br />
the face of an<br />
ever-changing threat landscape.<br />
As organisations continue to adopt Zero<br />
Trust, business leaders must keep in mind that<br />
machine identities play a pivotal role in digital<br />
environments - and this is why an efficient<br />
overall security strategy accounts for them.<br />
ROBUST MACHINE IDENTITY<br />
MANAGEMENT<br />
As organisations navigate the complex<br />
landscape of digital security, safeguarding<br />
machine identities emerges as a critical pillar<br />
of effective Zero Trust security measures. A<br />
comprehensive machine identity<br />
management policy can be a game changer<br />
for organisations, empowering them to<br />
secure their networks and protect against<br />
cyber threats in a more efficient way, while<br />
simultaneously mitigating risks and fortifying<br />
their security posture<br />
Today's organisations need to be able to<br />
navigate the complexities of the digital age<br />
with confidence. Diligently verifying identities<br />
can help them do that. Systematically<br />
overseeing machine identities and secrets,<br />
and leveraging threat analytics to detect and<br />
address potential abuses, can empower<br />
them to improve their cyber defences, and<br />
securely embrace the future. <strong>NC</strong><br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> NETWORKcomputing 21
OPINION: CHANNEL PARTNERS<br />
TUNING IN TO THE CHANNEL<br />
IT'S TIME TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE CHANNEL<br />
ACCORDING TO ZHANNA BOGUSLAVSKA, GLOBAL CHANNEL<br />
AND ALLIA<strong>NC</strong>ES MARKETING LEADER, SOLARWINDS<br />
Nothing in the technology industry<br />
stands still for long. And the<br />
channel - that essential ecosystem<br />
of distributors and resellers that helps<br />
supercharge IT sales - is no exception. As<br />
someone who watches these things<br />
closely, I believe the industry's approach<br />
to channel partnerships has been<br />
somewhat out of sorts lately.<br />
While it's difficult to say precisely<br />
why, it's clear that the explosion in<br />
AI and cloud services has shaken<br />
things up in a big way - not least<br />
in areas like AI-powered<br />
observability, service<br />
management, and database<br />
management solutions for<br />
enterprises. As a result,<br />
everyone from resellers to<br />
software developers is trying<br />
to figure out how to deal<br />
with these changes. Despite<br />
all the uncertainty, one thing<br />
is clear: the underlying<br />
health of the channel<br />
remains strong.<br />
According to research<br />
from channel analysts<br />
Canalys, channel partners<br />
"remain the backbone of<br />
the tech industry, accounting<br />
for 73.2% of the total IT<br />
market in <strong>2024</strong>." It states<br />
that the channel will<br />
"continue to play a<br />
crucial role in<br />
scaling vendors'<br />
reach and delivering complex technology<br />
solutions to customers," but only if they<br />
continue to provide the level of<br />
engagement that has made this such a<br />
compelling part of the IT industry.<br />
DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE<br />
OF CHANNEL PARTNERS<br />
Part of ensuring this engagement is<br />
recognising that the move to cloud services<br />
and subscription models is not just<br />
changing how people work - it's also<br />
impacting what they buy, and how they buy<br />
it. That's important. Maintaining good<br />
channel partners is a priority in a world<br />
where businesses are trying to grow smartly<br />
and sustainably - especially when budget<br />
and resources are tight.<br />
After all, working with channel partners is<br />
a two-way street. They can help you make<br />
better plans, allow you to stand out from<br />
the crowd, and provide insights that give<br />
you that all-important USP. If embracing<br />
the channel is part of a move into new<br />
territory regarding sector or geography,<br />
then their knowledge and expertise can<br />
help mitigate risk.<br />
Whether starting a channel programme<br />
from scratch or embarking on a plan to<br />
rejuvenate existing relationships,<br />
committing to a strong partnership strategy<br />
is a smart move. But for it to succeed, your<br />
channel strategy has to dovetail with the<br />
ambitions of your own organisation while<br />
ensuring that you take full advantage of<br />
what your partners have to offer. Getting<br />
that right is fundamental to success.<br />
22 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
OPINION: CHANNEL PARTNERS<br />
FOCUS ON BUILDING A ROBUST<br />
NETWORK<br />
If you're in any doubt about the role the<br />
channel can play, an impact study by<br />
Forrester found that a typical<br />
organisation looking to invest in the<br />
channel could achieve a 296% return on<br />
investment (ROI) over three years - or an<br />
average of $2.4 million in net value over<br />
the same period. But this can only be<br />
achieved if organisations commit to their<br />
channel programmes by allocating<br />
sufficient budget to drive sustained and<br />
scalable growth.<br />
That commitment is essential because it<br />
gives channel partners the confidence<br />
and incentive to invest in your brand's<br />
success. This reassurance is critical as<br />
they look to take your brand to market.<br />
Take SolarWinds, for example. Last<br />
year, we announced several<br />
enhancements to our Transform Partner<br />
Program. These included better support<br />
for our technology partners and MSPs<br />
with cloud marketplaces and new<br />
revenue pools, as well as other benefits<br />
to accelerate growth and drive revenue<br />
for our partners.<br />
The programme was initially launched in<br />
2022 to enable our partners to better<br />
support their customers' digital<br />
transformation and innovation efforts.<br />
This commitment confirms that channel<br />
partnerships are the lifeblood of any<br />
company's successful growth into new<br />
markets-including ours.<br />
PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS<br />
As Forrester explains in its impact report,<br />
driving sales via a partner programme<br />
has become an important differentiator<br />
for organisations. Investment is critical,<br />
but these relationships are not solely<br />
financial. Even though your channel is,<br />
technically speaking, situated outside your<br />
organisation, they are your partners. And<br />
under the right conditions, they can add<br />
much more than just an uplift in sales.<br />
Perhaps the most significant advantage<br />
is that your partners hold the potential to<br />
free up valuable time and resources for<br />
you and your team. Handling customer<br />
onboarding in their respective markets is<br />
just one example.<br />
In this instance, partners can play to<br />
their strengths by providing excellent<br />
customer service and product delivery. In<br />
the process, they allow you to<br />
concentrate on your critical core<br />
competencies: driving innovation and<br />
improving operations. You get to focus<br />
on what you do best while empowering<br />
your partners to do the same. This is<br />
where channel partnerships can excel<br />
and benefit all parties.<br />
TAP INTO THE BENEFITS OF LOCAL<br />
KNOWLEDGE AND ACCESS<br />
I urge anyone exploring their channel<br />
options not to overlook the value that<br />
your channel partner brings simply by<br />
virtue of being immersed in their own<br />
local, niche, or untapped market. After<br />
all, a strong channel partnership isn't just<br />
about gaining access to a new market.<br />
A partner doesn't simply open doors or<br />
provide a geographic toehold. Instead, a<br />
true partnership leverages your partners'<br />
firsthand knowledge, insights, and<br />
expertise. As a colleague told me recently,<br />
"Not only are your channel partners your<br />
local guide in a new region, they're also<br />
your local champion."<br />
So, make the most of it. Build on the<br />
trust, brand awareness, and credibility<br />
your partners have developed to cement<br />
your own. That way, you will both be<br />
well positioned to meet the goals for<br />
future success. <strong>NC</strong><br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> NETWORKcomputing 23
OPINION: DATA-DRIVEN NETWORKS<br />
NETWORK DATA ANALYTICS:<br />
THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES<br />
SASA CRNOJEVIC, EMEA AIOPS BUSINESS PRI<strong>NC</strong>IPAL FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS AT SAS, EXPLAINS<br />
HOW COMMUNICATION SERVICE PROVIDERS CAN GET THE MOST FROM DATA-DRIVEN NETWORKS<br />
The telecoms industry has been rapidly<br />
changing in recent years, with the<br />
introduction of technological evolutions<br />
from 5G and IoT, to cloud computing and AI.<br />
There is demand from today's consumers<br />
and enterprises alike for services with Zero<br />
Wait, Zero Touch, and Zero Trouble, and<br />
to meet these expectations,<br />
Communication Service Providers (CSPs)<br />
need to deliver seamless services with no<br />
delays to enable and support Industry<br />
4.0 expected outcomes.<br />
From network devices to servers and<br />
applications, there are various ways for<br />
CSPs to gain insight into their network<br />
performance, allowing them to switch<br />
their strategy accordingly. Yet too often,<br />
CSPs fail to make the most of their data,<br />
due to storing it in silos, relying on old<br />
legacy systems, or not tackling a skills gap<br />
within their organisation.<br />
However, overcoming these issues and<br />
linking network data with actual customer<br />
experience data across all touch points of the<br />
customer journey is key to CSPs being able to<br />
transform their data into actionable business<br />
decisions, during a time when they<br />
are actively seeking new<br />
revenue streams.<br />
ENSURING<br />
BETTER<br />
QUALITY<br />
DATA<br />
Data-driven<br />
networks have<br />
presented a new<br />
opportunity for<br />
CSPs to bridge network services to business<br />
operations, leading to a more frictionless<br />
process, enhanced operational efficiency, and<br />
improved customer experience by leveraging<br />
real-time data and AI.<br />
Integrating data from various sources, while<br />
ensuring accuracy and completeness for<br />
analysis, is a significant challenge for CSPs. In<br />
the Data Strategy Insights for Telco Companies<br />
report last year, 70% of respondents that<br />
struggle to trust their data said data quality is<br />
their biggest issue, while 60% said poor data<br />
quality is the leading challenge for integration<br />
projects which run poorly.<br />
AI models are only as good as the data fed<br />
into them, so without high quality data the<br />
algorithms won't reach their maximum<br />
potential. To fully reap the benefits of these<br />
data-driven networks, CSPs must ensure they<br />
can unlock their data's potential and make<br />
better informed decisions.<br />
MANAGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND<br />
CLOUDS COSTS FOR AI<br />
If you don't know when and how to process<br />
your data before storing or analysing, just<br />
keeping it in the public cloud or moving it in<br />
and out of the public cloud can get rather<br />
expensive. That's why it's important that CSPs<br />
implement AI streaming capabilities on the<br />
edge of their networks - i.e. analysing data<br />
directly from devices serving, for example, selfdriving<br />
cars or IoT projects. In this situation it<br />
doesn't make sense or can be risky for the data<br />
to be analysed in a central location, due to<br />
latency and other mission critical requirements.<br />
Having scoring capabilities for the streaming<br />
data is equally as important as those used for<br />
24 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
OPINION: DATA-DRIVEN NETWORKS<br />
data stored in database and in memory as<br />
part of your end-to-end analytics lifecycle.<br />
INTEGRATING GENERATIVE AI INTO<br />
FRAMEWORKS<br />
Increasing the quality of data can in turn<br />
increase the accuracy of not only<br />
traditional machine learning models, but<br />
also Large Language Models (LLMs). In<br />
light of this, CSPs must embrace not only<br />
AI, but also Generative AI (GenAI) in order<br />
to stay ahead of the curve in an industry<br />
which is ever-evolving and changing. At the<br />
TM Forum DTW - Ignite event, in April<br />
<strong>2024</strong>, we saw that 80% of innovative pilot<br />
projects called Catalysts were focused<br />
around solving business problems via<br />
automation using AI and GenAI.<br />
Even though GenAI is a top priority for<br />
organisations in <strong>2024</strong> to increase<br />
efficiency, automate operational tasks and<br />
spur creativity, there is still some caution<br />
around its implementation due to the<br />
challenges, including orchestration and<br />
governance, which must be overcome to<br />
successfully adopt and align it with existing<br />
business frameworks. LLM models<br />
displaying 'hallucinations' is one of the best<br />
known examples.<br />
GenAI alone does not serve much purpose<br />
for CSPs,<br />
but once it is combined<br />
with AI-driven algorithms and processes<br />
through orchestration and governance, it<br />
can help them take steps towards network<br />
automation and optimisation. It would<br />
allow them to rapidly spot any anomalies,<br />
identify the causes and interpret or<br />
summarise any issues which may arise.<br />
REDUCING THE NEED FOR<br />
TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW<br />
Despite these advances in technology, the<br />
need for technical know-how within CSPs<br />
is in some instances reducing, due to the<br />
emergence of low and no-code systems<br />
and transforming the end users into<br />
citizen data scientists. These have<br />
introduced ready-made elements, userfriendly<br />
tools, and drag-and-drop<br />
functionalities, so people who don't have<br />
technological backgrounds or coding<br />
knowledge will be able to use these<br />
systems. This can apply once CSPs reach<br />
Level 3 (conditional autonomous network)<br />
and Level 4 (highly autonomous network)<br />
on the TM Forum autonomous networks<br />
maturity model (L0 - L5).<br />
This is a huge opportunity for the industry<br />
going forward, as anybody working within<br />
a CSP<br />
organisation - from customer service<br />
representatives to operations managers<br />
and other non-technical staff - can now<br />
work with data and AI tools and benefit<br />
from the innovative and creative solutions<br />
they provide. However, there remains a<br />
need for some employees with deeper<br />
technical and data science skills to<br />
oversee the development and monitoring<br />
of more complex AI models and decisions,<br />
ensuring that AI is compliant with<br />
upcoming regulations and follows a<br />
Trustworthy AI programme.<br />
Transforming some of the end business<br />
users into citizen data scientists and making<br />
access to data and low or no-code tools<br />
more widespread encourages innovation<br />
across all departments, while also allowing<br />
customer-facing applications and portals to<br />
be rapidly developed. With the right kind of<br />
Trustworthy AI programme, this will enable<br />
the TMT industry to quickly adapt to<br />
customer feedback and market demands,<br />
ultimately enhancing user experience and<br />
meeting the evolving demands of<br />
customers in an ethical way. <strong>NC</strong><br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> NETWORKcomputing 25
SECURITY UPDATE<br />
REMOTE WORK IN THE FACE OF EVOLVING CYBER THREATS<br />
CRITICAL GAPS IN NETWORK SECURITY ARE AN OBSTACLE TO THE FUTURE OF WORK,<br />
ACCORDING TO JONATHAN WRIGHT, DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTS AND OPERATIONS AT GCX<br />
According to the CIPD, 83% of UK<br />
organisations have hybrid working in<br />
place to improve staff retention and<br />
attract the best talent. While this promotes<br />
greater flexibility, allowing workers to<br />
transition between offices, homes and even<br />
public settings like cafes and trains, it<br />
presents an increased cyber security risk.<br />
Public networks are publicly accessible<br />
without significant restrictions or security<br />
measures, and threat actors using simple<br />
tools can access unsecured passwords and<br />
logins on these shared Wi-Fi networks.<br />
This risk is further compounded by the<br />
adoption of distributed cloud infrastructure.<br />
As organisations migrate their operations to<br />
the cloud, they expose themselves to more<br />
cyber attack vectors for criminals to exploit.<br />
Despite increased cyber threats, businesses<br />
often find themselves relying on short-term<br />
fixes and a patchwork of disparate point<br />
security solutions. However, many of these<br />
solutions are poorly implemented and<br />
riddled with assumptions regarding the<br />
sphere of control of other solutions in the<br />
stack.<br />
Today, no device on the network is safe<br />
from potential compromise. From a humble<br />
photocopier to a sophisticated server, any<br />
device with an IP address is a potential<br />
gateway for malicious actors. Once criminals<br />
gain a foothold, the entire network becomes<br />
their playground. Mitigating these risks<br />
becomes difficult, especially for those still<br />
clinging to outdated security solutions, and<br />
ill-equipped to handle threats.<br />
BEYOND LEGACY SECURITY<br />
Far too many organisations rely on outdated<br />
solutions to address today's threats. Software<br />
Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN),<br />
originally designed for on-site work, and<br />
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) served this<br />
purpose. Yet, these ageing solutions are not<br />
equipped to provide deep application-level<br />
visibility within the network and with it more<br />
sophisticated policy management and<br />
mitigation techniques.<br />
This requires a revaluation of security<br />
policies. To effectively accommodate<br />
employees' flexible work arrangements,<br />
businesses must invest in adaptive IT<br />
solutions and maintain a resilient IT<br />
infrastructure. This includes implementing<br />
agile systems that can support hybrid work<br />
environments while ensuring data security<br />
and optimal performance across various<br />
devices and locations and across all<br />
applications.<br />
FORTIFYING ALL DEFE<strong>NC</strong>ES<br />
Today, organisations must embrace modern<br />
Zero Trust aligned solutions like Secure<br />
Access Service Edge (SASE) to fortify data<br />
security from endpoints to the cloud. This is<br />
no longer a luxury but a necessity. The key<br />
lies in the holistic deployment of network<br />
security stacks, as this minimises the reliance<br />
on disparate tools. This not only reduces the<br />
number of potential layers of vulnerability but<br />
also streamlines IT operations. The result is a<br />
single-stack solution that underpins zero-trust<br />
architecture. This approach provides greater<br />
visibility across more potential attack vectors,<br />
continuously monitoring beyond the initial<br />
authentication phase where traditional VPN<br />
security measures falter.<br />
A CYBER-SAFE FUTURE OF WORK<br />
In the face of an ever-expanding attack<br />
surface, organisations might be tempted to<br />
shy away from the benefits of hybrid and<br />
remote work models. This need not be the<br />
case. Beyond financial and productivity<br />
gains, embracing hybrid and remote work<br />
fosters a satisfied, loyal and engaged<br />
workforce. By catering to individual<br />
preferences and needs, organisations can<br />
tap into a vast pool of top talent.<br />
The key lies in deploying solutions as a<br />
single network and security stack<br />
underpinned by zero-trust architecture. This<br />
provides the visibility needed to prevent data<br />
breaches while enabling effective monitoring<br />
and rapid response capabilities should<br />
threats materialise. By harnessing the power<br />
of cloud-native security solutions and<br />
nurturing a culture of cyber vigilance,<br />
businesses can confidently navigate the evershifting<br />
threat landscape. This allows<br />
organisations to reap the rewards of hybrid<br />
and remote work while fortifying their longterm<br />
resilience.<br />
26 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
AWARDS <strong>2024</strong><br />
SPONSORED BY:<br />
Photo gallery: https://shorturl.at/APj70<br />
A GREAT NIGHT FOR NETWORKING<br />
The <strong>2024</strong> Network Computing<br />
Awards took place on May 23rd at<br />
an evening awards ceremony at the<br />
Radisson Blu Hotel in Bloomsbury Street.<br />
Hosted by former England cricketer Chris<br />
Cowdrey and Network Computing's own<br />
David Bonner, the evening's entertainment<br />
was provided by mindreader Graham<br />
Jolley - who thankfully didn't use his<br />
powers to reveal any of the winners before<br />
they were announced!<br />
You'll find a full round-up of our <strong>2024</strong><br />
winners and runners-up over the next<br />
pages. They include Netro, who won both<br />
the Testing / Monitoring Product of the<br />
Year and Network Infrastructure Product<br />
of the Year categories, and Intec<br />
Microsystems, winners of the Distributor<br />
of the Year award for the second<br />
consecutive year. NetAlly's CyberScope<br />
Air wireless network security scanner won<br />
our Bench Tested Hardware category<br />
YouTube: https://youtu.be/lH7XgVwdLJ8?feature=shared<br />
while 101 Data Solutions were named<br />
Reseller of the Year. Zeus Cloud took top<br />
spot in the One To Watch Company<br />
category while Veritas triumphed with a<br />
trio of trophies on the night.<br />
Congratulations once again to all of our<br />
<strong>2024</strong> winners and runners-up and a big<br />
'thank you' to our sponsors and everyone<br />
who took the time to vote online.<br />
https://networkcomputingawards.co.uk<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> NETWORKcomputing 27
AWARDS <strong>2024</strong><br />
NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: Netreo - a BMC company - Netreo<br />
RUNNER-UP: Endace - EndaceProbe family<br />
Receiving Network Computing's Network Infrastructure Product of the Year award validates our ongoing commitment to customer<br />
satisfaction. Netreo Network Observability enables customers to simplify network performance monitoring and administration with<br />
centralised observability, intelligent alerts, and AI-driven automation. The combination reduces administrative burden, simplifies<br />
issue resolution, and frees IT teams to focus on business initiatives that drive revenue and proactively resolve network issues before<br />
impacting customers. As part of the BMC Helix AIOps and Observability solution, customers will have the opportunity to extend<br />
observability into their entire enterprise infrastructure and benefit from ML/AI-powered discovery, monitoring, optimisation,<br />
automation, and remediation of services.<br />
DATA PROTECTION PRODUCT OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: Hornetsecurity - 365 Total Protection<br />
RUNNER-UP: Veritas - Veritas Backup Exec<br />
365 Total Protection is the only solution to cover all aspects of data protection, security, compliance, security awareness, and<br />
backup for Microsoft 365. Clients can choose from various services to suit their business needs, and enjoy state-of-the-art email<br />
security, as well as automated email continuity, legally compliant email archiving and email misdirection prevention. They can opt<br />
for backup and recovery for endpoints and Microsoft 365 data in mailboxes, Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint. They can also<br />
effortlessly manage Microsoft 365 permissions, enforce compliance policies, and monitor violations. They can use realistic spear<br />
phishing simulations and AI-powered e-training to raise employee awareness.<br />
TELEPHONY PRODUCT OF THE YEAR (MYPHONES HAS BEEN REBRANDED TO EVONEX)<br />
WINNER: MyPhones - Altos<br />
RUNNER-UP: Lily Comms - LilyCloud Hosted VoIP<br />
The Evonex platform is a futureproof, feature rich, and fully supported hosted telephony solution built on highly resilient, patented,<br />
super reliable technology that is easy to use and manage. It has a range of market-leading applications designed to make your<br />
everyday communications experience highly effective in the fast-moving world of business, expanding as you grow and adapting to<br />
your flexible working needs.<br />
Not only is it cost-effective, saving you money on VoIP calls with no capital outlay and a simple licensing structure, but it also<br />
enables you to monitor and improve productivity with inclusive DDI level reporting.<br />
TESTING / MONITORING PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AWARD<br />
WINNER: Netreo - a BMC company - Netreo<br />
RUNNER-UP: NetAlly - NetAllyAirCheck G3 Pro<br />
Winning Network Computing's Testing / Monitoring Product of the Year for an unprecedented eighth time in nine years is a<br />
testament to our continued focus on capabilities that meet the changing needs of our customers. Centralised observability and AIdriven<br />
automation enable IT to resolve problems faster and proactively avoid critical issues before impacting customers. Intelligent<br />
alert correlation and automated issue resolution eliminate alert fatigue and significantly reduce alert volume. And as part of the<br />
BMC Helix AIOps and Observability solution, Netreo Network Observability will further simplify and improve network performance<br />
optimisation with integrated causal, generative, and predictive AI.<br />
28 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
AWARDS <strong>2024</strong><br />
BEST SUPPLIER TO THE DATA CENTRE<br />
WINNER: Prism DCS<br />
RUNNER-UP: Sudlows<br />
Prism DCS is an award winning data centre solutions provider specialising in the design, manufacture and installation of bespoke<br />
solutions including hot and cold aisle containment solutions, security caging and data centre cabinets. We utilise expert in-house<br />
design, manufacturing and installation teams to provide a high quality service with unrivalled lead times. Prism DCS was acquired<br />
by Leviton Network Solutions earlier this year.<br />
NETWORK SECURITY PRODUCT OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: WatchGuard Technologies - Firebox M Series<br />
RUNNER-UP: macmon - macmon NAC<br />
Firebox M290 & M390<br />
Powerful performance for the growing network. Ideal for small and midsize organisations with up to 250 users looking for a rack-mounted solution.<br />
Firebox M590 & M690<br />
Supports growing midsize businesses with modular port options for greater flexibility as networking needs expand. Ideal for up to 1,000 users.<br />
Firebox M4800 & M5800<br />
Top of the line, with modular port options that allow businesses to create their ideal M4800 or M5800 deployment, and dual-redundant power<br />
supplies for highest performance and uptime. These appliances are ideal for the central headquarters location of a large distributed enterprise<br />
organisation, offering optimal flexibility to evolve the appliance over time.<br />
THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT AWARD<br />
WINNER: ExaGrid - Tiered Backup Storage<br />
RUNNER-UP: Veritas - Veritas Backup Exec<br />
As highlighted by the Return on Investment Award, ExaGrid continues to innovate its product and improve the economics of backup<br />
storage by providing advanced integration and improved deduplication with the leading backup applications, and offering a scaleout<br />
architecture which eliminates expensive forklift upgrades and planned product obsolescence, all while delivering the best<br />
performance, security, and ransomware recovery solution at a low cost up front over time.<br />
REMOTE WORKING PRODUCT OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: SolarWinds - Dameware Remote Everywhere<br />
RUNNER-UP: Veritas - Veritas Alta SaaS Protection<br />
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere is a fast, simple, and lightweight cloud-based remote support solution. The right remote<br />
support solution doesn't just connect IT professionals to machines, it saves time and resources. With Dameware Remote<br />
Everywhere, IT professionals can access nearly any platform or device to solve issues quickly. Packed with troubleshooting,<br />
communication, session monitoring, reporting, and security features, technicians can complete remote support functions with<br />
minimum clicks and time. Clear dashboards and data help IT professionals optimize business efficiency and configure elements for<br />
their organisation.<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> NETWORKcomputing 29
AWARDS <strong>2024</strong><br />
STORAGE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: Veritas - Veritas Backup Exec<br />
RUNNER-UP: ExaGrid - Tiered Backup Storage<br />
Being recognised in this category underscores Backup Exec's commitment to delivering innovative, ground breaking storage<br />
capabilities to allow users to work with all types of storage, including disk, deduplication, network, and cloud storage, along with<br />
reducing data backup storage with its integrated data deduplication technology.<br />
NETWORK MANAGEMENT PRODUCT OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: Efficient IP - SOLIDserver DDI<br />
RUNNER-UP: Zeus Cloud - NetMinder<br />
SOLIDserver DDI: Empower network automation and security with core DDI services. The SOLIDserver DDI suite is designed to<br />
deliver highly scalable, secure and robust virtual and hardware appliances for critical DNS-DHCP-IPAM services. It provides vital<br />
benefits for the agility, reliability, and security of your network infrastructure.<br />
The DDI solution ensures dynamic, integrated management of IPAM with DNS and DHCP services in a single process, bringing up<br />
to 80% time savings for network administrators. All IP addressing scheme changes are automatically pushed to the DNS and DHCP<br />
servers, eliminating human errors and enforcing corporate policies.<br />
DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: Intec Microsystems<br />
RUNNER-UP: Brigantia<br />
We are thrilled to win Distributor of the Year at the Network Computing Awards for the second consecutive year. This prestigious<br />
recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional service and top-quality products to our clients. It<br />
underscores the hard work and dedication of our entire team. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our loyal customers and partners<br />
for their continued support, which has been instrumental in our success. This award inspires us to strive for even greater heights<br />
and to continue innovating and improving our offerings. Thank you for being an integral part of our journey!<br />
RESELLER OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: 101 Data Solutions<br />
RUNNER-UP: Logicalis<br />
101 Data Solutions is honoured to be named Reseller of the Year <strong>2024</strong>, a testament to our commitment to delivering high-quality<br />
IT solutions and services. This award reflects our consistent excellence and the strong relationships we've built with our clients and<br />
vendor partners. Our success is driven by the dedication and expertise of our team across all areas, from customer<br />
communications to solution design and support.<br />
We extend our sincere thanks to our clients, partners, and employees for their continued support. We look forward to the next<br />
year, continuing to innovate and address key technology challenges.<br />
30 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
AWARDS <strong>2024</strong><br />
PARTNERSHIP OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: Veritas and Wasabi Technologies<br />
RUNNER-UP: Dell Technologies/NVIDIA<br />
We at Veritas are very proud to have been recognised as part of the Partnership of the Year Award. We owe these incredible<br />
achievements to our users and everyone who voted for us. Your votes and continued trust in Backup Exec have made these awards<br />
possible. The recognition we have received from the Network Computing Awards motivates us to continue innovating and<br />
improving our solutions to meet and exceed your expectations.<br />
HARDWARE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: ExaGrid - Tiered Backup Storage<br />
RUNNER-UP: Vertiv - Vertiv Liebert® GXT5 Lithium-Ion UPS 1000 - 3000 VA<br />
ExaGrid has been voted Hardware Product of the Year, recognising the continued innovation of its Tiered Backup Storage. ExaGrid<br />
has added three new appliance models in <strong>2024</strong>, including the EX189, which offers the largest single scale-out system storage<br />
capacity for any backup storage on the market. One of the key highlights of the updated product line is that all ExaGrid appliances<br />
are available in 2U models, offering rack space efficiency which allows organisations to save on rack storage and cooling costs<br />
while accommodating large data backups and future data growth.<br />
SOFTWARE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: BackBox - BackBox Network Automation Platform<br />
RUNNER-UP: Eseye - AnyNetSMARTconnect<br />
Network automation is now an essential tool for support departments and change management teams as it brings operational<br />
efficiencies, not least in terms of significantly reduced security risks. This can be challenging in geographically distributed, multivendor<br />
environments, but BackBox’s Network Automation Platform (NAP) has you covered as it supports over 180 technology<br />
vendors. BackBox’s Network Automation Platform takes the pain out of configuration management, network security and<br />
compliance. Easy to deploy, it can streamline all essential backup and update operations across multi-vendor environments and its<br />
smart zero-code automations will appeal to busy support departments.<br />
CLOUD BASED SOLUTION OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: Endace - EndaceProbe Cloud<br />
RUNNER-UP: Portnox - Portnox Cloud<br />
EndaceProbe Cloud is a cutting-edge network monitoring solution that enables unmatched visibility and security across global cloud<br />
infrastructures. It delivers high-fidelity, always-on packet capture, collecting the vital evidence security and network teams need for<br />
comprehensive threat investigation and rapid troubleshooting of performance issues. Seamlessly integrating with EndaceProbes deployed in<br />
on-premise and private-cloud environments, EndaceProbe Cloud supports scalable deployment and robust data retention and integrates<br />
directly with a wide range of security and performance monitoring tools. EndaceProbe Cloud empowers IT teams to maintain optimal cloud<br />
network performance and security, and enables full visibility across hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructure.<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> NETWORKcomputing 31
AWARDS <strong>2024</strong><br />
NETWORK PROJECT OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: SGF/macmon<br />
RUNNER-UP: National Oceanography Centre/Logicalis<br />
Süddeutsche Gelenkscheibenfabrik (SGF) GmbH & Co. KG is a global market leader offering international customers individual<br />
and sophisticated noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) solutions for the decoupling and damping of vibrations and noises in the<br />
automotive, rail and industrial applications. In the field of metal forming, SGF manufactures high-strength metal parts for electric<br />
motors for cars. Recognising the growing threat to the security of their IT and operational technology (OT) networks, SGF worked<br />
with CyProtect AG, a gold partner of macmon Secure, to implement macmon NAC as the central security solution.<br />
BE<strong>NC</strong>H TESTED PRODUCT OF THE YEAR - HARDWARE<br />
WINNER: NetAlly - CyberScope Air<br />
The CyberScope Air fully supports Wi-Fi 6/6E networks and brings visibility into the 6GHz band, where it can connect at its full data<br />
rate and capture frames. It's capable of providing a wealth of information including site surveying, analysis and troubleshooting<br />
tools, network discovery, L2 and L3 path analysis, short-term monitoring facilities with real-time wireless measurements and trend<br />
graphs that highlight network changes over time.<br />
The combination of powerful diagnostics tools and vulnerability scanning makes NetAlly's CyberScope Air a highly desirable tool<br />
for technicians tasked with maintaining wireless network security. It's remarkably easy to use and clearly capable of filling the<br />
security gaps that common network monitoring products leave behind.<br />
BE<strong>NC</strong>H TESTED PRODUCT OF THE YEAR - SOFTWARE AND SERVICES<br />
WINNER: Hornetsecurity - 365 Permission Manager<br />
365 Permission Manager offers a convenient and user-friendly interface for CISOs and M365 admins to minimise risk by properly<br />
governing assets and adhering to compliance standards by means of auditing. Thanks to 365 Permission Manager, CISOs get a<br />
more comprehensive view of permissions and whether items are shared with others, helping them to better protect sensitive<br />
information. It allows M365 admins to define compliance policies for sharing sites, files, and folders in Microsoft 365 and then<br />
easily monitor the states of policy compliance, and to audit policy violations - which helps organisations maintain compliance with<br />
internal and external regulations and policies.<br />
NEW PRODUCT OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: DrayTek - Vigor 2927Lax-5G<br />
RUNNER-UP: NetAlly - CyberScope Air<br />
DrayTek's proud winner, the Vigor 2927Lax-5G is a dual Ethernet Gigabit WAN and Wi-Fi 6 Router. This is a top choice selection<br />
for SMEs looking for high-performance networking solutions, combining both reliable and highly regarded features of the Vigor<br />
2927 series and advanced qualities attached to being the first DrayTek 5G router.<br />
With its 5G capabilities, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and enhanced firewall features, it offers lightning-fast speeds and secure<br />
connections. Affordable with multiple WAN redundancy and accessibility features for those who demand consistent internet access.<br />
This is the ultimate trustworthy router for businesses who prioritise reliability, speed, and security.<br />
32 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
AWARDS<strong>2024</strong><br />
THE GREEN IT AWARD<br />
WINNER: Dell Technologies<br />
RUNNER-UP: Circular Computing<br />
At Dell Technologies, we believe that we can be most successful as a sustainability-focused company by putting technology and<br />
expertise to work where they can do the most good for people and the planet. Environmental responsibility starts with our<br />
operations, becoming more efficient in how we create and deliver technology solutions worldwide. It extends through our supply<br />
chain, where we work to ensure consistent, transparent environmental and social stewardship among thousands of companies<br />
across the globe. It ultimately provides customers with products that give them the power to do more while consuming less, and<br />
with solutions that can create further environmental benefit.<br />
THE INSPIRATION AWARD<br />
WINNER: Andy Hirst, Sudlows<br />
RUNNER-UP: Martin Lethbridge, WatchGuard Technologies<br />
As Managing Director of Sudlows, Andy heads the full critical infrastructure department. Andy has served as Chairman of the ECA<br />
ICCT and is an incorporated Engineer and Fellow of the IET. Andy promotes the upskilling of young engineers and is a mentor for<br />
the IET, and holds the uptime institutes' ATD and the TIA942 accreditation. Andy encoureages continual learning within his team<br />
and as a testimony to this has recently studied and attained his MSc in Data Centre Leadership and Management. Andy's drive<br />
within Sudlows has lead him to open up offices in the Middle East and India.<br />
THE CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD<br />
WINNER: Prism DCS<br />
RUNNER-UP: Netreo<br />
Prism DCS was once again voted winner of the Customer Service Award. Established in 1996, UK based PRISM DCS provides an<br />
unrivalled, service-focused offering including consultation, design, manufacture and installation of 19" cabinets, hot and cold aisle<br />
containment, security caging to communications network and data centre applications. Prism DCS was acquired by Leviton Network<br />
Solutions earlier this year.<br />
INNOVATION OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: Vertiv - Vertiv Avocent® DSView Solution<br />
RUNNER-UP: Endace - Complete network visibility<br />
The Vertiv Avocent® DSView Solution is a secure IT management platform that integrates and scales from Enterprise to Edge configurations. It<br />
offers high performance, security, and automation for device management, monitoring, and control. The Vertiv Avocent® MP1000<br />
Management Platform manages service processors, virtual machines, IP KVM modules, and remote access appliances, providing centralized<br />
firmware updates and enhanced security. The Vertiv Avocent® RM1048 Rack Manager reduces power and cabling costs with PoE and supports<br />
over 100+ user sessions. The Vertiv Avocent® IPUHD 4K IP KVM provides remote 4K KVM with end-to-end encryption, HDMI, DP, MiniDP, and<br />
USB-C connectivity. The Vertiv Avocent® IPIQ IP KVM enhances remote access and troubleshooting with improved video resolution.<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> NETWORKcomputing 33
AWARDS<strong>2024</strong><br />
THE ONE TO WATCH COMPANY<br />
WINNER: Zeus Cloud<br />
RUNNER-UP: Aztech IT<br />
Zeus Cloud is a leading solutions integrator; driving growth, resilience and innovation for our clients through our technical<br />
expertise, broad solutions portfolio and supply chain capabilities. We are the MSP's best friend.<br />
THE ONE TO WATCH PRODUCT<br />
WINNER: Zyxel Networks - XMG 1915<br />
RUNNER-UP: Extreme Networks - 4000 Series<br />
The award-winning Zyxel Networks XMG1915 series offers 2.5G multi-gig smart managed switches, ideal for SMBs needing highspeed<br />
network upgrades. Available in 8 and 16-port variations, it features 2 x 10Gb SFP+ uplinks for enhanced connectivity. With<br />
speeds up to 2.5 times faster than standard gigabit networks, it allows for easy enhancement using existing wiring. The series<br />
supports PoE++ for WiFi 6/6E/7 APs and IoT devices, ensuring versatility. NebulaFlex technology offers flexible management<br />
through a user-friendly Web GUI or the Nebula Control Centre for unified cloud management. Its near-silent operation ensures<br />
minimal disruption, making the XMG1915 the most affordable multi-gig solution, combining performance and cost-efficiency.<br />
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: Veritas - Veritas Backup Exec<br />
RUNNER-UP: Netreo - Netreo<br />
This award is a clear indication of Backup Exec's overall excellence and its significant impact on the small and mid-sized enterprise<br />
(SME) market. It highlights our commitment to delivering a top-tier product that meets the diverse needs of our global users.<br />
COMPANY OF THE YEAR<br />
WINNER: ExaGrid<br />
RUNNER-UP: Prism DCS<br />
ExaGrid is honoured to be recognised as Company of the Year, and we are grateful to our partners and customers for their<br />
support. Congratulations to all of the winners of the Network Computing Awards <strong>2024</strong>, and many thanks to everyone who voted.<br />
34 NETWORKcomputing AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2024</strong> @<strong>NC</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK
We hope you have enjoyed reading this issue which features a round-up of all<br />
the winners from the <strong>2024</strong> Awards. Technology is constantly evolving. In our<br />
mission to keep the Awards relevant, appropriate and useful we think carefully<br />
about the categories that should be included. This often means that we<br />
introduce some new categories. Equally, it sometimes makes sense that we<br />
rename or discontinue some categories.<br />
As we plan for the Awards of 2025 we will be looking closely at the levels of<br />
nominations and votes that the various categories attracted in the Awards of<br />
<strong>2024</strong>. However, historical data cannot guide us about what NEW categories<br />
should be introduced for the future. This is where your input will be very<br />
welcome. We want to hear and take on board your views. What new categories<br />
would you like to see in the Awards of 2025? Please share your views with<br />
david.bonner@btc.co.uk<br />
WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTINGAWARDS.CO.UK<br />
ATTENTION VENDORS:<br />
Our nominating and voting model means that it’s very definitely an advantage if<br />
your solutions are well known and well-liked – and of course it should be !<br />
However, the Network Computing Awards also provide opportunities for you to win<br />
recognition by impressing a Judge.<br />
The BE<strong>NC</strong>H TESTED PRODUCT OF THE YEAR is a judged category for all<br />
solutions that have been reviewed for Network Computing in the year leading up to<br />
the Awards ceremony. To book your solution(s) in for review contact<br />
david.bonner@btc.co.uk