Avaya approach to network segmentation helps secure the everywhere perimeter

Hyper- Segmentation, Native Stealth and Automated Elasticity create additional layers to network security; Avaya makes it practical

Guildford, UK 2016 - Avaya is announcing a new foundation approach to network security that aims to reduce the growing number of breaches compromising data integrity and privacy. The new approach will enable organisations to create stealth, hyper-segments within their networks that are invisible to hackers and provide the elasticity to protect the ‘everywhere perimeter’.

While trends such as mobility, IoT and cloud computing promise enormous opportunity and benefit, they also make it nearly impossible to determine the location of organisation’s network boundaries and thus, real and potential security threats stymie progress. The reality today is that an organisation’s network perimeter is now everywhere, making it even more critical that security is a core component of the network architecture that is capable of extending to any potential access point - whether that’s in the cloud, a mobile device or a sensor unit in a HVAC system.

Hyper-segmentation — the ability to create secure “swim lanes” within the overall network based on a particular function, location or service — offers a means of addressing security breaches by limiting how far a hacker can go once they gain access. But, while IT professionals agree that end-to-end segmentation is essential for security (see related research), few currently deploy such a strategy for various reasons, including it’s too complex, too resource intensive or don’t believe it’s possible.

Avaya Networking offers a different approach to securing the “everywhere perimeter” that comprises three synergistic capabilities:

• Hyper-Segmentation : The ability to create stealth segments that span the entire network.
• Native Stealth : The characteristic of a hyper-segment that is invisible to hackers.
• Automated Elasticity: The capability to create and remove hyper-segments automatically

Avaya’s capabilities start at the foundational layer --a shared control plane — to automatically manage hyper-segments seamlessly and invisibly across the organization. Avaya SDN and identity technologies eliminate the tradeoff between security and complexity by automating the onboarding and access of devices, users, switches, and servers to make protecting and managing every-where access effortless.

Avaya’s capabilities are comprised of the following Avaya products:

• Fabric Connect, Fabric Attach, and Fabric Extend (software feature on Avaya Switches)
• Identity Engines (network access software)
• Open Networking Adapter (open server software on a pocket-sized appliance)
• SDN Controller (software delivered today on a server tomorrow bundled with Avaya Fabric Orchestrator delivered on a server)
• WLAN 9100 (wireless controller software delivered on Avaya access points)
• Deployment and management services

Quotes:

“End-to-end network segmentation has been possible for some time; however, the likely reason that most organizations have not implemented is that its arduous nature made it impractical. Avaya is putting forward a technology that should allow organizations to actually be able to implement and maintain the technology and work within their current staffing envelope.”

Mike Fratto, Research Director, Business Technology and Software, Current Analysis

“As the number of network security breaches reach staggering proportions¹ - an increase of 38% in just the past year alone - hackers seem to be just one step ahead of the latest security technologies. Avaya’s approach to network security begins at the core and extends wherever the business needs it to be. Our hyper-segmentation, native stealth and automated elasticity capabilities creates safety zones that hackers can’t see, and therefore won’t be able to access.”

Marc Randall, senior vice president and GM, Avaya Networking

¹ The 2015 Cost of Cyber Crime report indicates that cybercrime is costing US companies an annual average of $15.4 million/yr, and were seeing an average of 160 successful cyber attacks per week. 2015 Cost of Cyber Crime Study: United States , Ponemon Institute, October, 2015, http://img.delivery.net/cm50content/hp/hosted-files/2015_US_CCC_FINAL_4.pdf