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Chris Moffett

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SD-WAN and Security?

SD-WAN and Security?

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We recently asked our security guru if SD-WAN should be considered a part of the security posture in modern networking.  Glad we did and below are parts of his response.

  • Security data sources includes telemetry in the form of logs from applications, firewalls, network devices, and security technologies. Logs are intended to inform an external source what an application or device is doing. But logs are programmed sources of data, meaning a system architect or programmer makes the decision on when to log and what form that log takes. It is a piece of the code that says “log this event or information” that is called as a subroutine through a program. It is entirely possible for a compromise to happen that occurs at a point where an event is not logged, or even that logs can be suppressed as part of the exploit. While logs are a good source of data, especially when collected in mass and correlated together, they represent a secondary level source of information–it can only tell what the software thinks; if the software is wrong, so is the log.
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  • Network traffic is “outside” of an application or even network device. It is traffic on a wire and it must be used to move from one system to another. It is the underlying mechanism of data transport and it is a primary source of information. Regardless of the application state, the network traffic to it is the real data. A remote compromise must generate network data in order to traverse to new system and this network data cannot be faked (though noise can be generated to try to hide it). It is a PRIMARY source data that triggers change of state or events in the destination and that eventually lead to compromise.
  • All network data has a source and for two-way communication that source must be real not spoofed or faked). This source is indisputable for two systems to communicate (two systems can’t communicate using a spoofed source.) This source can be used to backtrack through a network to determine the device or origin. A log can be made to report the wrong source, but if it is wrong on the wire, it gets delivered to the wrong device or simple tossed as incorrect.
  • All connections between networks (external, partner, customer, or public) must be watched for 100% attack surface coverage. Why attack a data center where there is generally lots of security, versus the small branch office it connects to where people might be lax and there is much less investment in security?
  • Finally, SDWAN operates as many devices that are part of the security stack. They operate as router, switch, firewall, security sensor for traffic inspection, point of inspection for viruses, malware, and ransomware (and many others). They are all these devices in a single system instead of deployed in 5 or 6 different devices spread throughout the network and the systems on the network. It is a single point that can not only inspect but control data flow. It is more cost effective because it is a single device. It is easier to deploy and manage because it is a single device. It can be easily upgraded with new functionality because it is a software device that doesn’t require firmware or hardware refresh to gain new functionality.

 

More Thoughts to Control Costs in the World of Covid

More Thoughts to Control Costs in the World of Covid

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As we close out August, the fifth full month of covid-19 reality, cost pressures on businesses haven’t subsided.  Parts of our economy are opening back up and others, like my home state of Texas, reinstated some social restrictions as case rates spiked.  The slow decline of those receiving unemployment benefits that began at the end of June reversed recently with right at one million additional workers receiving assistance.  It isn’t hard to see how most businesses are still facing challenges to their very survival. 

To try and help this is the second article with ideas for fairly easy ways to curtail costs businesses face in their IT infrastructure budget.

 

*Consolidate Analog Lines*

 

Analog or POTS services (traditional phone lines) are a must for most companies.  They handle alarm systems, fax machines, elevators, and other critical infrastructure components.  While needed, they aren’t very flashy and have very little technical impact to an organization’s day to day function.  Because of this they are often ignored and their typical low unit cost is treated as a necessary evil.  Don’t be fooled, costs for these services add up quickly.  One client of ours spends just over $200,000 a year for analog lines at their offices.

All analog lines are not created (or priced) equal.  Providers have learned to create packages that sound good but ultimately increase cost.  Does an elevator really need call forwarding?  Do we need a wiring insurance policy on our fax machine?  Doubtful.

A good way to eliminate those fees and only buy what you really need is to use an aggregator to consolidate these services across all locations.  Typically, the bulk purchasing these firms bring will lower your bill by 10% but the process we use to help clients onboard with an aggregator also evaluates the configuration of those services and removes unneeded features and functionality that only add to your expense.

 

*Telecom Audits*

 

The thought of an audit does not normally stir feelings of joy but in this case it should.  Organizations tend to add, remove, change, and shift over the course of business and I’m talking about people and technology.  It is inevitable that something will fall through the cracks and more often than not that something costs you money.  An audit of technology expenses is a great way to find items that once were important, you still pay for, but no longer fit into the business strategy.

In over 20 years in this industry I have never seen a properly completed audit that did not turn up savings.  From the data circuit at a closed office to mobile phones assigned to former employees, the dollars are there. 

Before you cringe about another project, partner companies of ours do these audits on a contingency basis and require little involvement from your team.  They go through product costs, all the surcharges and other cryptic “fees” added by telecom providers, and when errors are found they claw back as much as the law allows.  You have very little to lose and lots to gain.

Controlling Costs in the World of Covid

Controlling Costs in the World of Covid

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We have lived with the new world of quarantine and social distancing for several months and even as parts of our country begin to “open up” many of us in the business world are not certain a return to normal is on the horizon.  Most of our clients are evaluating and experimenting how to continue operations with an economy stopped in its tracks.  Our team and I have fielded countless calls from those looking for ways to contain expenses while revenues plummet and I thought this was a good time to share a few points that are easy to do and can be very effective to help stem the flow of dollars out the door.

*Remove the toll-free call-in option on your conferencing accounts*

Part of our new normal is dealing with online conference and video calls.  Not all companies operate this way but with stay at home orders in place for those non-essential staff, many find their team is spending more and more time using tools like Zoom, GoToMeeting, or WebEx.  Unexpected, and certainly, unwanted bills can show up when your staff is still using toll free numbers as they set up meetings.  Those 1-800 numbers tend to be the culprit of unwanted bills.

Toll free numbers typically come with an additional monthly fee but more importantly they come with a per minute charge for every person using the call.  For example, if 15 people dial into a call for one hour that equals 900 minutes (15 people x 60 minutes) and if the charge is $0.02 a minute, that call costs $18.00.  That fee isn’t high but when you multiply it by the number of meetings occurring over the past few weeks the expense can be extremely high.  Removing that option from your conferencing platforms only takes a few minutes and I have seen it save $40,000 in 60 days.

*Pay attention to wireless data usage*

Bundling wireless devices such as mobile phones, tablets, or hotspots into a corporate account normally saves a company money when compared to reimbursing employees for usage on their personal devices.  Companies buy large data pools that let the tens, hundreds, or even thousands of staff take their small piece of a much larger pie and since all those devices don’t always use the same amount of data, the company saves money by bundling all their staff together.  Rarely do all devices start using high amounts of data all at the same time–until a global pandemic.

Wireless carriers have online tools that allow the administrators to see usage and identify which devices (and thus people) are using a lot.  In times like these it probably isn’t employee abuse, it’s just business as we now know it.  However, that doesn’t mean the company is stuck.  Options such as increasing the data pool, working with staff to find a better internet option, slowing down the automatic updates from some mobile device management tools can all save the data and reduce potential overage bills each month.  Another option many of our clients use is a third party management tool that tracks usage and alerts you before a device crosses an expensive threshold.  A client of ours recently experienced wireless expenses 6 times higher than previous months and most of that growth was preventable.

*Work with your providers*

Most office data networks are seeing greatly reduced traffic right now meaning those expensive Internet or MPLS connections are not providing much return.  Many network operators have deferment policies or programs that will let you turn them down temporarily without a penalty.  Specifically with our clients, we have helped them reduce circuit usage by an aggregate of roughly $250,000 just in the month of April.  In most cases, you can turn them down just by asking.  In other cases, you may be able to trade a few extra months on the end of a long contract for short term relief that reduces the drain on cashflow.  Reaching out and asking the question doesn’t hurt and let’s face it, you will always miss 100% of the shots you never take.

We do believe business will come back and the entrepreneurial spirit will find ways to overcome these troubling times but it never hurts to save some money now.  Some of these actions will carry forward and help the bottom line for months or years to come.  Hopefully at least one of these items is helpful and stay tuned in the next few days. I’ll have some other actions a company can take to maximize cash over the near term and into the future.

Photo by John Guccione www.advergroup.com from Pexels

DISPELLING VOIP MYTHS ABOUT QUALITY & RELIABILITY

It comes as no surprise that VoIP services are viewed with skepticism by many in the marketplace because new technologies often require time to become widely accepted.

I think back to major innovations such as the personal computer or the smartphone. At the time many didn’t believe consumers wanted a computer at home or that anyone would want to carry email and the Internet in their pocket. Those naysayers were wrong then and those that criticize VoIP are wrong today.

Top 3 Objections to VoIP for Business

Rationale to keep traditional telephone service usually revolves around reliability and quality concerns because someone had a bad experience or has a friend that had a bad experience. Yes, there are low quality providers out there, but by and large, reliability and quality are better for VoIP services than they are with traditional telecom technologies.

Let’s look at a few common VoIP objections I’ve witnessed over the past few years:

“Traditional or analog services don’t need electricity to work, so they are more reliable.”

It is true that POTS (plain old telephone service) are line-powered, but it is very difficult to find a telephone device that does not require an electric connection. In the event of a power failure, your line would work, but the phone connected to it probably won’t… so that line is worthless anyway. In larger businesses that utilize Primary Rate Interface (PRI) connections, the phone system and all the individual phones require power. So, unless you are putting a UPS battery backup system at each desk, your services are down too.

“VoIP calls are choppy, have echo, or cut in-and-out. That means VoIP is low quality not suited for business use.”

Many of us, including me, have heard bad quality VoIP calls, but that poor quality is not the norm for VoIP. Quality problems arise because the data packets don’t get between your ear and the telephone provider correctly. Data networks are subject to packet loss, congestion, and jitter that all can cause poor quality VoIP calls. However, all is not lost because a properly-configured network solves these issues. All network elements between the phone and provider should have QoS (quality of service) configured. Good-quality bandwidth is also a must. Inconsistent packet delivery won’t matter much to the email you get or the web page you load, but it will make a big difference to your phone call. We can help you get clear VoIP calls.

“My traditional phone system hasn’t been down in years, I can’t say the same for my computer.”

VoIP systems aren’t the same as your PC. Good VoIP providers use industry-leading maintenance plans and architecture that provides uptime that’s well above that for most computers. Additionally, a hosted phone system in the cloud gives the opportunity for redundancy that traditional phone equipment simply cannot offer. Multiple data centers provide geographic diversity for routing and call processing. Deploying more than one bandwidth provider at your office not only gives computers two outbound routes, it does the same for voice traffic; that isn’t very easy with traditional telecom. (We can help you set up the proper network for VoIP business systems. Contact us today.) Even in the event of an outage at your office, calls processing in the cloud mean your customers don’t get a busy signal (like they do with traditional phone systems); they can be routed to mobile phones, other offices, or voice mailboxes.

Should You Use VoIP for Business?

The short answer is probably. Overall, VoIP services are the future of communications.

Migrating to cloud services (like VoIP) can be easy if you have the right expert to guide you. Anyone can have problems with a VoIP connection, but configuring your network properly and managing to the right things will give you VoIP calls that are as good (if not better) than traditional telecom connections.

We can help you pick the best VoIP system (and supporting networks) to meet your business needs.