How much security belongs in LAN switches?

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: JEFF CARUSO ON HIGH SPEED LANS
10/04/05
Today's focus: How much security belongs in LAN switches?

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Is security the most important feature in LAN gear?
* Links related to High Speed LANs
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: How much security belongs in LAN switches?

By Jeff Caruso

There's a story in this week's Network World that caught my eye
- it goes to the heart of the hype around adding security
features to LAN equipment.

The story <http://www.networkworld.com/nllan8093> relates the
results of a survey by Infonetics Research, which showed that
the primary advanced feature that IT execs look for in a LAN
switch is security - more than Power over Ethernet, more than
VoIP support, more than wireless LAN management.

Granted, the survey focused on organizations that are very
large. The average number of employees at these places is
25,000. The average amount these organizations are planning to
spend next year on LAN equipment is $711,000.

That leads me to wonder how much IT managers at smaller
organizations want security in their LAN gear - and how much
security ought to go into the LAN switches themselves.

Certainly, the network hardware vendors are pushing hard.
Alcatel, Enterasys and Nortel are all over this - and those are
just early examples. Of course Cisco is rallying security
vendors around its flag.

Some would argue that these security efforts are really just a
way for vendors to accomplish two things - capitalize on the
security craze that's (justifiably) permeating our industry
these days and further lock users into using one vendor for all
their LAN gear in the future.

What do you think? Let me know the size of your organization and
whether you're ready to spend money on advanced security
features for your LAN switches. E-mail me
<mailto:jcaruso@nww.com> and I'll share the responses in a
future article.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. How to solve Windows system crashes in minutes
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllansalert7676>
2. Nortel faces uphill battle
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllan8094>
3. Cisco pushes new security software
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllan8095>
4. Verizon CTO lays out next-gen network plans
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllansalert8031>
5. Next-gen net seen at a crossroads
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllan8096>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Jeff Caruso

Jeff Caruso is managing editor of online news for Network World.
He oversees daily online news posting and newsletter editing,
and writes the NetFlash daily news summary, the High-Speed LANs
newsletter and the Voices of Networking newsletter. Contact him
at <mailto:jcaruso@nww.com>
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Sybase

It sounds so simple: if you collect enough business information,
you'll glean valuable insights that can drive both revenue
growth and competitive advantage. Along the way, however,
companies are discovering that managing the explosive growth of
online data can prove a formidable challenge. Here's how to
assess your data management style, and maximize your
opportunities to turn online data into business opportunity.
Click here for more on taming the data explosion.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=116826
_______________________________________________________________
ARCHIVE LINKS

Archive of the High Speed LANs newsletter:
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/lans/index.html

LANs/Routers Research Center:
http://www.networkworld.com/topics/lans-routers.html
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FEATURED READER RESOURCE

IT PROS SHARE THEIR TALES OF MAKING ITIL WORK

Running an enterprise network is challenging. IT organizational
change can be even more so if managers don't balance efforts
proportionally across people, process and technology.
Implementing best practices frameworks such as Information
Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) can help, but they
introduce their own set of challenges. Click here for more:

<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2005/092205-itil.html>
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