Fundamentals of Security – Network Security

Fundamentals of Security – Network Security

The current technological advancements have made it possible to incorporate more devices into a network (Manohar, 2020). Therefore, devices in different parts of the world can be interconnected and act as a medium of communication. This has come with its fair share of network security issues. Malicious persons are exploiting networks with various motives; sabotage, identity theft, defraud people, etcetera. As such, it is important for organizations to implement network security measures. Hire our assignment writing services in case your assignment is devastating you.

Importance of network monitoring software

One of the network security measures that organizations implement is network monitoring software (Manohar, 2020). This software automates functions that could be done manually by IT staff in an organization. The software is, however, more efficient than humans because it captures all details, is accurate, and does not tire. A network monitoring software analyses a network and provides reports on a graphical user interface. These reports include network performance and connectivity. Therefore, the software is important when monitoring large networks. IT staff can access network reports on network monitoring software from different points in an organization (Manohar, 2020). The staff can easily notice unusual network activities and act promptly. There are different network monitoring software in the market today, and they can be selected based on the size of an organization, cost, and functions required.

Network Devices and Network Security

The major network devices include firewalls, servers, routers, and switches (Sethi & Behera, 2015). These devices are responsible for facilitating efficient communication within a network. Other devices are mainly end-user devices connected to the network. Firewalls are placed between an external network and an internal network (Sethi & Behera, 2015). They are mainly used to filter packets originating from the external networks and then the internal networks. Firewalls can be implemented as hardware or as software. In some cases, firewalls are implemented as both hardware and software. Routers are network devices that are responsible for routing packets from external networks to the internal network. They also route packets from the internal network to the external networks. Based on the functions of firewalls and routers, they are best suited to protect the internal network from exploitation (Sethi & Behera, 2015). Therefore, proper network security configurations should be implemented for firewalls and routers. If hackers successfully bypass firewalls and routers, they can access major network resources stored in servers and some workstations. Workstations can equally be targeted by hackers when hacking firewalls and routers proves difficult. Through a workstation, hackers could masquerade as staff within an organization to illegally access information. Hence, protecting workstations with unique usernames and strong passwords is essential.

Log Management

Network logs can be obtained from the reports in network monitoring software (Manohar, 2020). These would indicate network user activities, including what devices were used and what they accessed. Other activities captured by the network monitoring software include user authenticity attempts. This would show how many times a user entered the wrong password or username. The network logs are important in finding out whether there were any suspicious activities in a network within a given period and what the actions were aimed at (Manohar, 2020). With such information, network administrators would act accordingly. This would help prevent network exploits by identifying vulnerabilities before attacks take place. Also, in the event of an attack, network administrators would identify the network resources that were exploited.

Description of an Enterprise Network Management Solution

An example of an enterprise network management solution is Nagios (Manohar, 2020). It is used to monitor servers, applications, as well as networks. The open-source tool can be used by organizations to monitor their network platform on Linux. According to research, Nagios is one of the best performing network management software and is free for use by both individuals and organizations (Manohar, 2020).

References

Manohar, V. (2020). Comparative Study on Network Monitoring Tools. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET), 7(4), 299-301. Retrieved from https://www.irjet.net/archives/V7/i4/IRJET-V7I464.pdf

Sethi, P. C., & Behera, P. K. (2015). Methods of Network Security and Improving the Quality of Service – A Survey. International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering, 5(7), 1098-1106. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295073419_Methods_of_Network_Security_and_Improving_the_Quality_of_Service_-_A_Survey

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In discussions with the IT Director, you discovered that previous requests for network monitoring software were denied despite the large number of devices and logs spread throughout the enterprise. She has newfound hope that the change in culture and philosophy with senior leadership will reduce the burden on the network team so they can focus on other high-priority efforts.

Discuss the importance of network monitoring software.
Include a summary of the various network devices and their role in network security.
Discuss how critical log management is in identifying security incidents.
Provide a brief description of an enterprise network management solution by doing a search on the web.
The requirements for your assignment are:
1-2 page APA paper excluding title and reference pages
Provide at least two references and in-text citations in APA format