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Diapers and Firewalls -- Helping Us Sleep Soundly

By Erdem posted 02-20-2014 14:57

  

image001.pngAs a mother of a one year old, I’m so glad that just as firewalls for Enterprise and Service Provider organizations, disposable diapers for babies were invented. And, just as advancements in network security and firewalls technologies have led to broader protection against evolving threats, the evolution in diapers’ technology has enabled fewer messy leaks and uncomfortable diaper rashes.

 

Here is an interesting analogy of diapers and firewalls for your reading pleasure:

 

Characteristic

Disposable Diapers

Firewalls

Prevent exposure of something sensitive/private/delicate

Body

Data

Prevent unwanted stuff from entering/coming in

Bacteria/dirt

Malware

Act preemptively

Reduce mess and save time having to manually clean diaper after every   leak

Monitor suspicious behaviors, keeps track, and reports to centralized   system (e.g., SIEM) to save cost associated with businesses losing precious   data due to breach and saves time    having to manually check for possible intrusions

Technology advancements persist, some proprietary and many mainstream

Extra padding/multi-layered (e.g., dual leak guards from Huggies   brand), wetness indicator (multiple brands), choice of materials   (organic/natural, synthetic/man-made), branding/design (e.g., Disney   characters, colored, plain), size range (newborn to toddler)       

Extra protection layers (IPS, Application security, UTM, Intrusion   Deception)     

No one solution fits all – may want to try before you buy and/or   customize after purchase

All diapers may not suit everyone and sometimes you may have to adapt   to the diaper in case of unforeseen events (e.g., use a special cream in   conjunction with the diaper to prevent rash)

Depending on business needs and use cases, certain firewall solutions   are a better fit/are tailored (e.g., protection for data center /Enterprise   Edge) and/or can be customized for the particular environment

Reliable – it does what it’s supposed to

Effectively absorbs leaks that may take place during the longest   sleep cycle (8-10 hours)

Firewall is adept at constantly monitoring traffic passing to and   from the network perimeter and alerting the administrator only when required   for reasonably suspicious network behavior/series of events

 

So the next time you buy diapers to protect your little one, remember that the retailer you are purchasing from is using some type of firewall technology to protect its corporate network perimeter from attacks and ultimately, safeguarding your data (e.g., payment card information, PII, etc.) – all to ensure a positive customer experience and so you can sleep soundly.

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