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Easy Ways to Improve Network Reliability and Performance

Keith Bromley

There was a recent blog on APMdigest by Pete Goldin — Protecting Network Performance is as Essential as Securing the Network — that I wanted to follow up on.

As mentioned in the blog, performance issues and outages are possible when security tools (like an IPS, WAF, etc.) are inserted inline. However, one easy way to mitigate this concern is to deploy a bypass switch before the inline tool. This creates a fail-over mechanism to let traffic continue to flow downstream, should there be a tool failure. Heartbeat signals between the bypass switch and the tool can create a self-healing architecture that restores normal traffic inspection protocols once the security tool comes back online.

While some tools have internal bypass switches, these internal bypass switches can actually lower the mean time between failure (MTBF) for that type of deployment scenario. External bypass switches deliver an improved confidence in network and application reliability without costing an arm and a leg.

In addition, should you want to remove the tool from service altogether (or perform maintenance upgrades), the bypass switch can accommodate that with minimal (on the order of milliseconds) service disruption.

Another concern raised from the SANS report referenced in the blog was that some of features do not get activated on inline tools because of the performance hit associated with many of those features (e.g., SSL decryption, deduplication). A quick solution to this is deploy a network packet broker (NPB). The best place to insert the NPB is between the bypass switch and the security tool(s), as this can provide an even stronger level of network reliability, especially if traffic load balancing or high availability features are deployed on the NPB.

From a performance perspective though, this is where you can really see a benefit. Instead of activating SSL decryption on your firewall and slowing the throughput to a crawl, perform the decryption/encryption functionality on the NPB (which should have dedicated resources to perform the function). Now you can perform the decryption functions you need to inspect for encrypted malware and also maintain the level of network performance that your internal and external customers demand.

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Easy Ways to Improve Network Reliability and Performance

Keith Bromley

There was a recent blog on APMdigest by Pete Goldin — Protecting Network Performance is as Essential as Securing the Network — that I wanted to follow up on.

As mentioned in the blog, performance issues and outages are possible when security tools (like an IPS, WAF, etc.) are inserted inline. However, one easy way to mitigate this concern is to deploy a bypass switch before the inline tool. This creates a fail-over mechanism to let traffic continue to flow downstream, should there be a tool failure. Heartbeat signals between the bypass switch and the tool can create a self-healing architecture that restores normal traffic inspection protocols once the security tool comes back online.

While some tools have internal bypass switches, these internal bypass switches can actually lower the mean time between failure (MTBF) for that type of deployment scenario. External bypass switches deliver an improved confidence in network and application reliability without costing an arm and a leg.

In addition, should you want to remove the tool from service altogether (or perform maintenance upgrades), the bypass switch can accommodate that with minimal (on the order of milliseconds) service disruption.

Another concern raised from the SANS report referenced in the blog was that some of features do not get activated on inline tools because of the performance hit associated with many of those features (e.g., SSL decryption, deduplication). A quick solution to this is deploy a network packet broker (NPB). The best place to insert the NPB is between the bypass switch and the security tool(s), as this can provide an even stronger level of network reliability, especially if traffic load balancing or high availability features are deployed on the NPB.

From a performance perspective though, this is where you can really see a benefit. Instead of activating SSL decryption on your firewall and slowing the throughput to a crawl, perform the decryption/encryption functionality on the NPB (which should have dedicated resources to perform the function). Now you can perform the decryption functions you need to inspect for encrypted malware and also maintain the level of network performance that your internal and external customers demand.

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The Latest

According to Auvik's 2025 IT Trends Report, 60% of IT professionals feel at least moderately burned out on the job, with 43% stating that their workload is contributing to work stress. At the same time, many IT professionals are naming AI and machine learning as key areas they'd most like to upskill ...

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

Image
Cloudbrink's Personal SASE services provide last-mile acceleration and reduction in latency

In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

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Broadcom

From growing reliance on FinOps teams to the increasing attention on artificial intelligence (AI), and software licensing, the Flexera 2025 State of the Cloud Report digs into how organizations are improving cloud spend efficiency, while tackling the complexities of emerging technologies ...