Network infrastructure is the key asset for organizations with geographically dispersed data centers and cloud computing for line-of-business applications, according to a new survey conducted by the SANS Institute.
Respondents noted that consistent performance across links and between locations must be maintained to ensure timely access to data, enabling real-time results for decision making. At the same time, security pros struggle with visibility into network performance and security.
"Securing the network infrastructure is especially important as mission critical applications and systems are located at a distance from the end-user," says Barbara Filkins, SANS Analyst and Network Security Expert. "Whether the systems are hosted in the enterprise data center or in the cloud, protecting network performance is as essential as securing the network."
Performance concerns influence how network security devices are procured and deployed. Most (86 percent) use active (inline) network security devices despite concerns over diminished application performance, potential outages and latency. And many (48 percent) turn on 50 percent or fewer of available features, citing both performance concerns and the lack of time and resources to fully research the technical details and implications of enabling key security features.