For home and office internet in 2020, how does this sound?
Increased bandwidth and network performance
Improved user experience
Greater security
Reduced costs
Maybe it sounds a little too good to be true.
Still, the list above is precisely how leading internet infrastructure companies and research firms describe SD-WAN technology, the backbone of our premier Managed Network Security service, and one of the pillars to "Cybersecurity for Life."
This month's letter is a shallow dip into SD-WAN technology because you'll soon see much more about the topic and how it is transforming the internet. As a reader and from a privacy and cybersecurity standpoint, knowing some basics will help to understand and stay informed.
SD-WAN Internet Technology
First, from the data scientists and research geeks at CB Insights, the graph below is a snapshot summary of their report; “What’s Next in Enterprise IT."
The graph puts SD-WAN technology at the head of progress for a better, safer, and faster internet.
Industry research and analytics firms agree SD-WAN technology is the internet's infrastructure of the future, and that SD-WAN will "be the glue" for the adoption of superfast 5G networks.
✓ SD-WAN technology will deliver the internet's next-generation with significant performance improvements across-the-board.
What is SD-WAN?
SD-WAN stands for 'software-defined wide-area network.'
"... SD-WAN allows companies to build higher-performance networks using lower-cost and commercially available Internet access."
And, the brains at CB Insights explain it this way:
"Although SD-WAN uses the public internet instead of a private network, all data is encrypted, end-to-end, which provides even greater security over traditional private networks."
SD-WAN puts the heavy lifting of network operations on software and remote data centers and then delivers the results to the LAN - or local area network; our home, office, or business ISP and WiFi connections.
On a practical level, SD-WAN means you don't have to be a large organization to afford a private internet - a better internet. One with far greater security, but still using your public internet provider, like Xfinity, Cox, ATT, or any other ISP.
✓ A private and secure internet used to be about expensive servers, cold rooms, and onsite technicians 24/7 supporting a large enterprise. With SD-WAN technology, a private and secure internet is an appliance about the size of a paperback book.
For more on the technology here is "SD-WAN Explained" - a video by Silver Peak, a successful provider to enterprise markets:
Note - On July 13, 2020, in their pursuit of SD-WAN technology development, Hewlett Packard announced its intent to acquire Silver Peak for $925 Million.
Why does it matter to us?
SD-WAN matters because digital is increasingly where we live. Not by a matter of choice or preference, necessarily, but today it is inescapable that digitized personal information is at the heart of our everyday privacy, security, and personal safety.
SD-WAN is a genuine game-changing technology, and its increased performance, security, and economic advantages are driving rapid growth in large and mid-sized enterprises across industries.
Fortunately, the high demand for SD-WAN in large enterprise markets has created vigorous competition. Affordability is increasing while advancement in intelligent software is moving efficacy up. These drivers bring tremendous value to SD-WAN for consumers and private environments.
✓ SD-WAN technology in private homes and offices makes sense for the same reasons as in enterprise markets; its better, safer, and cheaper.
How does SD-WAN work in cybersecurity?
SD-WAN technology uses ...
the public internet
powerful software, including AI
current threat intelligence
... to do two basic things:
Stop the internet's bad stuff before it gets in.
Anonymize all your stuff as it goes out.
✓ SD-WAN in cybersecurity means blocking the bad from the internet before it gets in, and anonymizing personal information as it goes out.
It's simple enough to explain, but of course, more complicated to do.
Security-driven Internet and Networks
The SD-WAN approach to cybersecurity is a comprehensive and autonomous set of layered defenses.
Next-generation smart firewall
Real-time antivirus
Phishing prevention
VPN with end-to-end security
Data loss protection (DLP)
Web filtering to block browser risks and threats
Intrusion prevention system (IPS)
SSL deep-packet encryption inspection
Bot and DDoS attacks
Application Controls
Secure and intelligent traffic direction
SD-WAN technology manages all of the functions listed above with real-time intelligence - which means continual adjusting occurs at "wire-speed" to deliver optimal performance 24/7.
The protection works across the local network, WiFI, and all connected devices.
✓ SD-WAN gives us the power to take control of our digital well-being and manage how we interface with the internet. The result is increased privacy and digital security, and better online performance at a cost that makes sense for private homes and offices.
Bringing SD-WAN home
We were pioneers in bringing SD-WAN technology to the home and office consumer in 2014 and said:
“SD-WAN technology is transforming traditional router-based networks and WIFI.
These systems provide the highest level of internet performance while protecting the network and all internet-connected devices from threats.”
Since then, we have used advancing SD-WAN technology to develop the premier cybersecurity solution for home and home office, the Managed Network Security service.
✓ There is not another solution as effective to secure and improve home and office network performance as the SD-WAN Managed Network Security service.
Finally, cybersecurity is just one example of an SD-WAN application, and this is a technology to keep your eye on. In the coming years, our everyday technology and internet experience will be improving through this advanced infrastructure.
SD-WAN for cybersecurity at home and office makes a lot of sense for many, and we distinctly offer it through our Managed Network Security service.
"As mortgage lender Fannie Mae adopts SD-WAN, it’s realizing dramatic improvements in latency and network performance."
Network World, July 28th, 2020
Explosion of Zoom Meeting Phishing Attacks Targeting Office365
"Researchers at INKY have observed an “explosion” of Zoom-themed phishing attacks over Spring and Summer 2020. Most attacks... aimed at stealing credentials to ...Outlook and Office 365 by directing users to spoofed login pages."
By KnowBe4, August 5th, 2020
Banking Trojan Returns
"A notorious banking trojan aimed at stealing bank account credentials and other financial information has now come back with new tricks up its sleeve."
The Hacker News, August 27, 2020
11,000
That's the number of fake PayPal login pages. And Microsoft has 9,500 web pages mimicking its login site, according to the Wall St. Journal's "Big Numbers."
Beware email purporting to be from Amazon or Google
"Amazon and Google tied for first place as the most-imitated brand in phishing attacks in 2020’s second quarter ..."
Dark Reading, August 4th, 2020
British Army 'could drop tanks in favour of cyber capabilities
"Proposals to drop the UK's aging tanks in favour of modern capabilities such as cyber warfare have been developed by senior British Army figures,..."
Sky News, August 4th, 2020
US govt warns of North Korean hackers targeting banks worldwide
"Since February 2020, North Korea has resumed targeting banks in multiple countries to initiate fraudulent international money transfers and ATM cash outs."
BleepingComputer, August 26th, 2020
For past CyberAdvisor Letters:
To view Blog posts,:
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