A new approach to corporate IT
In the past two years, home office and the COVID pandemic have brought cloud infrastructures into focus. Software-defined solutions have increasingly been established in IT areas that previously caused problems on the hardware side. A change is particularly evident in network management, as the demands placed on networks in terms of flexibility and performance have changed.
Our study Modern Network Management shows you the current situation with regard to network management, as well as the challenges and benefits users are facing.
Why you should leave network management to the cloud
And this is how cloud-era networking works: System administrators log in to a central web interface. They use this clearly structured dashboard to model the required networks. Intelligent software then takes over and performs the detailed configuration of all of the components such as switches, access points, firewalls or routers as well as their virtual variants according to the network specifications.
The software and web server are hosted on a cloud server. The cloud itself is merely a means to an end. It accommodates the central control software that can easily access and control all devices connected to it via the Internet, no matter where they are. The same is true for administrators: They can issue their instructions via the dashboard, wherever they are. The complete chain of command is, of course, securely encrypted.
Especially when networking branches, partner companies and employees in the home office, even very large and complex infrastructures can be managed in a clear and relaxed manner. A classic SD-Branch network administered with network management software could look like this, for example:
Benefits of cloud-based network management
The reversal of the way of working, from the configuration of each individual device to network configuration via the cloud, means nothing less for companies than the dawn of a new era in the IT landscape.
Productive working
A new dimension in terms of flexibility, security and reliability, and drastic reductions in workload. This almost sudden gain in resource freedom can act as a booster for a company's digitization projects. In a nutshell, the LANCOM Management Cloud (LMC) eliminates the need for an on-site admin crack. Or at least a large part of the time-consuming and unproductive work that IT specialists have to deal with in classic manual network management.
Efficient distribution of roles
In terms of roles and responsibilities, the IT department has a system administrator and an IT manager, much like professional football teams have a coach and a sporting director. And LANCOM's cloud-based network management replaces the coach. Or: The coach can concentrate on strategically important tasks such as setting objectives in consultation with the management board and deal with strategies including squad planning, budgeting, and managerial tasks. The on-site training, i.e. teaching the components what they need to do in terms of the network strategy, is handled by the cloud.
Time savings
Manual network setup takes up to 75% longer on average than network setup in the cloud. Faster network diagnostics and roll-outs, more economical use of IT resources, and more relaxed and efficient working - all this is just a few clicks away with the network management cloud from LANCOM.
Modern network management
„Globalization, digitalization and the pandemic have shown companies that the technical prerequisites for a future-proof operation are not yet fully developed. Not only the number, but also the variation of the devices in the network has risen rapidly alone by the fact that a lot of employees have switched to working from home. [...] Today, a network architecture uses a large number of sensors, controllers, routers, switches and access points. In addition, the networking of different locations has become a significant factor in the efficient operation of the entire company due to globalization, internationalization and outsourcing as well as the integration of business areas. What is needed are network management solutions that intelligently organize, optimize and manage these components and enable the network to achieve a holistic security standard.“ – techconsult study from 2022
Security in network management
Globalization, digitalization and the pandemic have shown companies that the technical prerequisites for a future-proof way of working are not yet fully mature. At the same time, not only the number, but also the variation of devices in the network has increased rapidly due to home offices alone. This also has an impact on network security. It is no longer just defined and known devices such as work computers and laptops that need to be managed; many mostly smaller devices are now also found on the network. Whether entry control with special treatment or data packets under an X-ray screen - the core of the LANCOM Management Cloud remains the basic principles of network security:
Bouncer for your IT network
The LANCOM firewalls or the routers with integrated security functions act like unrelenting bouncers – as well as their virtual variants vRouter and vFirewall. You could imagine it were the entrance to the toughest disco in the world: Anyone wanting to get in is frisked, facial recognition and fingerprints are compared to an up-to-date database of criminals with billions of entries and, if there is any doubt, they are taken to a secure room where they are tested for potential aggression. Only then is the decision made: Guest or threat.
Deep Packet Inspection
In its more favorable form, this concept implements what we refer to as deep packet inspection: The data is compared with cloud-based, bang up-to-date virus signatures. As a preventative mechanism against as yet unknown virus groups, so-called heuristic analyzes are used to examine the data packets for suspicious patterns and characteristics.
Intrusion Detection / Prevention & Sandboxing
If suspicions remain, the data packets are uploaded to a protective portion of the cloud called a sandbox, where packets can be opened and their behavior examined without fear of damage. Incoming e-mails and their attachments are handled the same way. This rampart uses the best available tools to block and eliminate viruses, malware, Trojans, spam, and phishing attempts. Also part of the security concept is the intrusion detection and prevention, which combats a wide variety of network attack variants.
Multi-layered security architecture like this guarantees the highest level of security – security through control. But: Control isn't everything. There is one more decisive aspect: Trust. And LANCOM stands for that trust. As a subsidiary of the renowned test & measurement specialists Rohde & Schwarz, we have been active in the market for over 20 years. We develop in Germany, assemble in Germany, and host in Germany. Your data in the cloud never crosses the borders of the Federal Republic of Germany and is therefore at all times subject to European and German data protection regulations (GDPR). Highly professional data centers ensure optimal security in terms of data protection and digital sovereignty.
And all of this makes us unique in the cloud-based network management market, and this is how we aim to win your trust.
"For modern network management, cloud control means nothing less than a paradigm shift. Away from the control of individual components, towards the design of the entire network. This is exactly where the LANCOM Management Cloud comes in, intelligently organizing and managing your entire network architecture."
Lutz Fröhlich,
Vice President Cloud