Assignment:
Please read the attached case study detailing the need for a distributed remote management in one application. It is critical to monitor networks and take proactive measures to ensure the network's reliability and resiliency. Perform some research on the Internet, find an open source or commercial network monitoring application, and discuss its capabilities. Need Assignment Help?
Case Study: Opengear: Smart Solutions For Resilient Networks
Opengear Keeps Information Security Technology Connected and Data Protected Even During Communication Outages
Summary:
Industry: Information Security
Customer Profile:
IPSec specializes in information asset security, providing technological expertise in how to mitigate risk to business by implementing end-to-end solutions that protect invaluable intelligence, data and information. The company acts as a guardian of business confidence, providing high level protection and optimal assurance of an organization's security posture. Based in Australia, IPSec works with all industry verticals and supports assets of customers with an international presence.
Objectives:
- Provide reliable backup connectivity in the form of a redundant path for solutions managed and monitored by IPSec
- Render maintenance personnel travel costs and time expenditures unnecessary
- Maintain IPSec's connections to clients worldwide via secure cellular out-of-band
Opengear Solution:
IPSec has utilized Opengear solutions with embedded cellular to provide an affordable out-of-band redundant management path.
Results:
- Cellular out-of-band connections ensure connectivity with remote client sites
- Maintenance and diagnostics are now performed remotely, saving time and money as personnel no longer need to travel to remote sites
- IPSec considers Opengear solutions a key piece of their future remote management plans
The Challenge:
IPSec provides remotely-delivered managed security services.
When IPSec's customers entrust them with the management, monitoring and maintenance of their information security solutions, they expect that the company knows the operational condition of their environment at all times. Should the primary communication path become unavailable, IPSec requires a backup method to ensure it can reach its service level agreement objectives.
When outages occur, IPSec workers have needed to physically attend the customer's data center to assist in resolving any issues. This requires personnel travel to perform basic diagnostic functions, delaying the time to resolution and increasing costs.
Their Challenges:
- Create a redundant path for reliable connectivity with solutions managed and monitored by IPSec
- Gain remote access to offline systems in distant locations
- Reduce costs associated with personnel travel for basic diagnostic functions
- Honor client service agreements while improving the value offered to clients
Utilizing Opengear's Smart OOBTM solutions featuring embedded cellular capabilities has provided IPSec with very affordable out-of-band access for redundant management paths and increased IT Resilience.
The Solution:
IM7248-2-DAC-L INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGER
IPSec deployed Opengear products within its customers' IT environments to provide redundant paths of communication to the devices under its management. Utilizing Opengear's remote management technology - with out-of-band embedded cellular capabilities - allows IPSec to provide a level of confidence to customers that would otherwise require more expensive secondary communication paths. To that end, Opengear allows IPSec to perform diagnostics checks quickly in the event of critical communication failures, without needing personnel to visit locations.
IPSec has used Opengear for over five years (including IM, CM, & ACM product families) with consistently positive experiences. They consider their Opengear solutions a very stable and fit-for-purpose technology.
IPSec has been particularly impressed with the reliability and flexibility of the Opengear implementations. With the more recent introduction of 4G networking, they view Opengear solutions as critical to their future plans for managed services.
Additional benefits to IPSec and their customers include:
- Greater trust and reliability that information protected by IPSec remains secure
- Improved business confidence and trust as clients know IPSec is doing its job even during primary connection outages
- Diagnostics and maintenance are performed quickly remotely
- In an industry all about assurance, IPSec is secure in its position as an always-on service
IM7248-2-DAC-L INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGER
- Complete and comprehensive out-of-band management with Smart OOBTM.
- Built-in TFTP server & 16GB flash storage for remote configuration
- Internal 4G LTE modem and Failover to CellularTM enables network resilience
- Top of rack deployment to monitor, access and control network, server and power infrastructure, even during network outages
- Military-spec security, FIPS 140-2 validated encryption, stateful firewall, & OpenVPN
- Environmental and physical sensor alarm notification via SMS, SNMP or Nagios
- Automatically detect and recover from network outages and repair equipment faults