Security: All in One vs. Best of Breed

In June, the FBI announced the results of an investigation it dubbed “Operation Bot Roast,” and the findings were sobering. According to the agency, more than one million computers are used by hackers to create botnets—collections of remotely controlled computers that patrol the Internet seeking out vulnerable machines. Botnets are used to distribute spam and viruses, launch denial-of-service attacks, as well as to steal personal and financial information.


This use of botnets—which are considered particularly dangerous because they are hidden from a computer’s legitimate user—epitomizes the new world of IT security. Gone are the days when hackers targeted corporate networks solely for bragging rights; today’s IT security threats are aimed squarely at individuals, and are much more sophisticated, organized, and insidious.
In such an environment, there is no shortage of vendors offering products that provide layers of security, from network firewalls at the perimeter to content filtering, antispyware, antivirus, and network access control. There are integrated software and hardware offerings, standalone appliances, and best-of-breed solutions. But the sophisticated nature of computer threats increasingly requires a sophisticated response, and by and large, the market is moving to provide integrated security solutions.


“There’s a shift toward a more integrated approach as technologies have matured to the point where going with a best-of-breed strategy isn’t the only option anymore,” says Khalid Kark, a senior analyst at Forrester Research Inc.

WHICH WAY TO GO?
In general, IT security has three main goals: to keep malicious things out, to keep corporate data in, and to ensure that only authorized personnel enter a corporate network. Well-known security vendors including Cisco Systems Inc., McAfee Inc., and Symantec Corp., are aggressively promoting their integrated security solutions as the wave of the future.


“Using best-of-breed solutions is like putting out spot fires,” says Susan Don, director of security, worldwide channels at Cisco in San Jose, Calif. “The way in which people work on the Internet and are always connected is pushing vendors and partners to look at security in a different way, by going with solutions that are modular and built to work together, and that can adapt to emerging threats.”