Debate around all-in-one security

Consolidation

Before being able to meet the challenge, users must first consolidate independent elements in their security arsenal. In many companies today, there are separate anti-virus, anti-spyware, intrusion detection and other security-related software packages working independently from one another. Without being integrated, they leave `security holes`, and these vulnerabilities are regularly exploited by those with malicious intent.

This quest for consolidation has led to a debate around the benefits of the so-called security `appliance` - a single, fully integrated security solution in a box.

This appliance is still on the drawing board, but its development momentum is such that in the foreseeable future, up to 80% of all security solutions could be delivered via such a dedicated device.

Intel behind

How far will convergence push these devices? Will we see a `god box` containing every conceivable security application available - as some analysts predict?

Before this happens, an upgrade of the current Intel architecture will be required. The Intel architecture of today will not be suitable for the gigabit speed connections that will be required by a god box or any other security appliance, which will be called upon to perform many concurrent tasks, including all the traditional gateway functions of anti-virus and e-mail content inspection.

These devices will also have to act as firewalls and perform URL filtering and spam identification over the user`s public, internal and virtual private network links.

But it`s on the cards

Despite these challenges, the shift to Application-Specific Integrated Circuit-based devices with software code embedded in custom processors is a certainty.

This is because users are demanding fewer interfaces and points of management - points of access - from the vendors. The security appliance will meet these objectives.

While there are those who predict a massive following of security appliances before the end of the decade, others believe their popularity will be short-lived.

Like the Hula Hoop, security appliances could have a brief appearance on the IT industry`s stage.

Although they are a vital link in the evolutionary chain, their viability could well be compromised by new-generation identity and enterprise management systems.

These systems already offer features like sophisticated corporate-wide access control and they rely on well-defined data classification, structured vulnerability management, and remediation processes.

In the South African market, characterised by a dearth of Internet bandwidth, a strong growth in Internet-converged solutions that offer e-content management will emerge.

These yet-to-be-developed systems will stop short of wearing a `security appliance` badge and its price tag, but will nevertheless be integrated software solutions in their own right.

Key to their effectiveness will be their centralised, self management functions - such as `white listing` of e-mail addresses and exception management of URLs - and their ability to automatically initiate threat mitigation responses through enterprise-wide vulnerability management and remediation functions.

These and other security solutions that work well within limited bandwidth constraints - including push technology that understands hierarchical deployments over WANs for distributed systems - will emerge as eventual winners.

When integrated into enterprise management and reporting systems, they will give security incident response teams access to significantly more content-rich data than currently received from isolated incident logs associated with point solutions.