* Wi-Fi IDS/IPS: One network or two?
The wireless LAN monitoring discipline takes various architectural approaches, depending on vendor, to enable you to continually scan the 802.11 airwaves for security, performance, and location-tracking purposes. Meanwhile, based on policy, the monitoring system can trigger the wireless network to take automated action and send you alerts, as appropriate.
Since last month’s update in this area http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/wireless/2005/0718wireless1.html?rl, at least a couple of things have happened. Two of the newer players, AirTight Networks and Network Chemistry, have made feature-related and integration announcements that are giving their primary competitors, AirDefense and AirMagnet, reasons to sweat.
AirTight announced Version 3.1 of its SpectraGuard Enterprise software, which features Knowledge-Based Troubleshooting. According to Sri Sundaralingam, AirTight director of product management and technical marketing, this capability is a boon to the help desk. Rather than having to decipher code-level data about what is transpiring on the network, support personnel are walked step-by-step through a flow chart to the root cause of an issue, he says.
The company also introduced a scaled down, $495 version of its product called SpectraGuard Sentry for smaller businesses. The appliance displays all major WLAN security information in a single dashboard. What’s missing compared to the enterprise version is centralized event correlation (the system presumes just one or two access points) and location-tracking capabilities.
For its part, Network Chemistry announced its Open Agent Initiative, whereby it will provide its intrusion detection/prevention system (IDS/IPS) software agent to run on third-party access points, royalty free, beginning with Cisco and Symbol APs. This step should appeal to the many enterprises that may not want to invest in a separate overlay wireless network specifically for monitoring purposes.
AirDefense and AirMagnet have already made strides in the integration area here. Also, Network Chemistry is providing the sensors and monitoring software in Bluesocket’s new IDS/IPS products. Bluesocket recently shifted its role from overlay WLAN security vendor only to a combination WLAN systems and IDS/IPS vendor, likely to serve the all-in-one enterprise requirements described.
Next time: What are some points of consideration when determining a Wi-Fi monitoring solution for your network?
