Foreword

At Cisco, we strive to turn security from a silo and reactive approach to a proactive and holistic system that provides adaptive layers of defense-in-depth. Increasingly, network attacks are not just "outside-in" at the perimeter but "inside-out," necessitating threat protection and mitigation at every layer. Threats are taking vile and virulent forms and have turned from mere annoyances to menacing and significant losses of millions of dollars to businesses.

In this book, Self Defending Networks: The Next Generation of Network Security, the author Duane De Capite reviews not only the different forms of threats and protection, but he also examines the importance of architecting systematic network and information security. The need for risk mitigation, integrating innovative network security technologies such as unified threat management, behavioral day-zero protection, and application security with appropriate monitoring and control, is what makes networks truly self-defending. Such an architecture is not possible with point-products only. It calls for dramatic change from the band-aid approach to a thoughtful combination of policy, process, and technology. The author highlights the paramount importance of bridging the gap between classical desktop antivirus options and network security. Network administrators must have plans to integrate security seamlessly into their networks and build more collaborative trust models with Network Admission Control (NAC) across Cisco internetworks and industrywide coalitions and standards.

As we build networks of the 21st century deploying mobile devices, real-time video interactions, Internet telephony, and web applications, it is clear that security can no longer be an afterthought but is at the forefront of all new deployments. I do hope you will enjoy reading and learning the various attributes of security products and technologies that transform self-defending networks to the reality of securing information assets, applications, and networks.

Jayshree Ullal
Senior Vice President, Security, Switching and Datacenter Technologies
Cisco Systems