Just trying to keep up with it all takes a team of people. But the reality is there's no simple solution. Crackers are getting more sophisticated. On the flip side, many customers haven't implemented even basic security measures yet. Among these fundamentals are designing and implement- ing a security policy, keeping servers and applications patched up, and maintaining and monitoring logs.
Network security is difficult to get a handle on even for the most seasoned network veterans.
To help you lock down and manage your network, you need an integrated security framework that can perform event correlation and take automated actions based on a set of events. Such products are available from Axent Technologies, Check Point Software Technologies, Computer Associates International, IBM Corp., Network Associates and others. These frameworks are designed to act in concert with one another to varying degrees. However, this market is young and it will take more time to develop sound deployment strategies. First Line of Defense Firewalls are an integral part of network security and when properly implemented present a huge stumbling block for both script-kiddies and professional crackers.