powerpoint slides each element one slide so i need like 14-15 slides In this assignment you are to submit the Network Design Executive PowerPoint Presentation for the term paper. This is a persuasive Executive PowerPoint presentation of up to 15 sli

Running Head: NETWORK SECURITY PLANNING – SAFE 1

NETWORK SECURITY PLANNING – SAFE 2

Network Security Planning - SAFE

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Institution Affiliation

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Introduction

Network security is very important in any organization. Attackers are always ready to cause harm to vulnerable networks. Threats such as ransomware, worms, phasing, botnets, and computer viruses are very common today. According to Balan, Otto, Minasian, and Aryal (2017), most companies have incurred huge losses through cyber-attacks. The most challenging thing in modern computer security is that attackers have advanced their skills and keeps on inventing new and more complicated threats. Due to this, it has become a challenge for most organizations to withstand emerging attacks using traditional security measures. Therefore, there is a need for a security solution that is comprehensive, threat-focused, and credible. CISCO SAFE reference architecture provides all the needs that modern organizations need to secure their network.

CISCO SAFE Reference Architecture

The CISCO SAFE reference architecture is a modern way of securing businesses from both the existing and upcoming threats. It organizes security capabilities in the organization to come up with blueprints. The designs of SAFE architecture combine security capabilities with the flow of the business to ensure that the network is secure in all network levels (Savold, Dagher, Frazier, & McCallam, 2017). The SAFE reference architecture is organized into places in network (PIN) or modules, which include Branch, Campus, Cloud, Internet edge, WAN, and Data Center. Security capabilities implemented in these PINS provides organizations with protection for the threats posed by new threats posed by the evolving media and technologies.

The branch module is the most targeted part of the network architecture because it connects users to the organization via a remote connection. This is where threats like insider threats occur. CISCO SAFE Branch ensures that the branch is secure by preventing unauthorized access and protecting the endpoints. WAN edge interconnect branches in different locations. CISCO SAFE WAN edge ensures that WAN is protected from denial of service attacks to ensure consistent business flow. CISCO SAFE data centers and SAFE internet edge also ensures that data storage and internet connectivity are resilient and available because they can affect business processes if they are down or attacked.

Limitations of CISCO SAFE Reference Architecture

CISCO SAFE architecture has the following limitations. First, it is dependent on devices from CISCO (Fernandez, Monge, & Hashizume, 2016). This means that it is impossible to implement CISCO SAFE architecture on the network effectively without first purchasing CISCO devices. Since CISCO SAFE architecture is implemented in modules, all modules must be uniform in terms of the device used to avoid incompatibility. For example, network devices from Huawei, cannot be used in some of the CISCO SAFE architecture modules. This limits the flexibility of CISCO SAFE architecture.

The second limitation of CISCO SAFE architecture is that organizations cannot implement it without redesigning the whole network. According to Savold, Dagher, Frazier, and McCallam (2017), CISCO SAFE architecture is the arrangement of existing security devices and capabilities in a way that improves the overall security. This means that it is not single software or hardware that can be installed on the existing network. Therefore, the organization must incur extra costs to buy devices such as Cisco Security Agents (CSA) and firewalls that are compatible with the SAFE architecture and pay the experts. This makes it hard for small and medium organizations to implement the CISCO SAFE despite the existing security challenges.

Conclusion

In conclusion, network security has become a challenge in the modern world because of more advanced threats due to evolving technology and media. Today, Organizations are in need of security solutions that can provide a means for securing the whole network. That is why CISCO SAFE reference architecture has benefited most organizations by allowing security to be implemented in all network levels. SAFE architecture has allowed businesses to improve productivity by allowing employees to work safely without threats, such as the denial of service attacks. Also, the organization's branches are interconnected securely, thus facilitating organizational growth.

References

Balan, S., Otto, J., Minasian, E., & Aryal, A. (2017). Data analysis of cybercrimes in businesses. Information Technology and Management Science, 20(1), 64-68.

Fernandez, E. B., Monge, R., & Hashizume, K. (2016). Building a security reference architecture for cloud systems. Requirements Engineering, 21(2), 225-249.

Savold, R., Dagher, N., Frazier, P., & McCallam, D. (2017, June). Architecting cyber defense: a survey of the leading cyber reference architectures and frameworks. In 2017 IEEE 4th International Conference on Cyber Security and Cloud Computing (CSCloud) (pp. 127-138). IEEE.