Next week I’ll be a panelist at Light Reading’s Big Telecom Event in Chicago. The panel I’m on is called “Network Security: Is Security the Big Showstopper?” Heavy Reading Analyst Patrick Donegan moderates, and I’ll join other industry experts from Telus, the OpenCloudConnect Security Working Group, and Covata. The panel is on Tuesday, June 9, from 3-4pm.
There is often, and rightly, a great deal of attention given to technologies and services that network operators can employ to make their own networks more secure. These solutions are incredibly important, but are limited to what can be done within a single operator’s network(s). One of the key aspects of making networks more secure, however, is the collaborative aspect of security that involves implementing technologies that improve the overall security of the Internet. In the absence of these kinds of improvements, the overall security of networks connected to the Internet will remain limited.
At the Internet Society, we have been encouraging network operators to embrace a set of practices developed by the Internet technical community and endorsed by a group of leading networks operators. These practices are described in the Routing Resiliency Manifesto, a set of mutually agreed norms for routing security. These norms intend to address problems relating to incorrect routing information, spoofed source IP addresses, and coordination and collaboration between network operators. The manifesto calls for a set of actions from all network operators and we have seen a continually increasing number of network operators sign up to be counted as participating in this global initiative.
We believe these kinds of collaborative security activities will make a better, more robust, and more secure Internet for every network operator who connects to it, and in turn enhance the security of their own networks by making it more difficult for bad actors to engage in malicious activity targeting individual networks.
Our assertion is that security is not the big showstopper, but that making the Internet more secure for all its participants is a major undertaking. Every operator must look at not only securing their own networks, but contributing to the global activity of making the entire Internet more secure for the benefit of every network operator. The Internet is a tremendous engine for innovation and it’s exciting to anticipate the innovation possible on it going forward. Indeed part of that innovation itself is making the Internet more secure and there is a world of opportunity for those who can contribute to that goal. We look forward to the discussion on this important topic next week.
About BTE
You are invited to join Light Reading and the Internet Society as a VIP attendee at Light Reading’s Big Telecom Event, taking place June 9 and 10 in Chicago. BTE 2015 will comprise a conference where more than 200 of the leading minds in telecommunications will discuss the technologies poised to revolutionize the world’s economy.
Don’t miss your opportunity to attend the communications industry’s fastest-growing event, featuring:
- Keynote speakers from AT&T, Arista, BT Wholesale, Brocade Centurylink Cloud Cisco, Google, Intel, Internet Society, Level 3 Communications and Time Warner Cable.
- A demo floor of 60-plus telcos and industry associations, giving attendees real-world perspective into the latest and most innovative telecom solutions. We’ll be in booth #203 and would love to talk to you!
- Incredible networking opportunities including a pre-qualified audience of more than 1,000 service provider attendees, networking lunches and cocktail receptions on the demo floor and a Battle of the Bands concert open to all attendees.
VIP attendees of ISOC will receive:
- VIP Onsite Check-In
- VIP Welcome Gift
- The Heavy Reading Exclusive BTE Research Package: A 5,000 word strategic analysis of the state of the art in monetizing next-generation, high-capacity networks, produced exclusively for BTE VIP attendees
VIP attendees of ISOC who do not qualify for free admission will also receive 20% off early-bird admission prices. Enter promo code: ISOC20
BTE provides complimentary admission for verified employees of service providers, operators, financial & educational institutions, utilities, and government agencies.