FEATURE: 5G
Will it be the same as, or different from,
the service providers’ security architectures
that already exist on the network? Would
Telstra or Optus have visibility in their SOC
(security operations center) to all threats to
the Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) or
do they need to pick up the phone and rely
on the cloud provider?
From my viewpoint, the service provider
will need to secure the MEC from both a
network and application perspective north
and south – in and out of the MEC cloud.
They have built their brands on trust, security
and reliability and will need to control the
experience to retain brand value.
On the other hand, cloud service providers
will need to provide their own application
security on individual applications (perhaps
via Openstack or Kubernetes) within the
MEC cloud and between applications – an
east to west scenario.
Doing this in combination will ensure the
service provider’s reputation and brand.
Service providers can leverage their existing
security architectures and best in class
technologies to make the MEC security part
of their holistic management of the network
by the SOC, while collaborating with the
cloud providers to prevent any security threat
contamination between cloud applications.
As a result, the cloud providers will be
able to sell the value of security to the
end customers, protect from east-west
attacks within the cloud and negotiate
a business relationship with the service
provider for this incremental revenue on
the applications.
All this at a time when trust is becoming
a dominant reason for choosing a brand.
Our data and applications, and how they
are protected and used, have never been so
hotly debated.
So, we must hope that we see some
interesting implementations of 5G soon,
and also see some carefully planned secure
network innovation. Consumer and business
confidence rests on it and so does the
success of 5G. •
importantly, will this be a repeat of the
2000s, where service providers performed
all the heavy lifting in LTE, but ceded all
the application value, thus all the financial
value, to monoliths like Apple and Google?
There could be some tricky conversations to
come, about exclusivity and who owns the
customer and how the revenue is divided.
Microsoft Azure, AWS and Google Cloud
can all provide expertise in selling and
scaling applications in the cloud. However,
the service providers will bring their own
expertise in ultra-low latency, wireless,
video, voice and data connectivity.
But how will the squabble over who owns
security go? It’s still one of the biggest
unresolved debates.
The service providers have built brands
on near perfect 99.999% reliability. But
if the cloud services are managed by the
cloud providers, will AWS and Azure provide
infrastructure and application security?
FROM MY VIEWPOINT, THE SERVICE
PROVIDER WILL NEED TO SECURE THE
MEC FROM BOTH A NETWORK AND
APPLICATION PERSPECTIVE NORTH AND
SOUTH – IN AND OUT OF THE
MEC CLOUD.
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