Networks Europe May-Jun 2017 | Page 22

22 SECURITY A key development is IoT containment. This is a method of creating virtual isolated environments using network virtualisation techniques. The idea is to group connected devices with a specific functional purpose, and the respective authorised users, into a unique IoT container. You still have all users and devices in a corporation physically connected to a single converged network infrastructure, but they are logically isolated by these containers. Say, for example, the security team has 10 IP-surveillance cameras at a facility. By creating an IoT container for the security team’s network, IT staff can create a virtual, isolated network which can’t be accessed by unauthorised personnel – or be seen by other devices outside of the virtual environment. If any part of the network outside of this environment is compromised, it will not spread to the surveillance network. This can be replicated for payroll systems, R&D or any other team within the business. By creating a virtual IoT environment you can also ensure the right conditions for a group of devices to operate properly. Within a container, quality of service (QoS) rules can be enforced, and it’s possible to reserve or limit bandwidth, prioritise mission critical traffic and block undesired applications. For instance, the surveillance cameras that run a continuous feed may require a reserved amount of bandwidth, whereas critical care machines in hospital units must get the highest priority. This QoS enforcement can be better accomplished by using switches enabled with deep-packet inspection, which see the packets E V O L V I N G A N D I N N O V A T I FOLLOW TOMORROWS FUTURE TODAY AT: CANNONTECH.CO.UK 19” Racks & Cabinets I n te g ra te d O u td o o r Cabinets Hot/Cold Aisle Cocooning DOWNLOAD OUR LATEST BROCHURES AT: CANNONTECH.CO.UK Water/DX & Free Cooling FOR A COPY OF OU QUALITY | RELIABILITY | EFFICIENCY | CUS