Privatizing Your Network

Using the corporate ethernet backbone is a great idea for transporting your security data between the card readers and the controlling computer. There are some considerations about security and performance that need to be addressed. This is what we call privatizing your network, making sure that you data is transported in a quick and secure manner. I will explain these techniques using the analogy of our streets and highways.

Subnetting

This is a technique where the security devices are given their own neighborhood. Using the builtin capability of most modern network switches, your security devices can be given their own subdivision within the corporate network. This doesn't mean that someone else can not drive on those streets. It does mean that given the proper equipment your network professionals can create quiet enclaves within your existing corporate highway system.

Virtual Private Networking

A much better technique is to build a Virtual Private Network or VPN. This would be the equivalent of building those quiet neighborhoods with guards at the entrances and linking them with armored trucks. This excludes the security traffic from the prying eyes and hands of would be hackers inside your organization. All of the data is encripted and sent within security packets. This technique requires more hardware and is therefore more expensive.

Your Own Network

You can install your own inter-building wiring, a little like finding an island and building your own highway system. Each situation is different, but we feel that for overall reliability using the corporate backbone is better. Why? Because when your private network goes down you will have a longer time to repair and bear the entire expense. When the corporate network has a problem some of the most technically bright people in your organization will be on top of that problem.

This brings me to my final point, don't confuse the reliability of the corporate network backbone with that of the servers. The backbone is made up of wiring and network switches which are much less trouble prone than the computers and software that make up a server.

Each situation is different but in general using the corporate backbone is in my opinion more cost effective and properly done more reliable than building your own shadow network.