We are honored when organizations commit to working with SDxCentral to further SDN education. Today, we are thrilled to announce that FishNet Security - a leader in delivering information security solutions across the world - has joined SDxCentral. See a Guest Blog post by FishNet Security's Charles Crawford already on the site. We look forward to further insightful information and experiences from the FishNet Security team around security implications on SDN.

FishNet Security Expands Focus on SDN with SDxCentral Membership

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — (Marketwire – Nov. 6, 2012) — FishNet Security, North America’s largest information security provider, has joined forces with SDxCentral, a leading industry community organization for network virtualization (NV) and SDN, to help ensure security practices are integrated and safeguards will be in place as these technologies increase around the globe.

“There’s no doubt that SDN technologies and methodologies will impact security architectures,” said Gary Fish, founder and CEO at FishNet Security. “We’re working closely with our customers to ensure the adoption of SDN within their infrastructures is beneficial and does not jeopardize their security profiles. Our SDxCentral membership will give us influence in the evolving SDN space by helping ensure that security is given the high priority it deserves to decrease the potential risks associated with SDN deployments and management.”

Although FishNet Security’s existing solutions – such as identity and access management (IAM), compliance and assessments, network integration and mobile security – will all play a critical role in ensuring SDN systems aren’t vulnerable to security breaches and attacks, there are unique security risks of an SDN infrastructure that need to be addressed in the kind of collaborative forum that SDxCentral provides to its members.

“While there have been relatively few SDN installations globally so far, we expect that to change as standards are finalized and vendors increase their SDN offerings,” said Matthew Palmer, managing director of SDxCentral. “We are thrilled to have FishNet Security join the SDxCentral community and become an active member of the SDN ecosystem. It’s security providers such as them that provide the glue for SDN and make it deployable for enterprises and service providers.”

The benefits of SDN include network simplification, automation, scalability and address mobility. However, one of the key challenges of SDN is the authentication, authorization and accounting of security. For example, anyone with access to an SDN controller should be authorized to create a route to direct packets of information through a network. Otherwise, there is a risk of successful network attacks inside and outside corporate firewalls without the implementation of security protocols. These attacks can lead to network overloads, a loss of data, compliance breaches, damaged equipment and a loss of privacy.

About SDxCentral
SDxCentral is an independent community for NV and SDN. Its mission is to connect people, share information and provide education and training for everyone interested in next-generation networking. SDxCentral offers services to expand the community and accelerate SDN adoption, including events and webinars, live and online training, consulting, news aggregation, jobs exchange and referral services for connecting users and technology providers.

About FishNet Security
FishNet Security is the No. 1 provider of information security solutions that combine technology, services, support and training. Since 1996, the company has enabled clients to manage risk, meet compliance requirements and reduce costs while maximizing security effectiveness and operational efficiency. FishNet Security is committed to information security excellence and has a track record of delivering quality solutions to over 5,000 clients worldwide. For more information about FishNet Security, visit www.fishnetsecurity.com, www.facebook.com/fishnetsecurity and www.twitter.com/fishnetsecurity.

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