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Network Infrastructure and IT Infrastructure: Key Differences

        Network infrastructure refers to the hardware and software resources of an entire network that enable network connectivity, communication, operations and management of an enterprise network. It provides the communication backbone to interconnect various components and services. IT infrastructure on the other hand refers to all components and services used in an enterprise IT environment. 

        While network infrastructure is a component of the overall IT infrastructure, they are not the same. Network infrastructure focuses on enabling network connectivity while IT infrastructure covers a much broader scope of enterprise IT services and components. Let’s examine some key differences between the two:

Components

        Network infrastructure includes components like routers, switches, firewalls, VPNs, proxy servers etc. that enable network connectivity. IT infrastructure components cover servers, storage, network devices, computers, operating systems, databases, middleware etc.

Scope

       The scope of network infrastructure is limited to network connectivity, performance and security. IT infrastructure covers a wider scope including systems, services, applications, IT security, data storage, computing resources etc.

Ownership

        Network infrastructure is typically owned and managed by the network operations and engineering teams. IT infrastructure is a shared responsibility between various IT teams like network, systems, security, database etc.

Purpose

        Network infrastructure focuses on connectivity while IT infrastructure deals with overall IT service delivery.

Expertise

        Network infrastructure management requires expertise in network engineering, protocols, traffic management etc. IT infrastructure expertise covers a diverse set of domains like networks, systems, storage, virtualization, security etc.

Typical Network Infrastructure Components

         A typical network infrastructure includes both hardware and software components that work together to enable connectivity. The main components are:

Networking Hardware

• Routers: Directs traffic between networks using routing protocols like BGP, OSPF etc. Routers connect LANs together as well as connect LANs to the internet.
• Switches: Directs traffic within a LAN using layer 2 switching and VLANs. Managed switches provide additional features for traffic management, monitoring and security.
• Firewalls: Monitor and control network traffic based on security rules. Firewalls are essential for securing the network perimeter.

Networking Software and Services

• Network monitoring: Tools like SolarWinds, PRTG, Zabbix etc. that provide visibility into network performance, health, traffic patterns and security issues.
• SDN controllers: Centralize network control and configuration through software. Enables network automation.
• Network virtualization: Abstraction and isolation of network resources from the underlying hardware using concepts like virtual LANs (VLANs).
• Network configuration management: Tools like Ansible, Puppet or Chef that automate network device configuration.

Network Infrastructure Definition and Security

       Network infrastructure can be defined as the hardware and software resources that enable network connectivity, communication, and operations in an organization. It provides the foundation for all IT services delivered over the network.

        A key consideration in network infrastructure design is security. Networks interconnect and provide access to organizational IT resources like servers, applications, and databases. A breach in network security can have devastating consequences. Let’s examine how network infrastructure impacts security:

• Perimeter security – Firewalls, VPNs and proxies help control access at the network edge. Network admission control like 802.1x regulates device access.
• Network segmentation – VLANs and ACLs logically separate traffic to restrict access between network segments. Helps limit the blast radius in case of breaches.
• Monitoring – Network performance monitoring and security analytics provide visibility into issues and threats. Helps quickly detect and respond to anomalous behaviors.
• Patching and configs – Timely patching, secure configurations and device hardening protect against known vulnerabilities and attacks.

        A holistic approach is required – having strong security at the network layer improves overall security posture. Network infrastructure and security go hand in hand.

Challenges with Network Infrastructure

        Designing, implementing and operating network infrastructure comes with a unique set of challenges. Some key issues faced are:

Increasing Complexity

       Modern networks comprise a variety of equipment like routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers etc. from multiple vendors. Configuring, integrating, troubleshooting and managing this complex infrastructure is difficult.

Lack of Skills

        The shortage of skilled network engineers makes it harder to design, implement and operate complex infrastructure. Lack of expertise also leads to misconfigurations that create security issues.

Fragmented Tooling

       Multiple point solutions for monitoring, automation, access control etc. Makes centralized control and unified visibility difficult. Integrating disparate tools is a challenge.

Technology Evolution

        Network infrastructure must evolve continuously to meet changing connectivity paradigms like cloud, IoT, mobility etc. Legacy tech can become bottleneck.

Downtime

        Network outages severely impact business operations. Achieving high availability and quick failover requires eliminating single points of failure.

Security Threats

        Sophisticated targeted attacks, malware, unpatched vulnerabilities etc. allow attackers to breach networks and steal data or disrupt operations. Defending the network perimeter is difficult.

Budget Constraints

       Network infrastructure requires significant capital and operational expenses. Restricted budgets makes it harder to adopt new technologies and address issues proactively. Addressing these challenges requires well-designed architectures, expert teams, robust processes and the right set of technologies. Well-planned network infrastructure mitigates these issues and enables responsive, resilient and secure networks.

Importance of Robust Network Infrastructure

       In the digital era, network connectivity and performance are essential for business success. A robust network infrastructure provides the foundation for all IT services needed to effectively run and grow organizations. The importance of network infrastructure stems from the following key benefits:

Business Productivity

       Applications, communications, collaboration tools etc. rely on the network. A high-performing infrastructure minimizes latency, downtime and bottlenecks. This enables employees to be more productive.

Customer Experience

        For customer-facing apps and services like e-commerce, network robustness ensures fast response times and always-on availability. This translates to superior customer experiences.

Competitive Advantage

        The ability to quickly rollout new network-dependent initiatives gives an edge over competitors. Robust infrastructure enables business agility and innovation.

Cost Savings

         Well-designed infrastructure requires fewer expensive troubleshooting and maintenance efforts. Automation also contains operational expenses related to network management.

Security

       Infrastructure security mechanisms like firewalls, segmentation etc. are the first line of defense against breaches. Robust networks prevent unauthorized access and data exfiltration.

Compliance

        Regulatory and compliance requirements around data security, retention etc. often depend on infrastructure controls and settings. Robust networks facilitate compliance.

Growth Enabler

        Scalable networks with headroom to grow enable business expansion without significant infrastructure upgrades.

        Investments in network robustness and resilience pay dividends through superior business performance and lower TCO. Having capable network infrastructure is imperative in the digital age.

Network Devices and Components

        Let’s do a deeper dive into some of the key network hardware devices and components that make up enterprise network infrastructure:

Routers

       Routers are used to connect LANs together. They direct traffic between networks using IP addresses and routing protocols like OSPF, BGP, EIGRP etc. Core routing functions include:

• Path selection – Determines best route for packets based on routing protocol metrics and algorithms.
• Routing around failures – Uses protocols like BGP and ISIS to dynamically route around network failures.
• Perimeter security – Firewalling, ACLs, and traffic shaping applied at router edges to secure network boundaries.
• VPN termination – Site-to-site VPNs terminated on routers to extend remote LAN connectivity.
• WAN technologies – Options like MPLS, VPLS, DMVPN used to connect geographically separated offices.

Popular enterprise router vendors include Cisco, Juniper, Arista and HPE.

Switches

Switches are used to interconnect devices within a LAN. Layer 2 and layer 3 capabilities:

• MAC learning and forwarding – Builds MAC address table to switch frames between ports.
• VLAN trunking – Enables creation of logically separate network segments.
• Inter-VLAN routing – Layer 3 switches route between VLANs enabling inter-VLAN communication.

Cisco, Arista, Juniper and HPE offer a wide range of enterprise switching solutions.

Next-gen Firewalls (NGFW)

Evolved from basic firewalls with capabilities like:

• Deep packet inspection – Goes beyond L3/L4 headers to inspect packet contents.
• Intrusion detection and prevention – Identify and block malicious traffic.

Leading NGFW vendors: Cisco Firepower, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Check Point etc.

Wireless LAN

Wi-Fi networks and devices that provide secure wireless access:

• Access points – Provide Wi-Fi coverage. Support seamless roaming, band steering etc.
• Wireless LAN controllers – Centralized management and monitoring of access points.
• Guest management – Captive portals and segregation of guest Wi-Fi traffic.

Major WLAN vendors include Cisco, Aruba Networks, Ruckus Networks.

Load Balancers

Distribute traffic across multiple application instances for better performance and high availability:

• Layer 4 load balancing – Balance TCP/UDP traffic based on IP and port number.
• Layer 7 load balancing – Make load decisions based on application-layer data.
• Health monitoring – Continuously check health of application servers.

Leading vendors are F5, Citrix, A10 Networks, and Kemp.

        This covers the most essential network hardware elements in a typical enterprise infrastructure. The right combination of these devices creates a high-speed, resilient and secure network foundation.

How Network Infrastructure Impacts Security

        Network security is a foundational component of an organization’s overall security posture. Network infrastructure creates the first line of defense by securing the enterprise perimeter and restricting lateral movement inside the network.

Here are some of the key ways that network infrastructure impacts security:

• Perimeter firewalls inspect inbound and outbound traffic to block threats like malware, intrusions, command and control communications etc. from entering the network.
• Web application firewalls (WAF) provide application-layer security for web apps to prevent exploits like XSS, SQLi etc.
• Intrusion prevention blocks known attacks, viruses, botnets from communicating with command servers etc.
• Network segmentation separates critical assets from rest of network using VLANs and ACLs to restrict lateral movement after breaches.
• Micro segmentation takes segmentation to server-level using SDN to isolate workloads insoftware-defined perimeters.
• Encryption of network traffic protects from eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks.

        A properly secured network infrastructure reduces the attack surface, limits breach impact and contains threats. Network security is imperative for comprehensive enterprise security.

Advantages of a Robust Network Infrastructure

         A robust network infrastructure provides the connectivity backbone for all IT services and digital capabilities in an organization. Here are some key benefits/advantages of having strong network infrastructure:

• Performance – A high-capacity and low-latency infrastructure provides a good end user experience for network applications.
• Scalability – The infrastructure can scale up bandwidth, subnets, VLANs etc. to accommodate growth and new demands.
• Reliability – Redundant paths, failover capabilities etc. minimize disruptions and ensure 24/7 availability.
• Agility – Dynamic provisioning and automation capabilities simplify deploying new network services and changes.
• Security – Infrastructure security controls like firewalls, VPNs, encryption etc. protect against breaches.
• Visibility – Network monitoring and analytics provide end-to-end visibility for troubleshooting and managing capacity.
• Efficiency – Infrastructure automation and virtualization streamline operations and reduce manual errors.
• Compliance – foundational network controls facilitate compliance with regulatory requirements around security, data privacy etc.
• Cost effectiveness – Infrastructure automation and virtualization lead to OpEx savings in managing the environment.

         Investing in network robustness delivers substantial technical and business benefits across performance, security, efficiency and agility metrics.

Example of a Robust Network Infrastructure Solution

         Let’s look at an example network infrastructure solution comprising core routers, switches, security and availability devices that can deliver robust connectivity for a large enterprise:

        Core routers – Redundant pairs of high-end routers like Cisco ASR 9000 provide resilient Layer 3 campus core connectivity with routing protocols like OSPF, BGP, policy routing and QoS.

        Core switches – Redundant Cisco Nexus 9000 core switches create a scalable switching fabric using VXLAN overlays and EVPN for VM mobility and multi-tenancy.

        Distribution layer – Cisco 4500-X switches provide layer 3 switching and policy enforcement at the distribution layer to connect access switches.

         Access switches – Low latency 10/25 Gbps switches like Cisco Catalyst 9300 provide wired connectivity to end-user devices, servers and wireless APs.

         Wireless – High density WiFi 6 access points deliver secure, high-speed wireless connectivity with seamless roaming and dynamic RF optimization.

        Security – Next-gen Firewalls (NGFW) inspect all ingress and egress traffic for threats. Web application firewalls and intrusion prevention systems provide additional safeguards.

         Load balancing – Application delivery controllers (ADC) like A10 Thunder distribute traffic across web and application servers.

        Visibility – Network performance monitoring provides end-to-end visualization of network health, bottlenecks and security events.

          This validated, best of breed infrastructure provides an excellent balance of performance, scalability, reliability and security for modern network demands.

The Role of Data Centers in Enterprise Network Infrastructure

         Data centers play a crucial role in enterprise network infrastructure. They house the physical IT infrastructure like servers, storage and network devices that deliver services to organizations.

Here are some ways that data centers tie into the overall network infrastructure:

• Interconnection – Data centers contain the core and distribution switches that interconnect access layer networks from remote offices and campuses into a unified network.
• Access – Data centers provide centralized points of secure wired and wireless access into the enterprise network for remote employees and partners.
• Cloud gateways – Data centers house private WAN links to public clouds and SaaS providers. This enables optimal traffic routing and security policies.
• Security – Data center perimeter firewalls and IPS systems create a security boundary for the most critical IT assets.
• Application delivery – Load balancers in data centers distribute traffic across web/app servers for performance and high availability (HA).

        A resilient data center infrastructure improves overall enterprise network performance, security and availability. Data centers serve as hubs interconnecting wider business networks.

Fundamentals of Modern Network Infrastructure

        Let’s look at some key fundamentals and pillars of modern, next-generation network infrastructure:

Software Centric

         Traditional infrastructure relied heavily on proprietary hardware appliances. Modern networks leverage open, disaggregated platforms with controller-based software for network fabric overlays, configuration management, monitoring etc. This provides flexibility and programmability. SDN, SD-WAN and VXLAN are examples of this shift.

Cloud Integrated

         Cloud connectivity has become essential. Connecting to public clouds like AWS and Azure enables cloud traffic engineering, security controls and hybrid deployments.

Converged Fabrics

        Converged network fabrics like Cisco ACI provide consistent policy, segmentation and automation across data centers, WAN edge and access layers on fixed and wireless networks.

Virtualization

         Hypervisors, SDN, network virtualization etc. enable better multi-tenancy, traffic isolation and efficient resource utilization through abstraction.

Analytics-driven

         Infrastructure telemetry, monitoring and machine learning analytics provide data-driven insight for capacity planning, anomaly detection, AIOps etc.

Automated

         Manual network changes are error-prone. Intent-based infrastructure and controller-driven networks enable automated deployment, scaling and security.

Collaborative

         Network infrastructure now integrates closely with security, collaboration tools, UCaaS etc. This allows end-to-end policy coordination. For example, user identity from Active Directory and access privileges can dynamically control network access.

All-IP

        Legacy networks relied on complex multiprotocol architectures. Modern networks are streamlined and converged using end-to-end IP for unified management, security and routing.

BYOD optimized

         With BYOD, networks must automatically adapt to diverse devices, OS platforms and address mobility. Streamlined onboarding, unified management and ensuring QoS across devices is essential.

Pervasive Wireless

        Beyond just WiFi networks, other wireless technologies like LTE, Bluetooth, LoRa etc. now integrate with wired infrastructure for unified and automated access control, security and monitoring.

Open Standards

         Proprietary protocols and technologies create vendor lock-in. Modern networks leverage open standards and multi-vendor networks built on widely adopted protocols and APIs.

Hyper Scalability

         Infrastructure elasticity, modularity and automation enable expanding network capacity, users and devices cost-efficiently to support growing demands.

         Adapting these next-generation network infrastructure fundamentals is critical for digitally transforming enterprises. It enables deploying new technologies and paradigms like cloud, edge computing, IoT, mobility and machine learning efficiently and securely.

Conclusion

         Robust network infrastructure provides the connectivity foundation for digital success. Modern network demands require evolving to next-gen architectures that are software-defined, cloud-integrated, analytics-driven and automated.

         A high-performing, resilient and secure network infrastructure minimizes business disruptions. It also accelerates deploying new technologies like AI, big data analytics and new apps to create competitive advantages. Network infrastructure is the launchpad for digital success.

For updates in the Network Infrastructure, read Hasons Blogs. Some of them are as follows:
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Network Infrastructure

• What is network infrastructure?
  Network infrastructure refers to the hardware and software resources like routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers etc. that enable network connectivity, communication, operations and security in an organization. It provides the foundation for delivering IT services.
• How can network infrastructure be optimized for performance?
  Strategies like bandwidth scaling, low latency network design, elimination of bottlenecks, usage of performant protocols like RoCE, traffic engineering, quality of service, caching proxies etc. help optimize network infrastructure for maximum performance.
• What are some best practices for managing network infrastructure?
  Automating deployments and changes, using version control, maintaining updated documentation, regular patching and upgrades, monitoring utilization and health, validating changes, having rollback plans are some key best practices for effectively managing network infrastructure.
• What is network infrastructure design?
  Network infrastructure design involves planning, layout and configuration of network components like routers, switches, security and access devices, cabling etc. to build a high-performance, resilient and secure network architecture that aligns with business needs.