Industrial Ethernet has become the most popular standard—a necessity, once might argue—for data and voice communication in rugged environments. Highway tunnels, railways, mine shafts, oil rigs, utility services (gas, water, electric), are a few operations where Ethernet provides flow meter data, emergency phones, signaling, industrial controls, and so on. Among the challenges in such arenas, is the 300 foot (1 meter) distance limitation of standard Ethernet. This is not so much about the factory floor, although industrial Ethernet is certainly needed in that environment. What we want to talk about here is the all the “other” places. Optimized traffic signals based on monitoring automotive traffic and timing controls is one example that comes to mind. Glendon is responsible for creating corporate marketing and technical content including press releases, web copy, white papers, case studies, educational and tutorial pieces as well as other publications. He serves as editor-in-chief for Patton's email newsletter and other outbound communications. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from UMUC and a Bachelor of Music in percussion performance from UMCP. Mr. Flowers is a single father with three adult daughters: Lauren, Hannah & Sarah (twins). He plays guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, and percussion and enjoys composing and arranging music and songs.

Cloud computing is among today’s fastest-growing industries. According to Allied Market Research, the worldwide cloud services market is valued at $369 billion. I believe that is six zeros. The industry is expected to reach up to $1.6 trillion (that’s more zeros than I can count) by 2030, growing 15% per year. What is The Cloud? What is it? So, what exactly is “The Cloud?” Don’t let the term scare you. Dumbing it down, the short answer is basically, the cloud is the Internet.  Or more specifically, computer-based services, delivered over the Internet. Of course, there’s a little more to it than that. . . > >Let Patton show you a live demo of the Patton Cloud,email sales@patton.com Tech History. Hailing back to the old days, during the 1970s and 1980s, we had X.25, a data communications protocol also known as packet-switching. The X.25 specification defines the interface between a subscriber (DTE – data terminal equipment) and the network (DCE – data circuit-terminating equipment). The DCE is a device on the network edge. X.25 that provides an interface to the WAN – wide area network- a.k.a. the cloud. The X.25 protocol does not specify how the WAN operates internally. X.25 Network Cloud So, during those times, “the cloud” became a popular idea in the data-communications field.  The term signifies a collection of interconnected computers that provide electronic communication services—in other words, the wide area network (WAN). The cloud is opaque. You can’t see into it. And you don’t really care—or need to know—what’s in there. As long as your email gets to the right person. Or, fast-forward in tech history, your VoIP phone call goes through. Eventually, X.25 evolved into the Internet Protocol (IP), and “the cloud” became the Internet. Or else a private corporate network (private cloud). Sort of. New Protocols. Designed to operate over noisy POTS, ISDN, or leased-line telephone cabling, X.25 was reliable but slow. As cabling technology improved—most notably fiber optics—faster protocols (first frame relay, and then IP), became viable. Cloud computing allows users (organizations and individuals to minimize the upfront cost of IT infrastructure and enables flexible capacity for storage, computing power, communication, and several other tech-related resources. Accelerated in part by the work-from-home movement, as well as the expanded computing capabilities enabled by the cloud, enterprises are rapidly adopting the computing paradigm. Three kinds. So in today’s world, there are three main categories for cloud computing services—i.e. “The Cloud.” Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – the IaaS provider offers hardware-based information technology (IT) services. Computing power, information storage, and servers. The idea is essentially the same as the old-fashioned time-sharing arrangements. The difference is you access the service over the Internet. This service model allows the user to scale hardware requirements up or down,  without having to purchase, own, maintain, repair, and eventually dispose of the hardware. Sort of like leasing a car. Platform as a Service (PaaS) – the PaaS provides resources that software and application developers can rent instead of buy. The provider maintains software and hardware (servers) hosted in the cloud (which means, accessed over the Internet). The platform (environment) includes tools for users (subscribers) to develop, manage, and host their programs. Software as a Service (SaaS) – Instead of purchasing and maintaining servers to run the program, SaaS provides applications remotely, accessed through the cloud. Patton offers two cloud services in the SaaS category at the present time: Network Edge Orchestration: manage your VoIP gateways and session border controllers (SBC) remotely, from anywhere in the world (with an internet connection). > >Learn more about Network Edge Orchestration in this blog post:The End of OAM: Alerting & Alarming in the Cloud You can learn about the Patton Cloud in this video introduction: Virtual Customer Premise Equipment (vCPE): rent, don’t buy, software functionality such as VPN server, IP access router, IPv4 to IPv6 Network Gateway, and more—all delivered over the Internet (the cloud). > >Learn more about vCPE in this blog post:Virtual CPE: What is it? Why do you care? > >Go Deeper: Also see this tutorial:Network Function Virtualization (NFV) andSoftware Defined Networks (SDN) > >CASE STUDY: The Cloud in Real LifeHow Patton Cloud Helped the National Carrier GO MaltaDeliver SIP Trunks with Reduced CapEx What do you think? What did you learn about cloud computing technology? What do you consider the most valuable aspect of a cloud-based tool for All-IP carriers? To schedule a demo of the Patton Cloud,email sales@patton.com Add your thoughts in the comments below… Glendon is responsible for creating corporate marketing and technical content including press releases, web copy, white papers, case studies, educational and tutorial pieces as well as other publications. He serves as editor-in-chief for Patton's email newsletter and other outbound communications. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from UMUC and a Bachelor of Music in percussion performance from UMCP. Mr. Flowers is a single father with three adult daughters: Lauren, Hannah & Sarah (twins). He plays guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, and percussion and enjoys composing and arranging music and songs.

Once upon a time, full-duplex transmission was introduced as a groundbreaking network technology. Now, in the age of multiplying cyber attacks, we have good reasons to revert to simplex circuits. Unidirectional connections provide network protection and offer reliable, hardware-based, cyber security. Data diodes can provide hardware-based simplex communication circuits. Most commonly implemented in high-security environments, including classified government, military intelligence, and national defense,  data diodes provide unidirectional data communication between networks that have different security classifications. Given the rise of industrial IoT and digitization, this technology can now be found at the industrial control level for such facilities as nuclear power plants, power generation, and safety-critical systems like railway networks. With a data diode installed on the outbound port, the high-security network cannot be penetrated by software bugs or malicious code. Operational data is securely transferred out of the secure OT network through a data diode to data repositories. Remote users retrieve OT data without exposing the OT network to security attacks. Data Diodes Combined with NDR. Also known as a unidirectional security gateway, a data diode is a hardware-based, simplex networking solution that can be installed to segment a network and defend it from malicious attacks. When data diodes are combined with a NDR (Network Detection and Response) platform, such as Vectra, the network security solution is extremely effective. An extra-fancy (and much longer!) name for a data diode is a deterministic one-way boundary device.  Data Diodes: What are they? How are they used? Patton FibrePlex Data Diode Available in various shapes and sizes, a data diode is a unidirectional network communication device that enables safe, one-way data transfer data between two networks. One might think of it as a non-return valve. It allows data transmission in only one direction. Because it cannot and will not receive data, any and all data trying to enter the network is blocked. Data diodes are designed to maintain physical and electrical separation between source and destination networks. A data diode allows a high-security network or segment to send data to external systems and users—such as a regulatory body, the cloud, or a remote-monitoring facility—without exposing the secure network to external threats. Types of Data Diodes. Currently-existing data diode technologies include hardware-only, optical fiber, optical isolation, electrical, and electromagnetic. Most popular in today’s market are hardware and optical, which is essentially a modified optical cable. Data diodes can be used to protect network segments of all sizes, from a single controller to an entire facility. Network Diagram with Data Diode Controlled Data Flow Data diodes are hardware-enforced data transfer solutions that use the laws of physics to provide a security mechanism that cannot be hacked. Secure Monitoring and Control Network What is Network Detection and Response (NDR)? Network Detection and Response (NDR) is a technology solution that improves cybersecurity. The discipline has evolved from a practice once known as network traffic analysis. Over the years, as the complexity of network traffic has increased, the proportion of potentially malicious traffic has also increased. So, the activities around traffic analysis have become more security-focused. In recent times, human monitoring and simple behavioral analytics have evolved into NDR, which employs machine learning combined with automated threat-discovery and incident-response mechanisms. NDR focuses on machine learning and analytical techniques—raising the bar compared with rules-based security tools such as firewalls. These intelligent tools model network behavior using continuous real-time traffic analysis while alerting network administrators about anomalous behavior or traffic patterns that indicate system malfunctions or external attacks. NDR monitors an organization’s network in real-time, 24/7. IDS. Similar to traditional Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)—which focus on monitoring the network perimeter for intruders and generating alerts when an attack is detected—NDR solutions focus on analyzing network communications in order to detect and investigate threats. Compared with IDS, a chief differentiator is that NDR provides automated responses, including: triggering commands to a firewall to drop suspicious traffic manual responses  — providing threat-hunting and incident response information to dig deeper NDR solutions move beyond merely detecting threats, actually responding to threats in real-time using native controls while supporting a wide-range of integrations with other cybersecurity tools or solutions:  security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) for example. Security information and event management (SIEM) is a solution that helps organizations detect, analyze, and respond to security threats before they harm business operations. How does Vectra work together with data diodes? Vectra supports data diodes on any of its physical appliance Sensor capture ports that provide SFP+ 10 Gbps connections.  As of this writing, Vectra appliances that support Patton data diodes include: Vectra has validated Patton FiberPlex SFP+ modules that function as data diodes.  These SFP+ modules will always be deployed in pairs: One RX module in the Vectra Sensor One TX module in the switch or packet broker, which feeds the Sensor network traffic Additional information can be found at https://www.patton.com/sfx-10dd/ SecurityThere is really no debate over whether data diodes are more secure than software-only security solutions (firewalls)—they are. Patton data diodes are physically enforced with a hardware-based security mechanism and provide 100% confidentiality and segmentation between networks. Firewalls, in contrast, enforceconfigurable policies implemented in software. Data diodes are not vulnerable to software bugs, zero-day exploits, or misconfiguration—all of which vulnerabilities can afflict a firewall. Data diode hardware also provides protection from the unknown—something which no software-based security system can do.They do not need regular patching or maintenance to stay secure, and the enforcement mechanism never becomes less effective over time. Glendon is responsible for creating corporate marketing and technical content including press releases, web copy, white papers, case studies, educational and tutorial pieces as well as other publications. He serves as editor-in-chief for Patton's email newsletter and other outbound communications. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from UMUC and a Bachelor of Music in percussion performance from UMCP. Mr. Flowers is a single father with three adult daughters: Lauren, Hannah & Sarah (twins). He plays guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, and percussion and enjoys composing and arranging music and songs.

Once upon a time, full-duplex transmission was introduced as a groundbreaking network technology. Now, in the age of multiplying cyber attacks, we have good reasons to revert to simplex circuits. Unidirectional connections provide network protection and offer reliable, hardware-based, cyber security. Data diodes can provide hardware-based simplex communication circuits. Most commonly implemented in high-security environments, including classified government, military intelligence, and national defense,  data diodes provide unidirectional data communication between networks that have different security classifications. Given the rise of industrial IoT and digitization, this technology can now be found at the industrial control level for such facilities as nuclear power plants, power generation, and safety-critical systems like railway networks. With a data diode installed on the outbound port, the high-security network cannot be penetrated by software bugs or malicious code. Operational data is securely transferred out of the secure OT network through a data diode to data repositories. Remote users retrieve OT data without exposing the OT network to security attacks. Data Diodes Combined with NDR. Also known as a unidirectional security gateway, a data diode is a hardware-based, simplex networking solution that can be installed to segment a network and defend it from malicious attacks. When data diodes are combined with a NDR (Network Detection and Response) platform, such as Vectra, the network security solution is extremely effective. An extra-fancy (and much longer!) name for a data diode is a deterministic one-way boundary device.  Data Diodes: What are they? How are they used? Patton FibrePlex Data Diode Available in various shapes and sizes, a data diode is a unidirectional network communication device that enables safe, one-way data transfer data between two networks. One might think of it as a non-return valve. It allows data transmission in only one direction. Because it cannot and will not receive data, any and all data trying to enter the network is blocked. Data diodes are designed to maintain physical and electrical separation between source and destination networks. A data diode allows a high-security network or segment to send data to external systems and users—such as a regulatory body, the cloud, or a remote-monitoring facility—without exposing the secure network to external threats. Types of Data Diodes. Currently-existing data diode technologies include hardware-only, optical fiber, optical isolation, electrical, and electromagnetic. Most popular in today’s market are hardware and optical, which is essentially a modified optical cable. Data diodes can be used to protect network segments of all sizes, from a single controller to an entire facility. Network Diagram with Data Diode Controlled Data Flow Data diodes are hardware-enforced data transfer solutions that use the laws of physics to provide a security mechanism that cannot be hacked. Secure Monitoring and Control Network What is Network Detection and Response (NDR)? Network Detection and Response (NDR) is a technology solution that improves cybersecurity. The discipline has evolved from a practice once known as network traffic analysis. Over the years, as the complexity of network traffic has increased, the proportion of potentially malicious traffic has also increased. So, the activities around traffic analysis have become more security-focused. In recent times, human monitoring and simple behavioral analytics have evolved into NDR, which employs machine learning combined with automated threat-discovery and incident-response mechanisms. NDR focuses on machine learning and analytical techniques—raising the bar compared with rules-based security tools such as firewalls. These intelligent tools model network behavior using continuous real-time traffic analysis while alerting network administrators about anomalous behavior or traffic patterns that indicate system malfunctions or external attacks. NDR monitors an organization’s network in real-time, 24/7. IDS. Similar to traditional Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)—which focus on monitoring the network perimeter for intruders and generating alerts when an attack is detected—NDR solutions focus on analyzing network communications in order to detect and investigate threats. Compared with IDS, a chief differentiator is that NDR provides automated responses, including: triggering commands to a firewall to drop suspicious traffic manual responses  — providing threat-hunting and incident response information to dig deeper NDR solutions move beyond merely detecting threats, actually responding to threats in real-time using native controls while supporting a wide-range of integrations with other cybersecurity tools or solutions:  security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) for example. Security information and event management (SIEM) is a solution that helps organizations detect, analyze, and respond to security threats before they harm business operations. How does Vectra work together with data diodes? Vectra supports data diodes on any of its physical appliance Sensor capture ports that provide SFP+ 10 Gbps connections.  As of this writing, Vectra appliances that support Patton data diodes include: Vectra has validated Patton FiberPlex SFP+ modules that function as data diodes.  These SFP+ modules will always be deployed in pairs: One RX module in the Vectra Sensor One TX module in the switch or packet broker, which feeds the Sensor network traffic Additional information can be found at https://www.patton.com/sfx-10dd/ SecurityThere is really no debate over whether data diodes are more secure than software-only security solutions (firewalls)—they are. Patton data diodes are physically enforced with a hardware-based security mechanism and provide 100% confidentiality and segmentation between networks. Firewalls, in contrast, enforceconfigurable policies implemented in software. Data diodes are not vulnerable to software bugs, zero-day exploits, or misconfiguration—all of which vulnerabilities can afflict a firewall. Data diode hardware also provides protection from the unknown—something which no software-based security system can do.They do not need regular patching or maintenance to stay secure, and the enforcement mechanism never becomes less effective over time. Glendon is responsible for creating corporate marketing and technical content including press releases, web copy, white papers, case studies, educational and tutorial pieces as well as other publications. He serves as editor-in-chief for Patton's email newsletter and other outbound communications. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from UMUC and a Bachelor of Music in percussion performance from UMCP. Mr. Flowers is a single father with three adult daughters: Lauren, Hannah & Sarah (twins). He plays guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, and percussion and enjoys composing and arranging music and songs.