Data Centers and the Enterprise Network Architecture and its Components
Communication networks have long been a critical part of any organization. Protecting them against risks of all kinds, especially security risks, is critical to the operation of the organization. Understanding the structure of data networks will help you understand network vulnerabilities, where they exist, and where and how we can protect against them.
This chapter provides a preview of a data network's structure and weak points. We will also describe the hardware, software, and protocols involved in the network, as well as their potential vulnerabilities. We will talk about the traditional structure of enterprise networks and data centers, network components and their connectivity, and understand the data flows in the network. Finally, we will explain the evolving Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) technologies and their impact on data networks, along with the networking and security considerations of cloud connectivity.
In this chapter, we're going to cover the following main topics:
- Exploring networks and data flows
- The data center, core, and user networks
- Switching (L2) and routing (L3) topologies
- The network perimeter
- The data, control, and management planes
- SDN and NFV
- Cloud connectivity
- Types of attacks and where they are implemented
