Out-of-Band network management

Alan Stewart-Brown at Opengear explains how Out of Band management provides a secure, remote connection to IT network environments during outages or disruptions

 

Employees require always-on access via resilient business networks to leverage their critical resources, but networks have had to deal with a long list of potential disruptions over the last few years.

 

Inflation remains high in the UK and budgets are being squeezed, while at the same time the tech skills shortage continues to be a thorn in the side of leaders and HR teams. It leaves many networks lacking the attention they need, both in terms of human input and financial investment.

 

However, neglecting the backbone of an organisation’s infrastructure is both unwise and risky. A lack of in-house expertise may lead to early indicators of potential malfunction or mistakes being missed before it’s too late. Cyber-criminals looking for vulnerabilities in underserved setups can also cause major outages.

 

Outsourcing group Capita, which runs operations for the NHS and the military, was forced to work over a weekend in April 2023 to bring systems back online following an attack. Services provided to individual NHS clients were disrupted, with some even having to go back to using pen and paper as an alternative to digital applications.

 

It’s now estimated that downtime is causing larger UK businesses to lose an average of £3.6m a year, only adding to their current financial woes. Remote management of networks is key to prevent outages, reduce unnecessary costs and support under-fire professionals in a skills crisis. Out-of-Band technology provides the answer.

 

The basics of Out of Band

In-Band management of network devices is achieved via protocols such as https, web browser, telenet or SSH, administering the network via the LAN. By having data and control commands travel across the same network route as the data plane, they suffer from the same security vulnerabilities. If an outage occurs, engineers might be completely locked out of the management plane, leading to critical devices being rendered inaccessible and the business coming to a standstill.

 

The only option then for many is to physically attend site to rectify the issue. This can be expensive, depending on how long it takes for them to travel to their end destination.

 

Out of Band management instead provides a secure, remote connection to IT network environments during outages or disruptions in communications to the primary WAN/LAN. This is achieved with the use of serial console servers, which open up an alternate path via a separate management plane for remediation of critical network devices.

 

So, what’s the process for implementing this solution? It’s simply achieved by integrating console servers at each network location and then connecting them to routers, switches, firewalls and any other key hardware.

 

With Out-of-Band, engineers achieve presence and proximity to key devices, and the independent management plane that allows the core team to remotely access equipment can be used for Day One, everyday management and during network events.

 

Why Out of Band is needed today

In a network setup, if all administration or management ports are connected to the production network, it gives bad actors a greater opportunity to directly access and sabotage IT infrastructure.

 

On the other hand, if the port is connected to an Out of Band management system, the LAN is unable to access any administration consoles on that equipment. With user and management traffic separated, engineers are empowered to lock down elements of the network and restrict access. With the management plane then secured, the organisation can remain resilient against evolving cyber threats and prevent downtime from occurring.

 

Out of Band also plays a critical role in ensuring business continuity. For example, accidental cable cutting can lead to network feeds being compromised and create disruption for the ISP connection.

 

Rather than being impacted by downtime, Out-of-Band can enable remediation from anywhere. By bringing in 4G LTE, organisations have a secure, alternate access path and Failover to Cellular provides the necessary bandwidth to ensure seamless operations of mission critical applications.

 

Remote remediation is beneficial to sustainable practices by removing physical travel, and with human resource at a premium, Out of Band solutions can also provide automated capabilities to help drive network efficiency, For example, automated alerts can be sent by SMS and enable pre-emptive failover in the case of environmental catastrophes.   

 

Of course, many organisations today are likely to remain hesitant to adopt Out of Band technologies due to the financial outlay involved, especially as budgets contract in an economic downturn. However, businesses that do take the plunge will find that they achieve a very quick return on investment once deployed. Improved reliability, availability and dependability will outweigh the significant losses that would otherwise be suffered from downtime.

 

Ensuring network resiliency

In the times of economic uncertainty that we currently find ourselves in, network investment needs to be targeted and wisely spent.

 

Out of Band solutions require upfront financing, but they quickly provide value by helping engineers address downtime, no matter the cause, and help prevent unnecessary costs. In providing reliable and remote access to networks, engineers can also contribute to sustainable practices by completing remediation from any location.

 

And with the skills shortage placing pressure on engineers, such technology can pave the way for automated capabilities to further enhance network protection. 

 

Out-of-Band management is the gateway to a new level of network resiliency.    

 

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Alan Stewart-Brown is, Vice President EMEA at Opengear

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com