Remote work keeps driving network innovation

Graphiant believes that complexity is the Achilles’ heel of enterprise networking. The sprawling edge and ongoing cloud migrations have made enterprise networking hopelessly complex and riddled with vulnerabilities. Graphiant offers a service that looks similar to SD-WAN or SASE, but eliminates complex overlays.

Graphiant’s “label-switched network” separates WAN data and control planes and optimizes traffic delivery across its backbone based on policies set by users. The network architecture combines SD-WAN-like cloud-based routing and control with a proprietary metadata protocol.

Other SD-WAN and SASE vendors, including Cato Networks, Palo Alto Networks, Versa Networks, and Zscaler, have also been innovating around ways to marry zero-trust security with various SDx services, and they all attempt to tame complexity by integrating more networking and security functions into their services, hoping to create one-stop-shop platforms that allow customers to move away from complicated multi-vendor deployments.

What the Okta and MGM breaches teach us

Agrawal says the recent Okta breach shows the dangers of networking designs that require complicated tunnel overlays. In the January 2022 attack, hackers from the group LAPSUS$ gained remote access to Okta’s internal systems through a jump server that was used to provide access to a third party, customer-support provider Sitel. From there, the attacker was able to access unencrypted customer credentials.

In 2023, Okta suffered another breach, which was eerily similar to the 2022 breach, exposing yet more customer credentials and again causing headaches for Okta customers.

Another example of the expanding perimeter undermining security is the recent ransomware attack on MGM Resorts International. Attackers gained access to MGM’s internal networks by impersonating an employee. Via the employee’s LinkedIn account, they were able to trick MGM’s help desk into helping them recover the “lost” credentials of their target. Once inside the network, attackers infected MGM’s systems with ransomware that impacted a range of business-critical systems, forcing the casino to shut down everything from ATMs to casino gaming machines to hotel keycard systems. The attack disrupted MGM operations for at least 10 days.

In contrast, Agrawal explained that when ransomware hits a telco network, it quickly hits a dead end because mobile networks are segmented in a way that makes it difficult for malware to spread from device to device.

To bring that principle to the enterprise, Airgap has developed a ransomware kill switch which eliminates lateral movement with a single click in the security dashboard. The startup has also recently launched a disposable jump box service, which eliminates the threat of having a single jump server that everyone uses to connect to the central network.

How quantum computing and satellite connectivity could help

Many networking vendors have started to integrate tools like AI and machine learning into their services to help with routing and policy enforcement. Other vendors are kicking the tires on emerging technologies like quantum cryptography.

Karl Horne, vice president of cloud solutions at satellite operator SES, cautions that in much of the world, delivering reliable, business-class connectivity will still be a challenge. “With remote work here to stay, we have seen enterprises hire people located all over the world, and some of them live in rural, semi-urban, or even urban places where network connectivity is not constantly stable,” he said.

Horne argues that recent advances in satellite-delivered broadband are pushing it into the mainstream. The importance of Starlink to both Ukraine and Taiwan as they face down hostile neighbors is proving that satellite-based Internet can provide mission-critical connectivity even under harsh battlefield conditions.

Horne believes that as satellite Internet develops better interoperability with terrestrial networks, it could well help cement work-from-anywhere in place. “Recent innovations in satellites in the last decade are delivering high-performance connectivity that can easily help extend existing terrestrial networks to ensure more people in remote areas can do their everyday jobs effectively,” he said.

Connecting people in remote locations in a safe and secure manner will remain a challenge, even with broad, space-based coverage. But could quantum encryption change that?

“Introducing quantum principles into networking is not just an upgrade; it’s a revolution,” said Mike Anderson, chief digital and information officer for Netskope, a SASE provider. Anderson believes the ability to protect all data transmitted over an enterprise network with quantum encryption would be a game-changer. “This isn’t just about speed or efficiency; it’s about reimagining network security and data processing from the ground up,” he said.

Quantum encryption would not only redefine data security, but also could open new avenues for digital innovation. “This would make current networks look like dial-up Internet in comparison,” Anderson said. “While we’re still in the early days of quantum computing and networking, the momentum is building. Leading tech firms and research institutions are investing billions into quantum research.”