NC2405

NETWORKcomputing 

I N F O R M A T I O N A N D C O M M U N I C A T I O N S – N E T W O R K E D www.networkcomputing.co.uk 

THE FINAL FRONTIER FOR NTNS 

The challenges threatening the success 

of non-terrestrial networks 

OPTIMISING NETWORK 

INNOVATION 

Tips for a cost-conscious 

climate 

TESTING TIMES 

Why software testing 

automation matters 

FUELING AI SYSTEMS 

Best practices for dealing 

with data 

MAY/JUNE 2024 VOL 33 NO 02

CSPs NEED CAPACITY THAT 

SHIPS PREPARED FOR DUTY 

Supermicro delivers 

complete, rack-ready 

systems, from validation 

through SW installation. 

Powered by 

AMD EPYC TM processors. 

Accelerate your cloud. 

Learn more at 

www.supermicro.com/csp 

© Supermicro and Supermicro logo are trademarks of 

Super Micro Computer, Inc. in the US and other countries.

COMMENT 

COMMENT 

"AND OUR 2024 WINNER ARE..." 

As we go to print with this issue the winners of the 2024 Network Computing 

Awards have just been unveiled at an awards ceremony in central London (timing 

is everything!). We'll have a full round-up of all of our winners in our next issue 

but they include Netreo, who won both the Network Infrastructure Product of the Year 

and Testing/Monitoring Product of the Year Awards and Veritas, winners of the Storage 

Product of the Year and Product of the Year categories for Veritas Backup Exec. 

Hornetsecurity were winners of the Data Protection Product of the Year award for 365 

Total Protection as well as the Bench Tested Product of the Year award (Software and 

Services Category) for 365 Permission Manager, while NetAlly's CyberScope Air wireless 

network security scanner won the Bench Tested Hardware category. The Network Security 

Product of the Year award was won by WatchGuard's Firebox M Series and Prism DCS 

triumphed in the Customer Service category, while Zeus Cloud took home the trophy in 

the One To Watch Company category. 

Congratulations once again to all of our winners and a big 'thank you' to our sponsors 

and everyone who took the time to vote online. You will find a complete list of the 2024 

winners and runners-up on the awards website: https://networkcomputingawards.co.uk 

and we'll have a full round-up in our next issue. 

REVIEWS: 

Dave Mitchell 

DEPUTY EDITOR: Mark Lyward 

(netcomputing@btc.co.uk) 

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(ian.collis@btc.co.uk 

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David Bonner 

(david.bonner@btc.co.uk) 

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(christina.willis@btc.co.uk) 

PUBLISHER: John Jageurs 

(john.jageurs@btc.co.uk) 

Published by Barrow & Thompkins 

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© 2024 Barrow & Thompkins 

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reproduced without prior consent, in 

writing, from the publisher. 

Stepping away from the awards stage, you'll find articles in this issue that offer advice 

on optimising your network in a cost-conscious climate and consider how to keep pace 

with the latest innovations in a period of rapid digital change. According to Cisilion's 

Nathan Ashby "We've moved from keeping the lights on and building reliable infrastructure 

to business transformation. We cannot use the same mindsets as we once did to 

ensure the success of our businesses. As such the network's driving force now is to 

enable business outcomes - which means we need to reinvent the network approach." 

We also look at the future of the wireless network - both terrestrial and non-terrestrial - 

and learn about the challenges faced by British software testers, and how software testing 

automation can help. And we've done plenty of testing of our own this issue with our 

latest product reviews, which include Highlight's Service Observability Platform and 

Portnox Cloud's UAC (unified access control) solution. NC 

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MAY/JUNE 2024 NETWORKcomputing 03

MAY/JUNE 2024 VOL 33 NO 02 

CONTENTS 

CONTENTS 

M A Y / J U N E 2 0 2 4 


I N F O R M A T I O N A N D C O M M U N I C A T I O N S – N E T W O R K E D www.networkcomputing.co.uk 

THE FINAL FRONTIER FOR NTNS 

The challenges threatening the success 

of non-terrestrial networks 

OPTIMISING NETWORK 

INNOVATION 

Tips for a cost-conscious 

climate 

TESTING TIMES 

Why software testing 

automation matters 

FUELING AI SYSTEMS 

Best practices for dealing 

with data 

BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL AI 

STRATEGY............................12 

Skip Levens at Quantum provides three 

best practices for dealing with data to 

create better AI systems 

THE FINAL FRONTIER FOR NON- 

TERRESTRIAL NETWORKS.........26 

Nancy Friedrich at Keysight Technologies 

explains how we can expand aerospace 

and defence connectivity by moving from a 

terrestrial to hybrid space / ground network 

NETWORK INNOVATION......10 

Alan Stewart-Brown at Opengear gives us five 

top tips for network innovation while Nathan 

Ashby at Cisilion explains why our networks 

need to work harder and more intelligently 

IT’S THE OFFICE, BUT NOT AS 

WE KNOW IT.........................24 

Principle Networks' Ian Wharton considers 

the future of the wireless network - and why 

the office we once knew no longer exists 

TESTING TIMES......................30 

Guy Arieli at BlinqIO gives us an overview 

of software testing automation - and 

explores why it really matters 

COMMENT.....................................3 

"And our 2024 winner are..." 

INDUSTRY NEWS.............................6 

The latest networking news 

ARTICLES 

OBSERVANT I.T.................................8 

By Martin Saunders at Highlight 

IT’S NOT OFFENCE OR DEFENCE - 

IT’S BOTH!......................................14 

By Ed Williams at Trustwave 

FOUR KEY STEPS TO STRENGTHEN 

CLOUD SECURITY..........................16 

By Guy Warren at ITRS 

ADVANCING NETWORK 

EFFICIENCY....................................18 

By Richard Petrie at LINX 

YOU SHALL NOT PASS!...................20 

By David Higgins at CyberArk 

REVOLUTIONISING YOUR NETWORK 

FOR TOMORROW’S DIGITAL NEEDS..16 

By Nathan Ashby at Cisilion 

HOLISTIC DATA CENTRE DESIGNS 

FOR THE AI ERA..............................28 

By Sam Bainborough at Vertiv 

DESIGNING FOR HUMAN..............32 

By Neil Thacker at Netskope 

CAN YOU MANAGE IT?..................34 

By Barry O’Donnell at TSG 

REVIEWS 

HIGHLIGHT SERVICE OBSERVABILITY 

PLATFORM........................................8 

NETALLY CYBERSCOPE AIR..............11 

EXAGRID EX189..............................15 

PORTNOX CLOUD..........................19 

04 NETWORKcomputing MAY/JUNE 2024 @NCMagAndAwards 

WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK

INDUSTRY NEWS 

NEWSNEWS 

NEWS NEWS 

NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS 

NEWS NEWS 

Enhanced Network Tester and Cable Qualifier from TREND 

TREND Networks has announced major enhancements to its 

SignalTEK 10G Network Throughput Tester and Cable 

Qualifier, introducing a suite of features aimed at simplifying 

operation, expanding functionalities, and improving overall 

user experience. The SignalTEK 10G now offers users more 

intuitive options with the new Basic Operation mode. With the 

goal of streamlining Cable and Network Qualification testing, 

this option is tailored to accommodate both novice and 

experienced users, simply requiring a choice between copper 

and fibre and the speed the user wishes to qualify, ranging from 

10Mbps to 10Gbps for copper (including 2.5 and 5Gbps 

Multigig), and 1Gb or 10Gb for fibre. 

The SignalTEK 10G also now supports data transmission testing 

at 1G and 10G using a single 10G SFP+ module, removing the 

need for separate SFP modules for varying fibre speeds. The 

addition of fibre length and dB Loss measurement via SFP/SFP+ 

modules sets a new standard for qualification testers, enabling 

fibre qualification based on data transmission (BERT), cable 

attenuation (dB loss), and cable length, adhering to IEEE 

Ethernet, TIA, or ISO cabling standards. TREND has also listened 

to user feedback and simplified the interface management. 

Zyxel offer WiFi 7 for the price of WiFi 6 

Zyxel Networks has launched a special promotion that gives 

customers WiFi 7 for the price of WiFi 6 as a way of 

highlighting the performance, quality and value of the latest 

addition to its leading range of access points. For an unspecified 

period, the company's NWA130BE WiFi 7 access point will be 

available at a discounted price through Zyxel partners, enabling 

customers to future-proof their networks for a longer period 

without making a higher investment. 

It also means both MSPs and end-user customers can get 

experience the full benefits of Nebula, Zyxel's cloud 

management platform, which provides simple remote 

management capabilities and built-in security, and harnesses the 

power of AI and machine learning to save time and maximise 

network performance and availability. 

Rachel Rothwell, Senior Regional Director, UK and Ireland, 

Zyxel Networks, said: "We are making this offer, not only to 

demonstrate our absolute commitment to delivering exceptional 

value to our customers, but also because we are totally 

confident in the performance, consistence and quality of our 

WiFi 7 solutions. By investing in WiFi 7 today, SMBs can benefits 

from the highest speeds and reliable connectivity, and futureproof 

their networks for longer." 

Vertiv SmartCabinet rack for applications at the edge 

Vertiv has introduced the Vertiv SmartCabinet ID, an all-in-one, 

fully sealed single-rack enclosure that delivers cooling, power, 

and environmental protection for applications at the network 

edge. The SmartCabinet ID is available now iwith multiple rack 

sizes and cooling capacity options, including 24U and 42U 

racks, and 3.5 kW and 7.0 kW of cooling capacity. 

The sealed SmartCabinet ID solution protects the enclosed IT 

equipment against dirt, dust, and fluctuating temperatures typical 

of warehouses, factory floors, and other common edge locations, 

and is IP54-rated for water-resistance, providing protection in 

case of indoor sprinkler system activation. Integrated emergency 

fans also provide backup cooling in the event of a power outage 

or a primary cooling module failure. A built-in touchscreen 

display with communication capabilities enables local or remote 

monitoring and control of key components, while alarms and 

notifications for local and remote users can be customised to 

alert to out-of-spec ambient conditions. 



INDUSTRY NEWS 

Complete data centre liquid-cooled solutions 

Supermicro is addressing the most demanding requirements 

from customers who want to expand their AI and HPC 

capacities while reducing data centre power requirements. 

"Supermicro continues to work with our AI and HPC customers to 

bring the latest technology, including total liquid cooling solutions, 

into their data centers," said Charles Liang, President and CEO of 

Supermicro. "Our complete liquid cooling solutions can handle up 

to 100 kW per rack, which reduces the TCO in data centres and 

allows for denser AI and HPC computing. Our building block 

architecture allows us to bring the latest GPUs and accelerators to 

market, and with our trusted suppliers, we continue to bring new 

rack-scale solutions to the market that ship to customers with a 

reduced time to delivery." 

Supermicro application-optimised high-performance servers are 

designed to accommodate the most performant CPUs and GPUs 

for simulation, data analytics, and machine learning. The 

Supermicro 4U 8-GPU liquid-cooled server delivers petaflops of AI 

computing power in a dense form factor with the NVIDIA 

H100/H200 HGX GPUs. Supermicro will soon ship liquid-cooled 

Supermicro X14 SuperBlade in 8U and 6U configurations, the 

rackmount X14 Hyper, and the Supermicro X14 BigTwin. Several 

HPC-optimised server platforms will support the Intel Xeon 6900 

with P-cores in a compact, multi-node form factor. In addition, 

Supermicro continues to ship the broadest portfolio of liquid cooled 

MGX Products in the industry, and has confirmed its support for the 

new Intel® Gaudi® 3 accelerator and AMD's MI300X accelerators. 

Hippodrome Casino holds all the aces with Extreme 

The Hippodrome Casino, an iconic entertainment landmark in 

London's Leicester Square, now relies on Extreme's WiFi 6E 

solutions, data centre and edge switches, analytics and cloud 

management platform to improve network performance, 

streamline operational efficiency and provide first-class guest 

experiences. In partnership with ITHQ, the Hippodrome deployed 

a new wired and wireless network across its six-story facility, 

delivering improved network reliability, flexibility and security. 

For the Hippodrome - which consists of three casinos, eight 

bars, a theatre, multiple restaurants and a three-story roof 

terrace - ensuring uninterrupted WiFi availability is imperative to 

delivering amazing guest experiences while maintaining 

seamless operations. The historic entertainment venue can now 

rely on a dynamic and adaptable network that is easy to 

manage and provides enhanced visibility and insights to drive 

organisational objectives. 

Philip Mitchell, IT Director, The Hippodrome Casino said "While 

the robustness of the WiFi solution is key for operations, on the 

back end they are producing an amazing amount of customer 

data for our analytics teams to look at. We can clearly see the 

amount of traffic going through each particular system and the 

impact our improved solutions are making on the business. Our 

systems show that not only has the amount of monitored 

endpoints doubled, but the number of alerts has actually 

reduced to one-sixth of what they were." 

CyberArk set to acquire Venafi for $1.5bn 

CyberArk has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Venafi, 

a leader in machine identity management, from Thoma 

Bravo. This acquisition will combine Venafi's machine identity 

management capabilities with CyberArk's identity security 

capabilities to establish a unified platform for end-to-end 

machine identity security at enterprise scale. 

The combination of Venafi's certificate lifecycle management, 

private Public Key Infrastructure, IoT identity management and 

cryptographic code signing, with CyberArk's secrets management 

capabilities will enable organisations to protect against misuse and 

compromise of machine identities, vastly improve security, and 

stop costly outages. Having a breadth and depth of options for 

machine identity security all in one solution - deployable as SaaS 

or hybrid - will enable faster risk mitigation for organisations of all 

sizes looking to secure modern cloud environments. 

NEWS NEWSNEWS 

NEWS 

NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS 

NEWS 



OPINION: NETWORK OBSERVABILITY 

OBSERVANT I.T. 

MARTIN SAUNDERS, COO AT HIGHLIGHT OUTLINES THE TOP 5 

IT OBSERVABILITY ISSUES COSTING BUSINESSES TIME AND 

MONEY - AND HOW TO SOLVE THEM 

Technology is the lifeblood of modern 

business and every outage can directly 

impact an organisation's performance, 

revenue and reputation. To thrive, they must 

streamline support processes and improve their 

ability to observe the full stack of IT services, in 

order to ensure that the employee and 

customer experience is at its best. To this end, 

here are five ways that IT operations can 

increase their use of data to improve decisions 

and create quantifiable advantages: 

1. Getting what you paid for and ensuring the 

network delivers what is promised. 

Communication service providers are the 

backbone of many IT operations, as well as 

being a significant part of an IT budget. 

Maximising this relationship can save both 

money and reputations - but the problem is 

that most providers are unable to provide 

effective proof of delivery. 

One of the first things to do is confirm that 

service level agreements (SLAs) are being met. 

Rather than rely on the service provider, look 

for tools that will capture and utilise persistent 

performance metrics and native SLA scoring 

(including maintenance windows and 

exceptions) for both individual connections 

and grouped services. In this way, IT and 

network managers can hold their providers to 

account and reclaim credits where required. 

2. The network is rarely to blame - but how to 

prove it? Increasing dependence on the core 

network and application services means that 

it's hard to determine the source of issues, 

which can increase meantime-to-repair when 

outages occur. 

With access to persistent network data, 

separated into categories (such as 

Broadband, Cellular, WiFi, LAN, Switches and 

Applications), managers will be far better 

equipped to pinpoint the source of problems 

immediately. It's important to make sure that 

you have an observability solution in place to 

make metrics from these different categories 

both understandable and comparable. 

3. Centralised IT support structures are 

forced to be reactive. Every outage in an 

organisation has the potential to result in lost 

revenues. The issue is that IT support teams 

cannot be in every office or branch and by the 

time an issue is reported, it is often too late. 

Creating a support process that is proactive 

rather than reactive will deliver considerable 

benefits for both support teams and users. 

Seek a flexible alerting suite with customisable 

sensitivity to ensure that problems are flagged 

long before they become outages, with alerts 

integrated with support ticketing platforms. 

4. Bandwidth requirements are always 

changing and difficult to estimate. The 

continually changing and increasing 

technology requirements of a business will 

stretch bandwidth capability. This is 

combined with an absence of ways to 

effectively measure and plan capacity, 

forcing either expensive over-specification or 

compromised reliability. 

Access to data on network consumption and 

application performance will make capacity 

decisions based on real data far more accurate. 

The latest tools will identify broadband speeds, 

WiFi AP utilisation and analyse trends alongside 

a reporting engine that removes the guesswork 

from capacity planning. 

5. Your network can't always be uniform. 

Different regional requirements and legacy 

technologies in different offices or branches will 

fragment support processes, lowering efficiency 

and increasing training costs. Whilst the 

network may not be uniform, the view of it can 

be. Tools that show the location and a servicecentric 

view of network estates presenting all 

the data in a standardised way will help ensure 

a more uniform support process. 

More IT teams are looking to increase 

their use of data to improve decisions and 

create quantifiable advantages. Many are 

looking to achieve complete service 

observability with standardised data 

delivering insights across multi-tenants, 

multiple technologies and SLA reports that 

go beyond complex technical monitoring. 

With a clear understanding of how complex 

systems are performing, organisations can 

identify significant events before they cause 

an issue. NC 



PRODUCT REVIEW 

Highlight Service 

Observability 

Platform 


PRODUCT 

REVIEWPRODUCT RE 

In today's highly competitive landscape, 

businesses must ensure that the IT services 

they provide are delivering on all counts. With 

a track record going back over 20 years, UKbased 

Highlight has the solution, as its Service 

Observability Platform is designed from the 

ground up to provide senior managers with 

clear and unambiguous visibility into the 

technologies and services that business success 

depends on. 

Delivered as a SaaS cloud platform, Highlight 

scales across all business types, ranging from 

single sites to global enterprises with multiple 

locations and technologies in play. Value is 

another compelling feature as you only pay for 

what you need and unlike some competitors 

Highlight is transparent about pricing, with its 

entry-level subscription costing £500 per month, 

supporting up to 100 devices. 

Highlight's vendor-agnostic approach means 

there's little beyond its remit as it integrates with 

over 85 vendor services. Typical 

communications technologies supported include 

MPLS, SD-WAN, broadband, cellular, LAN and 

Wi-Fi, and it works hand in glove with all main 

vendors including Cisco, Cisco Meraki, Fortinet, 

Aruba, Juniper, Cradlepoint and ThousandEyes. 

Deployment is uncomplicated as Highlight has 

minimal requirements and, unlike some other 

competitors, doesn't need additional investment 

in on-premises hardware. It leverages API 

connectivity to cloud orchestrators, such as 

those from Cisco and Fortinet, uses agents to 

report on SNMP compliant network devices and 

assesses application visibility and availability with 

NetFlow data exports. 

Highlight runs collections every three minutes, 

retains all metrics data for a year and summary 

reports indefinitely allowing long-term 

comparisons to be conducted. Security is a top 

priority as all data is encrypted using SSL prior to 

transit to the Highlight cloud platform. 

The informative portal opens with an Explorerstyle 

tree in its left pane showing only the 

locations, services, networks and devices that 

are permitted by the user's role. This makes it 

ideal for complex networks and multi-tenancy 

environments as it can present all relevant 

connections in views that are simple to 

understand. The top-level view uses a unique 

combination of 'Heat Tiles' and traffic light 

indicators to show at-a-glance summaries of 

service, network and device status so you can 

quickly identify pain points. The portal is very 

easy to navigate and it takes seconds to drill 

down for more information, as you can traverse 

from top-level estate views to individual 

connections in no more than two clicks. 

Highlight grades all issues into three categories 

so you can quickly see stability, load and health 

of all services and locations. It maintains 

essential consistency across all views regardless 

of the technology, connection or vendor. Tests 

on routers and switches include connection 

performance analysis. These determine packet 

loss and delay and will be invaluable to network 

service managers, as they can verify bandwidth 

SLAs with users and give them high levels of 

visibility into the network services being 

delivered. 

Alert smoke screens are avoided as Highlight 

employs sensitivity controls which can be 

customised for stability, load and health. 

Inherited settings mean that sensitivity controls 

for an entire estate can be deployed with one 

click. Highlight uses webhooks and email for 

integration with many third-party workflow 

automation products, including ServiceNow and 

AutoTask. It also uses APIs to integrate report 

data into external analysis systems such as 

Microsoft Power BI. 

The Highlight Service Observability Platform 

ensures that IT managers and support teams 

responsible for the smooth operation of business 

IT services are not living in a digital void. It's 

clearly capable of providing high levels of 

information in real-time about network service 

and application performance but presents it all 

in a format that anyone can understand, and its 

SaaS model makes it highly flexible and very 

affordable. NC 

Product: Highlight Service Observability Platform 

Supplier: Highlight 

Web site: www.highlight.net 

Telephone: +44 (0) 1483 209 970 

Price: Monthly Entry - 100 devices - £500 exc 

WWW.NETWORKCOMPUTING.CO.UK MAY/JUNE 2024 09 


@NCMagAndAwards

OPINION: NETWORK INNOVATION 

OPTIMISING NETWORK INNOVATION IN A COST-CONSCIOUS CLIMATE 

ALAN STEWART-BROWN, VP EMEA, OPENGEAR GIVES US FIVE TOP TIPS FOR NETWORK 

INNOVATION AS I.T. BUDGETS DWINDLE 

In 1980, Robert Metcalfe's formulation, 

known as Metcalfe's Law, posited that a 

network's value increases exponentially with 

each new connected device. Decades later, in 

an era of billions of devices and server cores, 

we're witnessing a scale of connectivity that 

likely surpasses even what Metcalfe might have 

imagined. The current wave of IT 

transformation is notably driven by AI and 

Generative AI, significantly impacting business 

efficiency and necessitating robust network 

infrastructure investment. 

However, today's economic climate 

increasingly compels CFOs to scrutinise budget 

allocations more closely, presenting challenges 

in maintaining and innovating network 

infrastructure. To ensure networks remain fit for 

purpose amidst these issues, here are the top 

considerations for businesses. 

1. Invest in a unified management framework: 

Enterprise observability often reacts to issues 

only once problems like application failures, or 

connectivity losses, arise. The shift towards 

virtualisation and management fragmentation 

in the enterprise make it difficult to achieve the 

observability needed to not only troubleshoot, 

but to automate too. A management 

framework that connects to physical and virtual 

infrastructure through a single interface, 

coupled with management applications such as 

Splunk or Juniper's Apstra, creates a closed 

loop observability system which accelerates the 

time to problem resolution. It also provides the 

foundation for automation on day 0 and 

monitoring on day 2. 

2. Leverage automation and AI for more 

efficient operations: Automation, enhanced by 

AI can significantly increase operational 

efficiency and reduce errors. These 

technologies automate repetitive tasks such as 

checking configurations, authentication, and 

logging. However, without a unified 

management framework the full benefits of 

automation and AI will not be realised. While 

virtualisation and software-defined networking 

have essentially changed what is analogous to 

the product in industrial automation, the factory 

must be redesigned with a unified management 

framework. Otherwise the benefits will be 

restricted to single tasks. 

3. Multi-cloud and hybrid deployments provide 

opportunities: The drive for local application 

hosting due to latency and privacy concerns 

introduces the challenge of managing private 

cloud infrastructures. An emerging model is 

utilising public cloud infrastructure on premise. 

The public cloud provider is responsible for the 

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and the 

desired degree of interconnection to the public 

cloud can be set. In some models, the network 

operator is responsible for managing the 

physical infrastructure and network connectivity. 

Meanwhile, the public cloud provider is 

responsible for the public cloud software 

platform. This enables the organisation to 

maintain the same tool chains and reduces the 

overall management burden. 

4. Additional security layers on networks are 

necessary: With increasing cybersecurity threats, 

additional security layers are essential. A unified 

management system that integrates security 

applications can ingest real time telemetry data 

and use AI to spot suspicious behaviour and 

respond to threats promptly. Full visibility and 

control over the network is critical to mitigate 

the risk of security breaches and reduce 

compliance risk and insurance cost. 

5. Embrace 5G and edge computing: As 5G 

becomes mainstream, edge computing is 

gaining prominence, enabling new applications 

and data processing closer to data collection 

points. 5G's rapid connections facilitate the 

transition as enterprises balance their network 

usage across data centres, the cloud, and the 

edge, benefiting high-response applications 

such as VR/AR and autonomous vehicles and 

accelerating technology adoption. 

Navigating network innovation amidst 

tightening budgets requires a strategic 

approach focusing on secure, cost-effective 

management frameworks like Smart Out-of- 

Band management. Such strategies underline 

the importance of a unified management 

framework for cost reduction, particularly 

during economic downturns. It promotes 

efficiency from initial deployment, through 

effective network monitoring and mitigating 

failures, ensuring substantial savings. In 

challenging economic times, organisations can 

enable the security of their network 

infrastructure moving forward, while 

maintaining focus on impactful customer 

experiences and ensuring profitable operations 

in tandem. NC 




NetAlly CyberScope 

Air 


PRODUCT 


When NetAlly launched its CyberScope 

last year it proudly hailed it as the 

world's first wired and wireless 

handheld network vulnerability scanner capable 

of providing in-depth cybersecurity analysis and 

reporting. NetAlly has now released the 

CyberScope Air, which places all the same great 

features in the hands of technicians responsible 

for wireless security at the network edge. 

As you'd expect, the CyberScope Air fully 

supports Wi-Fi 6/6E networks and brings 

visibility into the 6GHz band, where it can 

connect at its full data rate and capture 

frames. It's capable of providing a wealth of 

information including site surveying, analysis 

and troubleshooting tools, network discovery, 

L2 and L3 path analysis, short-term monitoring 

facilities with real-time wireless measurements 

and trend graphs that highlight network 

changes over time. 

The CyberScope Air identifies all Wi-Fi and 

Bluetooth/BLE devices, shows where they are 

connected and can easily spot rogue access 

points (APs). Even better, it identifies everything 

on wireless networks including IoT, OT and 

unmanaged devices. 

Vulnerability scanning gets a big boost as the 

CyberScope Air runs the well-respected Nmap 

utility. It can perform on-demand scans for 

endpoint audits using built-in or custom scripts 

and neatly integrates Nmap with its AutoTest 

and network discovery tools. The device also 

works directly with NetAlly's Link-Live cloud 

portal for topology mapping, analytics and 

remote control. Link-Live sees a significant 

upgrade as it adds an interactive dashboard 

view of discovery results and WiFi data to 

provide technicians with an 'at a glance' 

snapshot of what is happening on their 

wireless networks. 

The CyberScope Air runs the same Androidbased 

OS as NetAlly's other handheld analysis 

products, which will appeal to novices as well as 

technicians and engineers. As we've frequently 

said in previous NetAlly product reviews - if they 

can use a mobile, they can use the CyberScope 

Air. The 5in. colour touchscreen presents icons 

for quick one-tap access to all tasks and you 

can install other third-party Android apps. The 

screen's FAB (floating access button) opens 

floating action menus offering instant access to 

further analysis tools related to the selected task. 

The CyberScope Air is easy to use and for 

testing, we created new AutoTest Wi-Fi profiles 

that connected to the lab's Netgear WAX630E 

and Zyxel WAX640S-6E tri-band APs over their 

6GHz radios using WPA3 encryption. Profiles 

are started with one tap and after 25 seconds, 

they reported back with an incredible amount of 

wireless information presented as 'cards' colour 

coded to indicate warnings or errors. 

The Wi-Fi test discovers internal and external 

wireless networks with the Channels map screen 

offering an extra Map 6E tab. You can drill 

down for more details on channels, active 

SSIDs, associated APs, encryption schemes, 

connected clients and detected Bluetooth/BLE 

devices. 

Nothing can hide from the Discovery tool 

which presented us with a list of every device on 

our network - including some we didn't know 

about that warranted further investigation. 

Nmap is another one-tap app where you can 

run any of the predefined tests or create your 

own scripts for deeper endpoint analysis. 

After claiming the device for our Link-Live 

portal account, we could upload test results, 

browse them at our leisure and share them with 

colleagues. The interactive dashboard view is 

very impressive as it presents a heap of graphs 

showing the number of discovered Wi-Fi 

devices, SSIDs, channels in use, active 

encryption schemes and much more. 

The combination of powerful diagnostics 

tools and vulnerability scanning makes 

NetAlly's CyberScope Air a highly desirable 

tool for technicians tasked with maintaining 

wireless network security. It's remarkably easy to 

use and clearly capable of filling the security 

gaps that common network monitoring 

products leave behind. NC 

Product: CyberScope Air 

Supplier: NetAlly 

Web site: www.netally.com 

Telephone: +44 (0)115 865 5676 



@NCMagAndAwards

OPINION: AI STRATEGIES 

BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL AI STRATEGY 

SKIP LEVENS, DIRECTOR, MEDIA AND 

ENTERTAINMENT AT QUANTUM PROVIDES THREE 

BEST PRACTICES FOR DEALING WITH DATA TO CREATE 

BETTER AI SYSTEMS 

As organisations 

everywhere look to 

harness the 

transformative benefits of AI, 

finding ways to effectively implement 

this ground-breaking technology is 

proving challenging. According to 

Gartner, 85% of all AI projects fail to 

produce positive outcomes for businesses 

and a significant number of R&D projects 

never make it to production. 

To realise on the promise of AI, 

however, organisations will first need 

to be able to successfully 

operationalise it. This involves 

feeding AI models with training 

data gathered from a variety of 

sources in the most efficient and 

resilient way possible. 

Ultimately, an AI solution will 

only be as good as the data and 

metadata content it has to work 

with. Plus, this data needs to 

be appropriately organised 

and labelled to make it both 

accessible and easily 

searchable. 

To maximise the success 

of their AI projects, 

organisations will need 

to implement an endto-end 

infrastructure 

that makes it possible 

to capture fresh data 

and update AI models 

in a highly adaptive 

manner. 

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH AI 

When it comes to building AI systems, 

organisations operating in specialist 

arenas such as healthcare, law, 

construction, or tax and accountancy 

often utilise foundational AI models 

featuring predefined data sets and 

algorithms. 

These general AI models are then 

trained to undertake analysis for specific 

tasks. For example, a medical research 

firm might train a model using a massive 

repository of millions of MRT images so it 

can learn to detect cancer cells. 

Meanwhile, an insurance firm might look 

to utilise AI and machine learning to 

identify patterns and anomalies that are 

indicative of fraud. 

To ensure these software models 

perform as expected, however, 

organisations will need to fuel and scale 

these generic foundational AI models 

using both structured and unstructured 

data. Let's look at three best practice 

principles that should underpin a data 

management strategy that is optimised 

for AI. 

1. AI and data: why data is king 

Training an AI model to undertake 

specific tasks successfully depends on the 

quantity, quality, and variety of the 

underlying data the model has access to. 

The more data a model is trained on, 

the better it is able to learn to perform 

tasks, and the resulting output will be 

more accurate and comprehensive. By 



OPINION: AI STRATEGIES 

using pre-existing data and new data 

sources to augment their AI models, 

organisations will be able to build more 

robust and higher precision models 

faster and at a much lower cost. 

When it comes to jumping ahead of 

the competition, the ability to collect 

and integrate data sources that are 

difficult for competitors to obtain will 

help to generate significant 

marketplace advantage. Since this data 

comes from a company's own content 

libraries, it will be uniquely adapted to 

an organisation's real-world business 

needs and operations. 

As recognition grows that 

organisations that can leverage their 

own unique data are better placed to 

shift from reliance on generic generalpurpose 

models and more likely to 

achieve a highly personalised and 

effective AI integration, the importance 

of being able to retain as much 

information as possible and establish 

data pipelines that can be readily 

integrated has risen to the fore. In 

particular, the ability to analyse, 

catalogue, and tag unstructured data is 

now key. 

2 Streamlining the collection, 

organisation, and labelling of data 

The efficient organisation and 

preparation of data is critical to the 

performance of AI models and recent 

technology advances are making it easier 

for organisations to unlock maximum 

value from their unstructured data. 

Today's AI-infused storage 

infrastructures now make it easy to 

ingest unstructured data and index, 

tag, and catalogue this data so it can 

be leveraged for AI applications. 

Providing the holistic data overview 

organisations need to oversee and 

curate data for a wide range of AI 

solutions, these storage platforms 

feature AI algorithms that ensure data 

is easily searchable and reusable for AI 

and analysis. For example, these 

platforms are able to search for 

content based on attributes such as 

people, places, things, and even 

sentiment. 

In addition to simplifying and 

automating data access and sharing 

for AI resources, these modern AIenabled 

storage platforms also deliver 

the end-to-end data management 

needed to enable high-performance 

data ingest for AI applications. 

Importantly, they also provide the 

long-term archiving capabilities that 

are essential for building the massive 

data stores that will support analysis. 

This is something that is vital for 

organisations that need the scalable 

capacity required for enabling new AI 

initiatives as business needs evolve and 

AI models expand and become more 

enriched. 

3 Unlocking efficient AI workflows 

To accelerate their journey to an 

effective, high-speed, and integrated 

AI infrastructure, organisations will 

need to find ways to extend their 

existing object recognition library so 

they can create AI-friendly content 

production workflows. 

By incorporating both data and AI 

models on the same platform, 

organisations will be able to streamline 

how they use data. They will also be 

able to take advantage of existing 

object recognition libraries to easily 

extend their general-purpose library for 

maximum commercial advantage. 

While competitors get entangled in 

undertaking resource-intensive manual 

content tagging, organisations that can 

initiate AI-friendly content production 

workflows will be able to use data sets 

to extend existing object or action 

identification models 'on the fly'. For 

example, if an organisation has built 

an AI model to identify images of owls, 

it can quickly pivot this model to find 

tagged images of zebras. 

CAPTURING VALUE AND 

FUELLING AI 

AI is only as good as the data it is built 

on and organisations looking to scale 

their AI ambitions will need to ensure 

they initiate the solid data foundation 

needed to achieve effective AI 

outcomes. Rather than relying on 

standard AI solutions and models, they 

should ideally look to infuse their AI 

models with data that is closely aligned 

to their business objectives and unique 

operational nuances. 

By utilising models that are fed with 

data leveraged from across their 

business, organisations will be able to 

train and re-train their models to 

generate more accurate and relevant 

predictions and insights. Adding new 

features and continually customising AI 

models whenever new needs are 

identified. 

To achieve all this and more, 

organisations will need to establish 

best practices that enable teams to 

store, manage, analyse, and use large 

volumes of valuable unstructured data 

wherever and whenever required. For 

this, an end-to-end AI-enabled 

infrastructure will be critical for 

managing data assets and automating 

data preparation and deployment, so 

that models can be retrained with new 

data and efficiently managed in 

production. NC 



SECURITY UPDATE 

IT'S NOT OFFENCE OR DEFENCE - IT'S BOTH! 

ED WILLIAMS, VP EMEA CONSULTING AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AT TRUSTWAVE, ON WHY A 

BALANCED CYBERSECURITY STRATEGY SHOULD BE YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL 

With cyber attacks targeting every 

business, no matter the size, industry, 

or region, the traditional reactive 

approach to cybersecurity - while it has its 

place - simply isn't enough. Organisations 

need an offensive and proactive approach 

that can address the full spectrum of exposure 

to threats. This not only requires cybersecurity 

basics, but also a comprehensive 

understanding of their unique vulnerabilities 

across the entire attack surface, which need to 

be identified before they become a problem. 

GOING ON THE OFFENSIVE 

It's easy to tell businesses to introduce offensive 

security into their strategy - but what does this 

really mean? On the surface, the term 

offensive security may be misleading. It does 

not mean attacking threat groups; instead, it is 

a proactive and adversarial approach to 

fortifying computer systems, networks, and 

individuals from cyberattacks. 

In addition to relying on more defensive 

cybersecurity measures like managed detection 

and response (MDR), email security, firewalls, 

or database security, security teams must not 

only actively hunt for intruders in a system, but 

also test for weaknesses and paths an 

adversary can take to gain entry. 

Offensive cybersecurity can be made up of 

an array of solutions such as penetration 

testing, threat intelligence, threat hunting, 

and red teaming; each have their merits. 

Threat intelligence, especially threat 

intelligence as a service that is human-led 

and contextualised for the individual 

business, serves as an early warning of risks 

to brand reputation, infrastructure, and 

overall security posture. 

Red teaming - expert-led testing and 

simulated attacks - provides realistic breach 

scenarios, identifies gaps before bad actors 

can exploit them, and pushes security teams to 

their limits to prepare for worst-case-scenarios. 

Meanwhile, behavioural-based threat hunting 

goes beyond alerts to find the threats that 

evade traditional tools, stopping hidden threats 

before the damage is done. 

No matter which route a business takes, the 

important thing to remember is that offensive 

cybersecurity translates into being proactive 

and getting ahead of adversaries. The 

approach delivers the necessary real-world 

testing of an organisation's personnel, policies, 

and systems, in order to provide a realistic view 

of its security posture and prepare it for the 

inevitability that a cyberattack will occur. 

REMEMBERING THE BASICS 

While offensive cybersecurity plays a vital role 

in a business' cybersecurity strategy, it isn't the 

whole picture, and it won't be effective if the 

basics of cyber hygiene are forgotten. 

Businesses can get distracted by shiny new 

solutions and approaches, but these should 

build on existing measures to create holistic 

coverage, not replace them. 

Before moving onto bigger investments, every 

business must have initial security measures 

such as strong passwords, adequate policies 

and audits, and strong vulnerability and patch 

management in place. Although top-level 

attacks will always change, ranging from either 

supply chain, ransomware, or phishing, the 

fundamentals under the hood will always be 

the same, so an overarching strategy should 

remain consistent too. 

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS 

While adding new approaches to a 

cybersecurity strategy can be daunting, it 

doesn't all have to happen overnight. As a first 

step, it's vital all organisations do the basics 

really well. Once those are established, the 

goal should be to start moving towards a more 

offensive approach. 

Adding in a solution such as threat 

intelligence as a service will provide 

organisations with timely, contextualised, and 

prioritised insights which serve as a basis for a 

holistic and proactive security strategy. 

Meanwhile, penetration testing and red 

teaming will simulate cyberattacks, identifying 

vulnerabilities, across processes, people, and 

technology, and giving organisations ways of 

mitigating the issues identified. 

Ultimately, the goal of offensive cybersecurity 

is to get ahead of an attacker, block possible 

routes before they become an issue, and 

provide an organisation with a realistic view of 

its security posture from an attacker's 

perspective. Coupling this with defensive 

measures will give organisations improved 

coverage, limited exposure, and enhanced 

overall resilience. NC 




ExaGrid EX189 


PRODUCT 


Enterprises facing rapidly growing backup 

demands and ever shrinking windows of 

opportunity need to rethink their data 

protection strategies. ExaGrid has these 

demands covered however, as their Tiered 

Backup Storage systems deliver a smart scaleout 

solution, and the latest EX189 model takes 

density into the stratosphere with an industryleading 

12PB of raw backup capacity in 64U 

of rack space. 

The EX appliances differ dramatically from 

other backup storage solutions as each one 

adds compute with capacity that linearly 

scales as data grows. A key feature of the 

new range is their form factor has significantly 

increased capacity while reducing rack space 

per appliance from 4U to 2U for a 

substantial increase in rack storage density 

and a considerable reduction in power and 

cooling requirements. 

Any of its seven EX models can be mixed 

together in a single scale-out system 

comprising up to 32 appliances. Even better, 

ExaGrid's price protection guarantees ongoing 

maintenance costs won't be more than 3% per 

year and the initial price you pay for 

appliances will be the same for additional units 

over the following five years. 

ExaGrid's deduplication avoids the backup 

and restore performance compromises many 

other solutions suffer from. Its appliances 

present a Landing Zone where data received 

from the backup application is written to it in 

undeduplicated form allowing ExaGrid to claim 

an unprecedented ingest rate for the EX189 of 

up to 516TB/hr for a 6PB full backup. 

Along with the Landing Zone, data is also 

written to a Repository Tier on the appliances 

during backup operations where it is 

compressed and deduplicated. This dual 

approach has big performance benefits as the 

landing zone accelerates restore operations by 

up to 20 times, as data doesn't require 

rehydration and decompression. 

Deployment is undemanding as the 

appliances are 100% customer installable and 

can be implemented in one hour, with initial 

backups occurring the same day. The ExaGrid 

appliances present their storage as CIFS or 

NFS shares, Veeam Data Mover and Veritas 

OST, and work with over 25 enterprise class 

backup applications. 

Backups are prime ransomware targets for 

cybercriminals but ExaGrid has you covered, as 

although the Landing Zone is network facing, 

the repository has a tiered air gap between the 

Landing Zone and the non-network-facing 

Repository Tier, which is only visible to the 

ExaGrid software. There's more valuable security 

as ExaGrid's Retention Time-Lock (RTL) provides 

a deeper defence against ransomware attacks. 

RTL delays delete requests to the non-networkfacing 

Repository Tier that come into the 

Landing Zone via the user network or backup 

app. The requests will be carried out in the 

Landing Zone but when a time-lock period is 

applied, they have no impact on the retention 

repository. To configure a site Retention Time- 

Lock period you click on its icon in the main 

admin dashboard and enter a value in days, 

and even this setting is protected as changes 

must be verified by a user with the ExaGrid 

Security Officer role. Any attempts to change it 

result in a request being sent to this user where 

it appears in their console awaiting approval. 

New features include support for Veeam 

Backup for M365 and the S3 protocol with 

object locking for immutable storage. This 

allows the appliances to function as object 

storage targets for Veeam and enforce its S3 

object locks in both the landing zone and the 

Repository Tier. 

ExaGrid's EX appliances are a natural choice 

for enterprise data backup and disaster recovery 

as they deliver an easily deployed, highly flexible 

and high performing scale-out storage solution. 

Their innovative data protection features keep 

ransomware attacks at bay and ExaGrid's 

flagship EX189 appliance offers a huge backup 

capacity that defies belief. NC 

Product: EX189 

Supplier: ExaGrid 

Web site: www.exagrid.com 

Tel: +44 (0) 1189 497 051 

Sales: UKSales@exagrid.com 



@NCMagAndAwards

OPINION: CLOUD SECURITY 

4 KEY STEPS TO STRENGTHEN CLOUD SECURITY 

BUSINESSES ARE ACCELERATING THEIR ADOPTION OF CLOUD SERVICES, BUT THIS JOURNEY DOES 

NOT COME WITHOUT SECURITY RISKS CAUTIONS GUY WARREN, CEO AT ITRS, THE IT 

MONITORING AND OPERATIONAL RESILIENCE FIRM 

Driven by a surge in digital services and 

the growth of hybrid working, 

enterprises across all sectors have 

been flocking to the cloud. Gartner estimates 

85% of organisations will embrace a cloudfirst 

principle by 2025, while 95% of new 

digital workloads will be deployed on cloudnative 

platforms. 

However, adopting a cloud-first strategy is 

far easier said than done. Not only does it 

involve a whole host of legal, regulatory and 

privacy risks, but also replacing legacy 

technology can disrupt important business 

operations. Many businesses may therefore 

be unaware of the security risks they face 

when adopting cloud services. Here are four 

key steps that firms can take to bolster their 

cloud security: 

1. SCALE SAFELY 

When it comes to cloud technology, it's a 

common misconception that external threats 

pose the greatest risk, often causing internal 

sources of vulnerability to be overlooked. In 

fact, the most common vulnerabilities come 

from when firms make changes to their own 

IT systems. This is because as businesses 

grow, they may seek new software or tools 

that require manual configuration which can 

be prone to human error. 

To mitigate this risk, businesses looking to 

scale up should implement products and 

systems that can also scale in line with 

company growth. 

2. PRIORITISE EMPLOYEE EDUCATION 

It's estimated that a huge 56% of all incidents 

originate from the innocent mistakes of 

employees, costing organisations $6.6 million 

annually. As a result, it is imperative that staff 

are trained to have a sufficient level of 

understanding and knowledge when it comes 

to identifying cloud threats and handling 

cloud data as safely as possible. Taking steps 

to educate employees about common threats 

and best practices for securely handling cloud 

data can help enable firms detect issues faster 

and reduce the likelihood of insider threats 

that come from employee mistakes. 

3. PLAN FOR ALL SCENARIOS 

As well as taking preventative measures 

against incidents, businesses need to make 

sure they have stringent plans in place should 

an outage or malicious attack occur. 

Despite the importance planning for all 

eventualities, 84% of UK IT leaders admit that 

they are unsure as to whether cloud security is 

their responsibility or that of the cloud service 

provider. Firms should make sure that they 

have a clearly defined responsibility model so 

they can adopt a coordinated response 

against vulnerabilities. This means should an 

incident occur, they can take the necessary 

steps to mitigate its impact more effectively. 

4. IMPLEMENT MONITORING 

SOLUTIONS 

The implementation of monitoring tools is 

essential for firms managing hybrid cloud 

environments. The vast majority (93%) of 

businesses use more than one cloud platform, 

meaning many may suffer from multi-cloud 

complexity. This makes it harder to have 

complete visibility across all platforms, 

increasing the risk of misconfigurations and 

vulnerability exposure. 

Implementing monitoring solutions for hybrid 

environments gives firms full visibility over their 

entire IT infrastructure, enabling them to 

manage multiple clouds through a single 

pane of glass. In addition to monitoring 

solutions, IT teams should also consider 

adopting cloud management tools to enable 

them to more clearly review the security 

settings of tenancies and report back 

vulnerabilities. Not only does this help firms 

detect incidents faster, but also improves 

operational efficiency, cost savings and time. 

AHEAD IN THE CLOUD 

Cloud computing brings many security benefits 

compared to applications hosted on-premise, 

but this doesn't mean it is without its own 

particular risks. With cloud adoption set to 

accelerate in the coming years, following the 

above steps can help businesses ensure that 

they have the right processes and technology 

in place to bolster their cloud security. NC 



EVENT ORGANISERS: 

Do you have something coming up that may 

interest readers of Network Computing? 

Contact dave.bonner@btc.co.uk 

FORTHCOMING EVENTS 

2024 



4-6 

JUNE 

13 

JUNE 

19 

SEPT 

2-3 

OCT 

20-21 

NOV 

INFOSECURITY EUROPE 

ExCel London 

www.infosecurityeurope.com 

2024 CIO/CISO DACH SUMMIT 

Frankfurt, Germany 

www.cdmmedia.com/events 

2024 CIO/CISO IRELAND SUMMIT 

Dublin, Ireland 

www.cdmmedia.com/events 

2024 UC EXPO EUROPE 

ExCel, London 

https://ucxevents.io/ucexpo/en/page 

/ucexpo-home 

DATA CENTRES IRELAND 

RDS, Dublin 

www.datacentres-ireland.com

OPINION: NETWORK DIVERSITY 

ADVANCING NETWORK EFFICIENCY 

A ONE-STOP APPROACH TO NETWORK DIVERSITY AND 

REDUNDANCY IS ONE THAT WORKS, ACCORDING TO RICHARD 

PETRIE, CTO, LINX (THE LONDON INTERNET EXCHANGE) 

In a more cloud-centric world, network 

engineers face the intricate task of 

managing escalating data traffic while 

conforming to demanding performance 

standards and security requirements. 

Enterprises are increasingly ready to migrate 

data and applications to the cloud, posing 

questions about network diversity, control 

and redundancy. 

The cloud-centric world is complex - 

organisations need multiple clouds, have 

multiple suppliers and use many different SaaS 

applications. In this year's Flexera State of the 

Cloud Report, 59% of respondents are using 

multiple public clouds. Addressing questions 

about network diversity, control, reliability and 

security is becoming increasingly important, as 

organisations migrate more data and 

applications to the cloud. 

Financial services is an example of a sector 

where institutions have begun to address 

concerns about resilient access and security 

that have restricted cloud adoption. Even 

cloud-native organisations without many 

physical locations to support still tend to 

overlook the underlying infrastructure necessary 

for their business agility and slick user-friendly 

processes. In many sectors, the need for 

network diversity, control and redundancy has 

led organisations to seek out the necessary 

skill, innovation and experience. 

Aware that the increasing use of AI, the 

growth of 5G and IoT, and dispersed, mobile 

working patterns will continue to increase 

latency, resilience requirements and network 

capacity, they are adopting strategies that 

enhance redundancy and bolster control, 

focusing on advanced aspects of network 

architecture. Engineers are transforming 

traditional set-ups to meet contemporary 

requirements, especially in sectors where 

latency is critical. 

Network diversity is necessary, and dealing 

with multiple providers to achieve it can be a 

complicated and drawn-out series of tasks, 

resulting in high costs. Using a neutral peering 

provider, free of any ties to a specific network, 

can simplify the process. A not-for-profit 

organisation like LINX strives to resolve many 

of these hassles, with more than 950 ASNs 

connecting from 80 different countries. It 

provides internet exchange points for its 

members and is more cost-effective as 

organisations use its internet exchange for 

ever-greater volumes of data. 

Having greater control is another important 

aspect of networking strategies. A 

conventional approach offers little in the way 

of transparency about which alternative route 

across the internet the traffic will take, as and 

when required. 

The danger is that the transit will take longer 

than it should, increasing packet loss, cost and 

security risk. Peering at an internet exchange 

like LINX ensures the route between network 

operators is more direct, reducing the number 

of hops while keeping traffic closer to the enduser. 

The gains for companies that deliver 

content, depend on streaming or are involved 

in gaming, are significant - reducing lag and 

buffering. A network-neutral approach offers 

increased network redundancy, giving 

companies control over who they peer with, 

and the route they take. 

With control comes greater security. 

Monitoring the end-to-end route taken by 

data, and having the approval of the peers it 

passes through, minimises the risks of DDoS 

and other cyber-attacks. But end-to-end 

visibility brings more advantages. It enables 

companies to understand the end-to-end 

data journey so they have insight into the 

user experience. 

Another important, but often-overlooked 

benefit of a membership organisation is the 

access to expertise from fellow professionals 

facing similar challenges. The technical aspects 

of achieving and maintaining networks can be 

substantial as data volumes increase and 

company and customer requirements change 

quickly, reacting to technical innovations or 

switches in market demand. A membership 

organisation of fellow network engineers with 

masses of experience makes all the difference, 

assisting with the rapid resolution of the 

difficulties that inevitably occur. 

It is vital that as cloud use expands, putting 

more pressure on networks, network engineers 

have access to the most comprehensive 

connectivity solutions to meet their complex 

needs. The technical solutions offered by 

internet exchange points like LINX are often 

overlooked by enterprises; however, they will 

be essential for building and maintaining a 

resilient network. NC 




Portnox Cloud 


PRODUCT 


Network access control and endpoint 

security have a mixed reception in 

enterprises as many solutions are 

challenging to deploy, complex to manage and 

prohibitively expensive. Portnox Cloud avoids all 

these pitfalls as an affordable UAC (unified 

access control) solution that stands out by being 

the first and only cloud-native platform currently 

on the market. Unlike most legacy on-premises 

and cloud-managed UAC solutions, Portnox 

Cloud can use an agentless architecture, doesn't 

require any on-site appliances and can be up 

and running in as little as 30 minutes. 

Transparency in pricing is another compelling 

way Portnox brings value, as is only requiring 

you to pay for the components you need. 

Portnox Cloud comprises four main 

components - RADIUS authentication, 

TACACS+, Zero Trust NAC and Conditional 

Access for Applications. All components are 

managed from a single intuitive cloud portal, 

which seamlessly combines them to deliver 

essential security features such as passwordless 

authentication, risk posture assessment, network 

device administration, and compliance 

enforcement. Onboarding is swift and you can 

try it out first as a free 30-day trial with 

unrestricted access to all features. Once you 

have signed up, you are directed to create cloud 

RADIUS server instances for your company. 

Portnox uses N+2 redundant clusters for all 

wired, wireless and VPN authentication. 

The portal furnishes you with unique RADIUS 

server IP addresses, authentication and 

accounting port numbers plus shared secrets 

which you use to configure your network access 

servers. Portnox has internet outages covered as 

you can optionally deploy its local virtualised 

RADIUS servers to avoid any service disruption. 

Next, you integrate Portnox Cloud with your 

preferred authentication repository. There are 

plenty on its guest list including Microsoft Entra 

ID, Google Workspace and Okta Workforce plus 

local Active Directory and OpenLDAP instances. 

A key feature of Portnox Cloud is certificatebased 

authentication. This method elevates an 

organisation's security posture by preventing 

sharing credentials, reused/insecure passwords, 

and the ever-present danger of falling victim to a 

phishing or social engineering scheme. Standard 

credential-based authentication is supported 

(along with MFA), but certificate-based 

authentication is a superior option. Portnox will 

provide each organisation with a root certificate, 

or they can import their own. Businesses worried 

about the complexity and scale of certificate 

deployment to endpoints can rest easy as 

Portnox Cloud supports products that leverage 

the SCEP (simple certificate enrollment protocol) 

such as Microsoft InTune and Jamf. 

Portnox places employees and devices in 

groups that each have policies assigned to them 

to enforce access controls, privileges and 

requirements. Policies are highly flexible as they 

can, for example, use 802.1x to control wired 

network access, assign specific wireless SSIDs to 

group members or guests and define VPN access. 

Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and 

Android endpoints, Portnox AgentP is a lightweight 

software agent that takes access controls to the 

next level. It provides streamlined onboarding, 

particularly where certificates for user and device 

authentication are being used, and can gather a 

lot more information about endpoints such as the 

OS, user, installed applications, and system 

configuration. This extra information allows device 

risk policies that cover a plethora of options such 

as checking for unauthorised software, 

unencrypted disks, out-of-date antivirus, and 

more, when determining access. Other major 

benefits include automated endpoint remediation 

to ensure endpoints meet your criteria for network 

access and Portnox's Conditional Access for 

Applications service which enables SSO for secure 

access to web applications. 

Businesses concerned about the cost, 

complexity and management overheads 

associated with traditional NAC products will 

find Portnox Cloud very appealing. This unique 

cloud-native solution is simple to deploy and 

manage, doesn't require additional 

infrastructure investment and is available in a 

range of competitively priced subscriptions. NC 

Product: Portnox Cloud 

Supplier: Portnox 

Web site: www.portnox.com 

Tel: +1-855-476-7866 

Sales: sales@portnox.com 



@NCMagAndAwards


YOU SHALL NOT PASS! 

IT'S TIME TO EMBRACE THE FUTURE OF AUTHENTICATION AND 

MOVE TOWARDS PASSWORDLESS ACCORDING TO DAVID 

HIGGINS, EMEA TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AT CYBERARK 

Passwords are the 

first barrier to 

prevent data 

breaches, but 

individuals 

often have bad 

habits when it 

comes to choosing or 

regularly changing their 

password. In fact, despite all the 

requirements to make passwords truly 

secure, research shows that 75% of people 

globally don't respect widely-accepted best 

practices, with 64% using a weak password 

or just changing it slightly when asked to pick 

a new one. 

Overlooking the security implications of 

failing to choose a password that meets the 

standards is a real mistake and gives attackers 

incredible opportunities to infiltrate systems. 

Once they have their hands on valid 

password credentials, threat actors can easily 

elevate their privileges to an administrator or 

a superuser level, bypassing an organisation's 

identity security. 

Data breaches can severely impact a 

company's reputation and lead to major 

financial damage, so companies must make it 

a priority to improve password hygiene and 

implement a robust identity security strategy. 

As such, some organisations have started to 

adopt multi-factor authentication (MFA) to 

reduce the risk of attackers stealing 

credentials and gaining unauthorised access. 

With MFA, users can log into applications and 

access corporate networks and resources if 

they provide an additional form of verification, 

whether it's a code they received in their 

inbox, or a code momentarily displayed on 

their phone. 

However, companies adopting more secure 

approaches to log into applications means 

attackers have started to innovate to find 

creative ways to bypass MFA protections, such 

as stealing cookies, employing social 

engineering techniques or performing MFA 

fatigue-based attacks. So, while MFA remains 

more secure than traditional passwords, it's 

important to remember that there's always a 

way for attackers to undermine it. 

Companies must redouble their efforts to 

improve identity security. New attacks are the 

opportunity to go one step further and find a 

new way to combat the rising threat of data 

breaches - and while counterintuitive, a 

passwordless approach might be the solution. 

ENHANCING IDENTITY SECURITY AND 

STREAMLINING AUTHENTICATION 

Businesses are slowly starting to give up 

traditional passwords to adopt passwordless 

approaches. With passwordless 

authentication, individuals can confirm their 

identity in various ways - whether it's a QR 

code displayed at login or an SMS message 

with a one-time code - beyond a memorised 

password. This type of approach helps reduce 

risks of threat actors infiltrating networks, as 

private keys are unique and only accessible 

from the user's local device. Overall, identity 

security is enhanced. 

Additionally, it's easier and more convenient 

for both users and IT teams to remove 

passwords. Users no longer need to 

remember their password or change it 




regularly, and IT no longer need to spend 

time assisting employees with account 

unlocks and password resets. A 

passwordless approach also has a positive 

impact on productivity thanks to a more 

seamless sign-in experience. 

NAVIGATING THE TRANSITION TO 

PASSWORDLESS AUTHENTICATION 

It's important to keep in mind that, while 

passwordless technology brings significant 

benefits, going passwordless can't be done 

overnight - and some organisations might 

even never be able to adopt a completely 

passwordless approach. Removing 

passwords is a big commitment, particularly 

for businesses managing thousands of 

users, countless applications, hybrid and 

multi-cloud environments and complex 

login flows. There are just too many legacy 

systems deeply entrenched in IT 

infrastructure that require passwords. 

So, it's about finding the best approach for 

each company and what works from both 

an identity security and a cost point of view. 

The journey to passwordless authentication 

is unique to the requirements of every 

company, and the needs of every user. 

There is no one-size-fits-all approach. And 

with technology constantly evolving and 

user adoption increasing, successfully 

achieving an entirely passwordless 

environment involves a phased approach. 

CONSIDERING IAM SOLUTIONS TO 

SUCCESSFULLY MOVE TOWARDS 

PASSWORDLESS 

While completely eliminating passwords 

may pose challenges for some businesses, 

they can still reduce their dependence on 

them by adopting appropriate identity and 

access management (IAM) solutions that 

facilitate passwordless functionalities. 

When when assessing IAM solutions, 

organisations should prioritise specific 

capabilities: 

1. Zero sign-on (ZSO) uses robust 

cryptographic standards such as certificates 

and mixes user identities with contextual 

information such as device fingerprints and 

security posture. It is the first pillar of a true 

passwordless solution. With ZSO, users can 

smoothly log in to their assigned 

applications and services once their devices 

have been checked and it's confirmed they 

meet security posture requirements. Users 

don't need any form of additional 

authentication. ZSO can be combined with 

other passwordless authentication factors 

best suited to the business requirements, 

enabling businesses to improve usability 

and increase identity security. 

2. FIDO2 Web Authentication (WebAuthn) 

is widely supported by nearly every identity 

vendor and plays a pivotal role in enabling 

passwordless authentication for typical end 

users. Along with FIDO2, FIDO's passkeys 

offer a new approach to achieving 

passwordless access across multiple 

devices, using users' devices' security 

capabilities to further enhance individuals' 

experience. These passkeys are also highly 

resilient to phishing attempts - in other 

words they can effectively mitigate attack 

vectors associated with MFA which 

necessitate human interaction. 

3. With remote work now a prevailing 

trend, ensuring secure access for 

employees accessing a corporate network 

through a VPN is essential. In particular, 

using adaptive MFA is recommended as 

this adds an extra layer of identity security 

to remote access, protecting the company's 

corporate network and on-site apps and 

resources, while ensuring a seamless login 

experience that continuously evaluates and 

adjusts as needed with passwordless factors 

based on contextual and risk analytics. 

Adaptive MFA as an approach is 

important and effective because it gives 

high-risk users or authorisation requests 

additional steps before access is granted 

and vice versa. 

4. To achieve a true passwordless 

experience, it's critical to deploy a solution 

that empowers users to self-enrol, replace 

and delete passwordless authenticators 

under appropriate security protocols, along 

with a wide variety of alternative 

passwordless authentication methods to 

choose from. For example, in the event of 

an individual losing their mobile phone, they 

should be able to replace the passwordless 

authenticator factor from various factors with 

the appropriate security controls. 

COMBATTING THREATS BY GOING 

PASSWORDLESS 

Although businesses are increasingly 

adopting multi-factor authentication (MFA) 

to reduce the risk of threat actors stealing 

their passwords, MFA is less of a silver 

bullet than originally thought. It seems 

passwordless authentication is the ultimate 

solution to prevent unauthorised access to 

corporate networks - and not only does 

this approach help improve identity 

security and organisational resilience 

against cyber threats, but it also enhances 


However, no company can go 

passwordless from day one. Such an 

approach requires strategy, planning, 

discipline and employee awareness. This 

implies receiving sufficient support from 

leadership to make sure all employees are 

educated on the best practices for 

efficiently and securely implement 

passwordless authentication. Additionally, 

collaboration with experienced and trusted 

vendors is key to a successful 

organisational adoption of passwordless 

approaches. For companies to be able to 

anticipate and prevent the threats, they 

must make sure the IAM providers they 

work with have the expertise required to 

support their security needs. NC 




REVOLUTIONISING 

YOUR NETWORK FOR 

TOMORROW'S 

DIGITAL NEEDS 

NATHAN ASHBY, SENIOR 

SOLUTIONS ARCHITECT AT 

CISILION EXPLAINS WHY OUR 

NETWORKS NEED TO WORK 

HARDER AND MORE 

INTELLIGENTLY TO DELIVER 

SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS 

OUTCOMES 

The rapid pace of digital change is 

driving network innovation. The question 

is now becoming whether your network 

can be agile and supportive of the growing 

business demands required to run the latest 

intelligent business apps. In turn our role as 

technology leaders is evolving from focusing 

on keeping the lights on to ensuring our 

solutions are agile enough to handle the next 

phase of digital transformation. 

Largely speaking, network architectures have 

followed the same blueprints built to move 1's 

and 0's around. While technology has evolved 

to in networks, it is too common that we build 

our networks with a core switch, access 

switches and perhaps a distribution layer 

depending on the size and the outcomes of the 

business. But with the complexities of AI, more 

and more sophisticated apps and hybrid 

working we need more innovative and 

intelligent networks to handle and deliver 

successful outcomes. 

SO, WHAT DOES INNOVATION IN 

THE NETWORK LOOK LIKE? 

Before we answer this, it is important to 

change our perspectives on what we design 

our networks for. One way to look at is to 

look at networks in terms of the workforce 

(people), workload (applications and tools 

the workforce is trying to access) and 

workplace (which is where we have seen 

most disruption in the last few years). We 

can think of these as our three W's. 

Networks need to be able to connect all 

these elements in different ways to enable 

the business to operate effectively. 

With this in mind, traditionally networks were 

built around everyone being in the same 

location with perhaps a little bit of remote 

access via a VPN, or to connect the business to 

a central DC hosting our business data and 

applications. However as our three W's 

changed this approach no longer aligns with 

our traditional networks. 

Even more so, we've moved from keeping the 

lights on and building reliable infrastructure to 

business transformation. We cannot use the 

same mindsets as we once did to ensure the 

success of our businesses. As such the 

network's driving force now is to enable 

business outcomes - which means we need to 

reinvent the network approach. 

With this in mind, connectivity and security 

are now foundational key outcomes, which 

must ensure a positive user experience, while 

also striving to improve sustainability. During 

the pandemic, we realised connectivity could 

be better as the workplace element changed. 

My workplace is no longer just in the office, it 

can be at home or in a coffee shop and so 

forth. We must consider how to integrate 

home users with our SD-WAN fabric or how to 

provide the same level of protection to 

someone sitting in a coffee shop as we do in 

the office, where we may have previously 

invested heavily in firewalls and security tools 

such as IPS etc. 

Businesses need to be building more dynamic 

infrastructures with the use of automation and 

better integration to address these changing 

needs. The adaptability of the network and the 




agility we can provide with software-defined 

fabrics are helping deal with this change, 

whether a change in the location of the 

workforce or workload. Automation from a 

networking infrastructure perspective drives 

change, reducing manpower hours on certain 

tasks and reenergising time for other activities. 

Automation can vary from Infrastructure-asa-Code 

(the managing and provisioning of 

infrastructure through code instead of through 

manual processes) to an engineer using 

simple Python to automate a repetitive task 

they would have done manually before. The 

value in automation is in automating regular 

tasks to save time. 

Innovative networks also need better 

programmability - the ability to interface 

with business software, for example, a 

management node for a network solution. 

It's about the ability to get data out and 

squeeze data in. Automation is about time 

saving, but integration is about pulling data 

out of one place and putting it in another 

place, either bidirectional or one directional, 

to improve business processes, for example 

SIEM integration. 

Programmability is about context and 

building a bigger picture too, for example, "I 

have observed some poor network conditions 

so I'm going to make some policy changes to 

improve it." From a security perspective it could 

be about providing some additional context 

between security solutions that are going to 

deliver a better level of threat protection. 

By adding Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) onto 

the network it can do more for the business; it 

is an enabler to drive better business outcomes. 

For example, integrating foundational security 

with new security layers that ensure security 

around home working. The key is to ensure 

your network is adaptable enough to be able 

to do use these SaaS solutions. 

It's not always necessary to build a new 

network to cope with today's complexities if 

you already have appropriate compute 

power available and the flexibility to increase 

and decrease workloads when needed. What 

is important is to ensure that, when you 

update software or try to integrate new 

software into the network, it results in a good 


User experience is critical to the success of 

your network. For example, chatbots are in 

high demand as a result of ChatGPT and the 

like, but there is also a lot you can do with 

simple chatbots. People like language driven 

results. For example, network engineers want 

to receive a message alert when there is an 

issue with the network, and they want to query 

it back in a chat as it's a more natural way of 

working and helps fit into their workload. It's 

also simple to get up and running quickly and 

doesn't require them to code because its 

already been created elsewhere and is 

available for wider use. 

Containerisation is another technique that 

allows for network innovation. It is important 

to network innovation because it provides a 

consistent runtime environment, enables 

continuous integration and continuous 

delivery, and is more efficient than virtual 

machines. Building virtual firewalls within our 

switches or using apps running natively, for 

example, can enable our already deployed 

infrastucture to drive quicker, more secure 

results. Containers use fewer resources and 

deliver higher utilisation of compute 

resources, which also helps with sustainability. 

It also makes it easier to scale applications up 

or down as needed, which is essential for 

modern network architectures. 

For network engineers these new networks 

require a move away from coding to working 

with scripts, which in turn requires a different 

mindset. If they can focus on the benefits that 

can be achieved from working in this new 

way and see the network as its own software 

platform then they don't have to reinvent the 

wheel. Lots of the material is already 

available off the shelf from vendors and 

managed service providers and through 

network communities such as the Cisco 

DevNet community. 

IT teams needs to assess how revolutionising 

their network with automation and AI will help 

deliver better business outcomes. Showing 

ROI is not often easy, which is why working 

with a managed service partner can help 

demonstrate this. 

Once you have a revolutionised the network 

using automation and new tools to drive new 

outcomes, strong user experience and high 

levels of security, what happens next? Plug it 

in and off you go, right? No, issues will still 

arise even with the best designs in the world, 

whether through user error or network 

outage. However, by making sure you have a 

good assurance plan and appropriate 

monitoring tools in place you can pick up on 

any issues quickly. 

A mature assurance solution, like Cisco's 

ThousandEyes, can prioritise and grade issues 

in terms of risk and cost. This is achieved by 

applying intelligence or machine learning to 

help interpret the data that the network spits 

out. This kind of visibility of what is happening 

across your network is now available to 

everyone, and can help change your response 

to issues from reactive to proactive. You can 

start to predict likely problems that can then 

be addressed before they occur - which is the 

ideal goal of an intelligent network. 

As technology evolves, our networks need to 

work harder and be more intelligent to deliver 

successful business outcomes. By harnessing 

automation and containerisation, and ensuring 

assurance across your network, you will be 

able to pioneer innovation to ensure continued 

business success. By doing so we can drive 

innovation in our networks and in turn ensure 

the best user and business outcomes, instead 

of just moving our 1's and 0's around. NC 



OPINION: WIRELESS NETWORKS 

IT'S THE OFFICE, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT 

IAN WHARTON, PRINCIPLE NETWORKS' TECHNICAL ARCHITECT, CONSIDERS THE FUTURE OF THE 

WIRELESS NETWORK - AND WHY THE OFFICE WE ONCE KNEW NO LONGER EXISTS 

The office as we know it no longer exists. 

Hybrid working has reshaped how we 

work and redefined the essence of the 

workplace. The modern workspace has 

become a multifunctional hub, blending work 

with client interactions and social events and 

at its core is a fast, reliable and secure 

wireless network. 

However, the shift to the modern office isn't 

as simple as updating old systems. It's a 

comprehensive overhaul which demands a 

fundamental reimagining of existing 

infrastructure and all that underpins it. The 

density of traffic travelling through today's 

networks is no longer akin to those of the past, 

which means on-premise Local Area Networks 

(LAN) and clunky, standard guest WiFi 

connections are no longer fit for purpose. 

Businesses want multifaceted networks that 

are about more than just connectivity. They 

want to create cloud-based environments that 

embody flexibility, adaptability and efficiency. 

Perceptions of wireless networks have 

changed, and expectations have risen. 

WHY IS THERE A DESIRE FOR CHANGE? 

For many organisations, the office wireless 

network hasn't been a priority. Incorporating 

guest Wi-Fi into existing infrastructure was 

considered enough. Fast-forward ten years, 

those same businesses are attempting to 

transition to the cloud and using the same 

network connection to host multiple users. 

Almost immediately, they found it had limited 

bandwidth and couldn't cope with the density 

of devices trying to connect. 

This approach is hindering innovation for 

businesses across the globe. A recent survey 

of over 500 IT decision-makers found that 

organisations spent an estimated 40% of their 

annual IT budget on maintaining legacy 

technology. Furthermore, 69% of respondents 

acknowledged that technical debt is hindering 

their ability to innovate. 

There has been a shift in what organisations 

need, want and expect from a wireless 

network. Why? Hybrid working is one reason, 

but another is the fact consumer brands have 

transformed our experiences as technology 

users. We now expect the same level of instant 

service in a working environment as we do 

when ordering clothes, food or taxis online. 

For example, hybrid working has made it 

possible for us to use public spaces such as 

coffee shops as a place to work. They offer 

instant, fast and secure internet access, which 

can be more appealing than going into the 

office. It has highlighted flexibility as the 

cornerstone of modern network infrastructure. 

Organisations need to match this with a 

network that seamlessly adapts to the dynamic 



OPINION: WIRELESS NETWORKS 

nature of the current working environment. 

When a new starter joins your organisation, 

they or any visitors must connect to your 

network. It's a benchmark of a modern 

business. It sounds simple. But, doing it right 

requires attention to detail and a strategic 

approach. Businesses need to create efficient 

wireless networks to meet their objectives. 

TRANSITIONING TO THE FUTURE 

The Department for Science, Innovation and 

Technology's (DSIT) Wireless Infrastructure 

Strategy, details the government's plan to 

deliver world-class wireless infrastructure 

across the UK by 2030. But how do we get 

there? Organisations need to move away from 

simplistic, standard networks and embrace 

more secure, user-friendly and cloud-based 

infrastructure that reflects the needs of the 

modern office. This shift should be a necessity 

and is driven by several key factors. 

Firstly, modern security concerns require a 

more robust network. Standard solutions often 

lack the required security measures to 

safeguard against a potential cyber-attack. 

Any attack could prove extremely costly to 

your business, whether financially or 

reputationally. The rise of hybrid working and 

the handling of sensitive data across dispersed 

environments means security protocols are 

imperative to maintain data integrity and 

minimise the threat of unauthorised access to 

a network. 

Secondly, scalability and flexibility are central 

to organisations' operations. Traditional 

networks can struggle to adapt to the evolving 

needs of multiple devices and a fluctuating 

workforce. Cloud-based infrastructure 

provides the required adaptability, scaling up 

or down to meet the changing needs without 

compromising network performance. 

The modern office demands a more intuitive, 

user-centric network experience. Cloud-based 

systems ensure a hassle-free connection 

across various devices and locations. This 

accessibility drives productivity and 

collaboration, delivering a user experience 

that surpasses physical boundaries. 

Optimised performance is another crucial 

factor when it comes to upgrading wireless 

networks. Cloud-based infrastructure can 

manage dense environments well. It ensures 

speed, latency, and reliability are not 

compromised, no matter how busy the 

network is. Transitioning to the cloud also 

facilitates ongoing innovation. It supports new 

technologies and enables the deployment of 

updated security measures. This is essential to 

businesses trying to stay ahead in a 

competitive marketplace. 

THE OFFICE WE ONCE KNEW NO 

LONGER EXISTS 

IT decision-makers can mould what the office 

of the future looks like. By prioritising network 

upgrades and designing a network 

infrastructure that aligns with their business 

objectives, they'll create a modern workspace 

that enables their business to thrive. 

It's about implementing networks that 

facilitate change rather than hinder it. The 

need to embrace future-ready infrastructure is 

imperative. It's time to overhaul legacy 

systems, transition to the cloud and build a 

secure, reliable and scalable network that 

drives success. NC 



OPINION: NTNs 

HOW TO OVERCOME THE FIVE CHALLENGES THREATENING NTN SUCCESS 

NANCY FRIEDRICH AT 

KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES 

EXPLAINS HOW WE CAN 

EXPAND AEROSPACE AND 

DEFENCE CONNECTIVITY BY 

MOVING FROM A TERRESTRIAL 

TO HYBRID SPACE / GROUND 

NETWORK WITH VIRTUAL 

SIMULATION, EMULATION, 

AND DIGITAL TWIN 

TECHNOLOGY 

To heighten communications 

capabilities and improve situational 

awareness, military and government 

agencies increasingly leverage 

commercially developed technologies. 

Many plan to boost their connectivity 

capabilities with fifth generation (5G) 

non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). An NTN 

is a hybrid network, applying satellite 

communication (SATCOM) technology to 

extend existing 5G technology. 5G NTNs 

draw many features from 5G terrestrial 

networks and face many of the same 

challenges, adding higher reliability 

expectations for 5G NTN service 

compared to earlier SATCOM networks. 

To help assure performance of 5G NTN 

deployments, virtual simulation, 

emulation, and digital twin technology 

use RF system measurement science to 

deliver results beyond what is possible 

through physical testing alone. 

Despite the hype over the commercial 

possibilities of 5G NTN, it also promises 

to transform capabilities for aerospace 

and defence. Potential 5G NTN use cases 

for military and government include 

coverage for forward battlefields or 

focused special operations. NTNs also 

will provide coverage to restore 

communications in disaster areas 

experiencing widespread infrastructure 

outages. Among transportation use cases, 

NTNs support logistic in-transit tracking 

for long-haul trucking routes, rail lines, 

and maritime shipping lanes. 

FIVE CHALLENGES FACING NTN 

1 - More Data, Crowded Spectrum 

The hybrid 5G NTN provides obvious 

advantages as well as challenges. 

Handheld or vehicle-based user 

equipment (UE) tends to demand high 

volumes of data for video and mapping 

services. Additionally, sensor applications 

may connect user equipment with lower 

data rates. Delivering the required 

volumes of data means leveraging 5G 

signalling fundamentals for 5G NTN, 

including mmWave carrier frequencies and 

complex modulation in wide bandwidths. 

5G spectrum is already tightly allocated 

in terrestrial networks, and an onslaught 

of tens of thousands of lower earth orbit 

(LEO) satellites and geostationary earth 

orbit (GEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), 

and high-altitude platform systems (HAPS) 

platforms soon operating in 5G NTNs will 

add to the spectrum crowding. 

2 - The Space Environment 

Space is the foremost challenge for NTNs. 

Once deployed, equipment is 

inaccessible. In addition, systems must 

operate in an extremely harsh environment 

with extreme temperatures and radiation. 

For successful performance, systems also 

need to provide consistent power 

generation and storage. For all of these 

aspects, satellite system providers need to 

balance risk versus cost across the lifetime 

of the operation. 

3 - Size, Weight, Power, and Cost 

Another concern is the physical limits of 

placing high-frequency RF and computing 

resources in the sky. Size, weight, power, 

and cost (SWaP-C) become issues when 

moving away from the GEO 20 tonners 

into more compact LEO satellites and 

HAPS platforms, and payloads must 

transform accordingly. On the plus side, 

placing more satellites into service with 

smaller payloads and shorter life cycles is 

now feasible and cost-effective. A 5G 

NTN might consist of a group of satellites 

working together in various orbits. 



OPINION: NTNs 

4 - Connecting in Motion 

5G NTNs put some things, or perhaps 

everything in the network, in constant 

motion. Satellite and HAPS movements 

factor into connection setup, signal quality, 

and handovers. gNodeB instances and 

parts of the RAN flying aloft add to the 

movement of any UE at the surface. 

Parameters previously fixed or confined in a 

small range in a 5G terrestrial network 

suddenly become wide-ranging variables in 

a 5G NTN. Tracking areas, bulk delays, 

Doppler shifts, signal-to-noise ratios 

(SNRs), and more elements take on 

dynamic characteristics. 

5 - The Payload Question 

The introduction of 5G NTNs disrupts the 

traditional 5G terrestrial network 

architecture and opens up a paradigm shift 

in connectivity. Many alternatives exist for 

satellites and HAPS participating in gNodeB 

and RAN domains, some with multiple 

satellites in the chain scattered across miles 

of sky. The choice between transparent or 

regenerative payloads can completely 

change how the network organises and the 

resulting signal routing. 

With LEO satellites in motion, remember 

that all timing relationships are dynamic. At 

stake is the quality of service (QoS) user 

experience, primarily due to variable delays 

and complex handovers that can result in 

dropped connections. 

Platform kinematics rapidly alter 5G NTN 

channel behaviour, and staging fast-moving 

platforms in the proper orientation long 

enough to gather detailed physical 

measurements is not an option. However, 

simulations can account for complex orbital 

paths and decompose real-time motion into 

precise detail with time-correlated analysis. 

ADVANCING THE NEXT NTN WAVE 

Accurate multi-domain simulation of a 5G 

NTN link depends on four elements: an 

authentic representation of complex 

digital modulation in a 5G waveform with 

real-world effects, a complete model of 

satellite kinematics, robust modelling of 

RF system signal processing, and a timecorrelated 

view of 5G protocol decoding. 

The critical goal is validating performance 

in a simulation before deployment of 

orbital hardware. NC 



OPINION: DATA CENTRES 

HOLISTIC DATA CENTRE DESIGNS FOR THE AI ERA 

SAM BAINBOROUGH, SALES DIRECTOR EMEA-STRATEGIC SEGMENT COLOCATION & HYPERSCALE 

AT VERTIV, EXPLORES INNOVATIVE DATA CENTRE STRATEGIES TO NAVIGATE THE COMPLEXITIES OF 

THE AI-DRIVEN ERA WHILE PRIORITISING SUSTAINABILITY AND EFFICIENCY 

In a landscape dominated by AI, mobile, 

and cloud technologies, data centres are 

undergoing a transformative evolution. 

The exponential growth in AI applications has 

triggered an unprecedented demand for 

computing power, prompting data centre 

operators to reimagine traditional 

approaches to design and operation. 

RETHINKING SUSTAINABILITY: A CORE 

TENET OF DATA CENTRE DESIGN 

As the demand for computing power 

continues to surge in the era of AI 

proliferation, sustainability is a fundamental 

pillar of data centre operations. The adoption 

of specialised processors tailored for AI tasks 

has unleashed a tidal wave of power 

requirements, compelling data centre 

operators to recalibrate their strategies 

towards energy efficiency. 

In response to this need, the data centre 

industry is tasked with embarking on a quest 

for innovative solutions that not only minimise 

energy consumption but also amplify overall 

performance metrics. This journey towards 

sustainability necessitates a holistic approach, 

encompassing the integration of energyefficient 

hardware and leveraging 

advancements in processor technology. 

At the heart of this endeavour is a concerted 

effort to align data centre operations with 

global sustainability initiatives. Beyond 

optimising operational efficiency, sustainability 

embodies a broader commitment to the 

responsible stewardship of precious resources 

- making sure renewable and sustainably 

sourced energy is utilised, reducing waste and 

mitigating the environmental impact of the 

industry's activities. 

By championing sustainable practices, data 

centres assume the mantle of environmental 

guardians, transcending their role as mere 

infrastructure providers. In doing so, they not 

only rise to meet the challenges posed by the 

burgeoning demands of AI workloads but 

also carve a path towards a more ecoconscious 

future for the digital realm. 

Ultimately, sustainability becomes more than 

just a buzzword; instead it's the guiding 

principle that shapes the ethos of data centre 

design and operation. Through a dedication to 

sustainability, data centres can be leaders in 

environmental responsibility, paving the way for 

a greener, more sustainable digital ecosystem. 



OPINION: DATA CENTRES 

complexities of the AI-driven transformation 

with agility and foresight. By embracing 

collaboration, data centres can leverage 

collective expertise to identify innovative 

solutions and anticipate emerging trends, 

ensuring adaptability in the face of rapid 

technological evolution. 

NAVIGATING THERMAL COMPLEXITY: 

THE EVOLUTION OF LIQUID COOLING 

The proliferation of specialised processors has 

brought about a new era of thermal 

management challenges, characterised by 

significantly increased heat generation by the 

critical digital infrastructure. Traditional cooling 

methods are proving inadequate to contend 

with this surge, prompting the data centre 

industry to innovate and adapt. 

Amidst this upheaval, liquid cooling has 

emerged as a frontrunner, offering a promising 

route for addressing the escalating heat 

dissipation demands. Data centres are at the 

forefront of innovation, exploring a spectrum of 

liquid cooling solutions ranging from active or 

passive rear-door heat exchangers to liquid-toliquid 

cooling distribution units (CDU) to 

cutting-edge immersion cooling technologies. 

However, despite the allure of liquid cooling, 

the coexistence of air-cooled and liquid-cooled 

solutions underscores the nuanced nature of 

thermal management. Each approach brings 

its own set of advantages and challenges, 

meaning that operators need to strike balance 

to optimise performance while minimising 

environmental impact. 

Efficient cooling practices not only enhance 

operational performance but also reinforce 

data centres' commitment to sustainable 

operations. By harnessing the power of liquid 

cooling, data centres can achieve thermal 

management precision, ensuring optimal 

performance while mitigating their 

environmental footprint. 

COLLABORATION AND ADAPTABILITY: 

KEY PILLARS OF FUTURE-PROOF DESIGN 

In the pursuit of future-ready design principles, 

collaboration is a vital part of success. 

Engaging stakeholders across diverse 

disciplines fosters a comprehensive 

understanding of data centre requirements, 

paving the way for innovation and adaptability. 

As data centres embrace denser 

configurations and rapid technological 

evolution, holistic design extends beyond 

technical specifications. It encompasses 

streamlined decision-making processes and 

proactive engagement with industry experts to 

navigate the complexities of the AI-driven 

transformation. 

The integration of diverse perspectives 

enables data centre designers to navigate the 

Furthermore, the importance of technology 

interchangeability can't be overstated in futureproof 

design. With the technological 

landscape evolving at an unprecedented 

pace, data centres must anticipate diverse 

scenarios and prepare for the integration of 

new technologies seamlessly. 

The ability to strike a delicate balance 

between CPU and GPU environments is crucial 

to ensuring adaptability over an extended 

operational lifespan. By adopting a flexible 

architecture that accommodates diverse 

technological landscapes, data centres can 

future-proof their infrastructure and remain 

agile in responding to evolving demands. 

CHARTING A COURSE FOR 

SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION 

In conclusion, the era of AI proliferation 

heralds a new frontier in data centre design. By 

embracing a holistic approach, data centres 

are poised to lead the charge in sustainable 

innovation, spearheading progress in an era 

defined by unprecedented growth and 

technological advancement. 

Through strategic alignment with sustainability 

principles and a relentless pursuit of efficiency, 

data centres not only meet the demands of AI 

workloads but also drive progress towards a 

more eco-conscious future. 

As the custodians of digital infrastructure, data 

centres have a responsibility to lead the way in 

sustainable innovation. By prioritising 

collaboration, adaptability, and responsible 

stewardship, data centres are primed to shape 

the future of technology and propel sustainable 

growth in the AI-driven era and beyond. NC 



OPINION: SOFTWARE TESTING 

TESTING TIMES 

GUY ARIELI, CO-FOUNDER, CTO, BLINQIO GIVES US AN 

OVERVIEW OF SOFTWARE TESTING AUTOMATION - AND 

EXPLAINS WHY IT REALLY MATTERS 

In the digital age, the lens through 

which we view software testing is 

evolving, revealing facets of this crucial 

process that many people outside the 

industry might not be aware of. Software 

testing has become an essential 

component of organisations and their 

digitisation efforts. 

Here I will discuss the lesser-known aspects 

of testing automation, the unique 

challenges British software testers face, the 

delicate balance between humans and AI 

and the ever-intriguing world of testing bots. 

THE HIDDEN LAYERS OF TESTING 

AUTOMATION 

While there are many benefits of test 

automation, such as enhanced efficiency 

and broader coverage, implementation 

often means there are many pros and 

cons that need to be considered. Beyond 

speed and repeatability, test automation 

introduces a nuanced debate around the 

high initial investment in tools and 

training, the criticality of test design 

quality, and the irreplaceable value of 

human insight. 

I believe the sophistication of testing 

automation lies not just in its ability to 

perform tasks, but in the strategic 

planning and continuous refinement it 

demands from teams to truly reap its 

benefits. It is this double-edged sword 

that illustrates the intricate balance 

organisations must adopt to harness the 

full potential of automation without 

succumbing to its pitfalls. 

THE CHALLENGE: SOFTWARE TESTING 

IN THE DIGITAL FAST LANE 

In the UK, the velocity of digital transformation 

brings to the forefront unique challenges for 

software testers. The rapid adoption of AIdriven 

tools and advanced testing frameworks 

necessitates a higher level of expertise, while 

pressure to maintain quality in an accelerated 

development timeline exacerbates the existing 

backlog of testing tasks. 

This scenario is further complicated by the 

UK's strict regulatory landscape, demanding a 

meticulous approach to ensure compliance 

alongside functional excellence. British testers, 

therefore, find themselves at the crossroads of 

technological advancement and regulatory 

rigor, pushing the boundaries of traditional 

testing methodologies. 

THE WORK-AI BALANCE IN THE 

INTERNET OF THINGS ERA 

As IoT solutions proliferate, the interplay 

between human efforts and AI in testing has 

become of critical importance. Automation, 

driven by AI, is not just about coding efficiency 

but ensuring the reliability and quality of 

increasingly complex IoT systems. This 

paradigm shift highlights the importance of 

sophisticated testing and test automation 

frameworks that can adapt to the nuanced 

requirements of IoT solutions. In return, I 

believe that the emphasis on quality over 

quantity, and strategic integration of AI in 

testing processes underscores a broader trend 

towards achieving a sustainable balance that 

supports innovation, whilst preserving the 

integrity of digital solutions. 

DEMYSTIFYING TESTING BOTS 

I believe testing bots, powered by AI, represent 

a revolutionary stride in automating the 

software testing process. By leveraging artificial 

intelligence these bots streamline the initial 

phases of test planning and execution, offering 

a glimpse into the future where software 



OPINION: SOFTWARE TESTING 

testing becomes more adaptive and 

sophisticated. 

The automation of test generation and 

execution through these bots not only enhances 

efficiency but also fosters a proactive approach 

to quality assurance, allowing teams to address 

potential issues well before they escalate. 

Testing bots, thus, exemplify the innovative 

application of AI in refining and advancing the 

entire software testing paradigm. 

EMBRACING COMPLEXITY: THE PATH 

FORWARD IN SOFTWARE TESTING 

From experience, it is evident that the future of 

software testing lies in embracing 

complexity. This means recognising 

and effectively dealing with 

complex situations and 

challenges that arise from 

advancements in 

technology, 

automation, and 

digital 

transformation. Complexity in this context can 

refer to the intricate nature of software being 

developed, the introduction of sophisticated 

tools and methods for testing, the integration 

of AI and automation, and the need to adapt 

rapidly to change. 

I believe that to thrive in this evolving 

landscape, individuals, teams, and 

organisations involved in software testing must 

be willing to embrace this complexity. This 

involves being open to learning new skills and 

adopting innovative testing methods. It also 

includes leveraging advanced tools, and being 

flexible enough to handle increasingly complex 

software systems and the dynamic tech industry. 

I think that for organisations across the 

UK, embracing complexity not only 

facilitates effective problem-solving and 

innovation but also enhances the quality 

improvement of software testing processes. 

This, in turn, ensures that all software meets 

the ever-growing and changing demands of 

users and industries in a rapidly evolving 

digital landscape. NC 



OPINION: SECURITY TRAINING 

DESIGNING FOR HUMANS 

NEIL THACKER, CISO FOR EMEA AT NETSKOPE, EXPLAINS WHY 

THE ENTERPRISE SHOULD USE NUDGE THEORY TO EDUCATE 

EMPLOYEES 

The recent UK cybersecurity breaches 

survey found that three quarters of 

businesses report that cybersecurity is 

a high priority for senior management (up 

5% from the previous year). It's no surprise 

that business leaders are clocking onto its 

significance, given that cyber attacks 

continued to hit major UK institutions 

across 2023. 

The British Library, for example, faced a 

major cyber attack in October 2023 and 

last month published a full report of the 

incident to help drive learnings for 

companies across the UK. The report 

recommended that cyber-risk awareness 

and expertise be instilled in senior 

leadership, and it hammered home the 

importance of regular staff training. 

Certainly, many businesses today roll out 

annual cybersecurity training to their 

employees. In fact, it's a lucrative industry: 

the security awareness training market hit 

$5.6 billion last year. 

IN ONE EAR, EVERY YEAR? 

Last year, social engineering techniques, 

where a bad actor targets employees to 

gain access to systems or data - and tricks 

them into handing over credentials or data 

or perform a certain action - were the most 

popular form of attacks. It's clear, 

therefore, that the people within an 

organisation must be encouraged to 

continuously identify these social 

engineering attempts. 

However, there is little evidence that 

annual cybersecurity training influences the 

day-to-day security awareness and culture 

of an organisation. In fact there is growing 

recognition that annual cybersecurity 

awareness training is not effective. 

Businesses need to ensure employees 

engage with positive cyber behaviours 

regularly, but how is this possible without 

exhausting people with training? 

A SIMPLE NUDGE 

Nudge Theory is a psychological theory 

used across industries to help guide 

behaviour toward more positive outcomes, 

and it's showing traction in cybersecurity. 

It's a behavioural science approach that 

uses subtle tools to help people make 

better decisions in the moment. For 

example, public recycling bins in the UK 

often have an opening to match the item 

they're used for, to help remind people how 

to dispose of items correctly (circular holes 

for cans and plastic bottles and flat holes 

for paper). It streamlines the operation, 

making the right decision the easiest one 

to follow. 

This same approach can be used in 

cybersecurity, by designing cybersecurity 

training so that the correct way of using a 

device, network or cloud application is 

also the easiest one so people are less 

inclined to bypass rules and subsequently 

increase cyber risk. 

INVISIBLE GUIDES 

Making the right option the easiest path is 

a form of transparent nudging, and it's 

effective because it does not require the 

employee to take any additional steps to 

achieve a desired goal. It removes 

obstacles that can act as a barrier between 

an individual's, or company's, best 

intentions. In the world of cybersecurity, a 

general enforcement of a cyber hygiene 

mandate will not drive behavioural 

change, because people simply follow 

directions to meet minimum requirements. 



OPINION: SECURITY TRAINING 

If the easiest pathway to achieving a task is 

in line with a cyber hygiene mandate, it is 

much more likely to be followed. 

In other words, if employees can 

understand why and how they can impact 

the business, and the path to protecting the 

business is easy and frictionless, they'll buy 

into this positive culture. The enterprise 

needs to see the shift as easy, and not 

something that introduces extra processes 

and steps just to get their job done. 

Regular nudges help cybersecurity training 

stay top of mind and create lasting 

behavioural change. 

On the opposite end, an enterprise with 

poor network performance will cause 

employees to find workarounds, not for 

malicious reasons but simply to find an 

easier, more efficient way to do their job. 

For example, enterprises with poor 

performance VPN's that have an impact on 

performance may find that many 

employees are circumventing these security 

controls altogether (by disabling and going 

directly to the internet, for example), 

bypassing the security control. 

DELIBERATE FRICTION 

Making the correct pathway seamless and 

easy is one side of the coin, but it's also 

important to make sure there is a level of 

friction when employees start to veer off the 

correct path and make high-risk decisions. 

Security tools that use friction to 

intentionally slow down the decisionmaking 

process - forcing an employee to 

spend more time considering their options 

- can help them make better choices. 

Real-time employee coaching is an 

example of a mechanism to limit a certain 

high-risk behaviour. It's a highly worthwhile 

feat because it provides continuous 

education and reinforcement in exactly the 

way that annual training lacks. It's a 

chance for employees to contextualise their 

knowledge and prevent their cybersecurity 

awareness from being forgotten. 

Both transparent and non-transparent 

nudges in cybersecurity architecture are 

crucial to help guide employees to truly 

understand and engage in cyber best 

practices and play their part in defending 

the enterprise against threats. It's a staple 

that should be prioritised above the 

limitations of annual cybersecurity training 

for organisations to tackle the complex 

landscape in an increasingly digital world. 

ABOUT NEIL THACKER 

Neil holds over 25+ years of experience 

within the information security industry, 

currently serving as EMEA CISO for 

Netskope. He has been recognised by his 

peers as a leader in the industry including 

being selected in the CSO30 for 2022, 

shortlisted for an unsung hero award and 

awarded MVP in consecutive years (2021 

& 2022) by his Netskope peers. 

Neil is advisory board member to the 

Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and former 

advisor to ENISA EU agency for 

Cybersecurity. He is also co-founder and 

board member to the Security Advisor 

Alliance (SAA), a non-profit organisation 

focused on promoting the industry to the 

next generation and ensuring that 

students, teachers, and schools have the 

resources and mentorship necessary to 

foster the cybersecurity professionals of 

the future. NC 



OPINION: CO-MANAGED IT 

CAN YOU MANAGE IT? 

BARRY O'DONNELL AT TSG CONSIDERS THE IMPORTANCE OF SOURCING CO-MANAGED IT 

SERVICE FROM AN INDEPENDENT PROVIDER 

In-house IT teams across every industry can 

face all manner of challenges and 

disruptions in their day-to-day processes, 

and while technology is becoming more 

accessible and demystified, it is important to 

ensure that you have a team that understands 

emerging technology. This is where comanaged 

IT services, which offer a 

collaborative approach to supporting your 

organisation, can act as a solution. Offering a 

collaborative approach to IT support with 

external resources and expertise for managed 

IT, co-managed IT services can remove some 

of the strain your in-house team experiences. 

But what exactly can they assist with? 

EXPERTISE AND SPECIALIST RESOURCES 

When you partner with a co-managed IT 

services provider, you unlock expertise and 

specialised skills that you may not have had 

access to previously. Your in-house team will 

have knowledge that excels in certain areas 

but may not cover all the information 

necessary to address every question, query, 

and challenge effectively. This is where comanaged 

IT services providers are useful, as 

they have a deep level of expertise in 

various technologies in several sectors. As a 

result, your team receives comprehensive 

support regardless of their query, issue, or 

requirement. 

FLEXIBLE AND SCALABLE 

Every business has different demands for their 

IT infrastructure which can vary throughout the 

year, whether that's due to requirements from 

the wider business, seasonal trends, or 

unexpected dilemmas. Having a co-managed 

IT services provider can help your 

organisation obtain a level of flexibility 

previously unavailable to them. 

This means that they're able to scale the 

resources available for requirements of all 

sizes flexibly, whether you're expanding into 

new markets, supporting unexpected user 

influxes, or dealing with large-scale software 

updates. No matter the significance, comanaged 

IT allows for responsive and reactive 

processes. 

24/7 SUPPORT 

IT services rely on being able to respond to 

disruptions of all scales to prevent extended 

periods of downtime. Not only can downtime 

have a significant effect on operations within 

businesses, they can also have a knock-on 

impact on customer satisfaction. Outsourcing 

monitoring and support to co-managed IT 

services can be a game-changer and a 

proactive approach. Using tools and 

resources, they can offer help 24/7, 

minimising downtime while increasing system 

reliability and improving productivity. This puts 

the focus back on achieving your business 

goals rather than being concerned with 

possible disruptions. 

STRATEGIC PLANNING 

Co-managed IT service providers can also 

support with strategic guidance and planning 

ahead for your organisation to achieve longterm 

goals. This can be done thorough 

examination and assessment of the existing 

infrastructure to identify areas of improvement 

and offer advice. 

These can range from innovative solutions 

such as the integration of more modern 

technology, to automation and optimising 

spending to support operational efficiency. 

Co-managed service providers can also help 

build out IT roadmaps for the future, meaning 

that no matter how quickly the landscape of 

technology changes, your in-house team will 

be able to adapt fast and stay competitive. 

COST-EFFECTIVE 

Partnering with a co-managed IT service can 

be a cost-effective way to achieve your 

operational goals. Using the resources and 

expertise of the provider means that the costs 

associated with recruitment, training, and 

retention of quality in-house employees are 

removed completely from the process, 

making it a more cost-effective alternative. 

They can also offer flexible pricing models 

to truly optimise what you're spending to get 

the services that you require. Overall, this can 

be a cost-saving solution to maintain and 

grow your digital infrastructure without 

straining your budget. By offering a strategic 

partnership that works closely with existing inhouse 

IT teams, co-managed IT services offer 

a level of assistance that can leverage the 

expertise and resources necessary to keep 

your business optimal. This also allows 

companies to better build strategies for their 

future, with the knowledge of what's required 

and the flexibility to scale these projects. NC

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