Gigamon Data Access Network Architecture Provides Assured Remedy For SOX/HIPAA Compliance

NextGig Systems, Inc. - Network Connectivity & Test Solutions

Monitoring Alternative to SPANs and TAPs Provides Physically Secure, Filterable Solution for Network Data Analysis; Detailed Reports Satisfy Auditing Requirements

Silicon Valley, CA - October 28, 2008 - Gigamon, the leading provider of intelligent data access networking products, today announced that its Data Access Network (DAN) technology, available through its flagship GigaVUE line of data access switches, provides a no-worries alternative to the security and audit risks posed by SPAN (Switch Port for Analysis) and TAP (Test Access Port) products. These risks, in many cases, cause companies to be out of compliance with requirements imposed by federal Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandates.

“Nearly every corporate data network requires some form of data tap for intrusion protection or troubleshooting purposes. Trouble is, tap ports are unmanaged and can be used to steal sensitive network information without a trace. Even authorized Analyzers and sniffers using SPAN or TAP technology can reveal more information than is required for federal compliance purposes,” said Patrick Leong, Gigamon’s chief technical officer. “Because IT staff can potentially capture emails, VoIP streams and other confidential sources of information along with ‘neutral’ network data, companies using SPANs and TAPs are left open for SOX or HIPAA violations.”

According to a recent report from Audit Analytics, 14.4% of Section 404 filers were found to have material weaknesses in their networks. These weaknesses included insufficient ICFR (Internal Control over Financial Reporting) protection—a defect that can be caused by uncontrollable data analysis.

Strong Solution

Gigamon DAN technology, by contrast, provides the necessary controls to assure regulatory compliance. DANs provide a managed and alarmed alternative to span or tap ports. No data is transmitted to any capture tool unless it is authorized by a trusted operator. A DAN intelligently provides exactly the packets needed to carry out the analytical function in question.

Furthermore, DAN-based GigaVUE access switches may be installed at a single secure location, making them accessible only by authorized personnel. Users can be monitored to assure that only the necessary ports and data are accessed. SNMP traps can be configured to alert network managers of unauthorized attempts to attach capture devices or reconfigure the DAN paths.

Finally, because GigaVUE switches can be programmed to filter out any data not involved with a troubleshooting task, they offer an audit trail if or when a data security violation occurs, furnishing companies with further proof of control.

Award-Winning Solution

Gigamon’s DAN technology has earned the Emerging Technology of the Year award in the world monitoring market from Frost & Sullivan. Over 1,900 GigaVUE units are already in use at over 400 telecom, industrial, manufacturing, financial, banking, medical, utility and government networks worldwide. Current users include Apple, Chevron, Cisco, eBay, the U.S. Federal Reserve, Capital One, Deutsche Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, Fidelity Investments, JCPenney, NASA, Northwestern Insurance, the NYSE, Raytheon, Toyota, Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Vodafone, NTT, KDDI, and the U.S. Department of Defense, among many others.

About Gigamon
Gigamon is the inventor and leading provider of Data-Access Switches. Its flagship product, GigaVUE®, can multicast packets from one span or tap to many tools to solve the span port sharing problem. It also can aggregate and intelligently filter packets from many spans or taps to one or multiple tools to solve the problem of monitoring flows across complex mesh topologies and virtual networks. GigaVUE® facilitates unobtrusive parallel tool deployment with network-wide coverage, significantly reducing customers’ capital budgets and yielding immediate ROI benefits.

For more information about Gigamon Data Access Switches please contact us here.