If you’ve been in the technology industry for even a short time, you understand that the predominant characteristic of the sector is change. Chiara Regale, VP of product and UX at Forward Networks, discusses how companies can regain control of their networks amidst continuous change and how to choose the right network twin on the journey.
Often, what is marketed as innovation is merely change for the sake of itself. New technologies and solutions that solve challenges and deliver value are the only forms of meaningful innovation. Digital twin technology is a prime example, as it provides the data and controls to put people back in charge of the network. For some, the phrase is a buzzword; for those who implement it, it’s become the most valuable tool in their arsenal.
What Is A Network Digital Twin?
IT teams face enormous pressure today to ensure their networks are secure, agile, and predictable. But the networks are too complex for any one person to understand. This challenge has led many security and network operations professionals to explore network digital twin technology. A digital twin is an exact virtual reproduction of an organization’s entire network environment that can accurately model network behavior.
In layperson’s terms, think Google Maps. The application we use to navigate and commute is a digital twin of our comprehensive transportation system. It shares all possible routes between locations and provides up-to-date information on the status of roads and public transportation options, e.g., traffic, construction, and delays. A digital twin of the network shares all possible packet paths with end-to-end visibility into current conditions.
See More: Digital Twins: What Do They Enable for Your Organization?
Why Is Digital Twin Technology Gaining Popularity?
Digital twin technology has gone from a buzzword to becoming indispensable for many companies because it’s the only modern software technology that allows IT teams to accurately and comprehensively monitor and understand networks. Most networks have become incredibly complex over time because they include devices from dozens of vendors with different operating systems across diversified environments (on-premises or hybrid / public clouds) and run billions of lines of configuration code.
An IT executive recently told me that his network had become so complex that no one person could understand it, but once they started using digital twin technology, anyone could understand it. He was thrilled that for the first time in memory, he knew exactly what was in his network and what it was doing with mathematical certainty–no more spreadsheets, diagrams, or surprises!
1. Proven security policy compliance
With cybersecurity concerns at an all-time high, this level of accurate, up-to-date visibility is imperative. How can you secure, audit, or patch a network you cannot see? Yet, that’s exactly what’s expected of security teams today. The data collected in a digital twin doesn’t just inventory the network; it’s a window into all possible paths traffic could take, with an always up-to-date network segmentation analysis.
Furthermore, it provides a record of how the network was behaving in the past, which empowers security teams to immediately identify potentially compromised devices, thus remediating incidents immediately. A digital twin can also ensure that security policies are enforced as changes are made to the network. Digital Twins take the guesswork out of security policy management by providing a single-screen view of compliance and microzone connectivity.
2. More clarity in the cloud
If you’re one of the 97% of companies with multiple clouds in use, you have a problem analyzing your cloud traffic hop-by-hop, especially traffic that flows between clouds. Cloud-provider tools ignore the multi-cloud reality and only offer small windows into behavior. Digital Twin technology collects information from cloud accounts. It provides an integrated view of what the traffic is doing from inside your on-prem network all the way through the clouds, including checking for security policy adherence.
3. Increased scope for business continuity
Networks have become a critical component for businesses today. If even part of an organization’s network goes down, the entire business is often brought to a halt. So, to say IT professionals have a lot to monitor is an understatement. To manage the criticality and complexity of today’s networks, IT professionals require a single source of truth to monitor and model their networks both in the cloud and on-premises.
How do you know if a digital twin is right for your company? Review the questions below. If you don’t have clear data at your fingertips to make informed decisions, your best efforts may be introducing the risk of security breaches or outages.
Ten Questions for Evaluating Digital Twin Technology
- Can my team pinpoint the source in a few seconds if there is an issue on my network?
- Can we ensure that the network is always in compliance?
- Does my team have checks in place to avoid cloud routing mistakes? Can I afford a five to six-figure mistake?
- Can my team test how firewall changes affect our network before pushing it live?
- Can my team ensure compliance before pushing updates live on the network?
- If a device is compromised, can my team determine what other devices were reachable?
- When a new CVE alert is issued, does my team know which devices on the network may be impacted, or do they have to manually research configurations? (Or, are the CVEs stuffed away in a drawer for when you have time?)
- Is most of my team’s time spent proactively improving the network?
- Can I securely provision a new app in less than an hour??
- Can my team prove security posture and compliance in hybrid, multi-cloud environments?
If your answers to any of these questions indicate there’s room for improvement, it may be time to get more familiar with digital twin technology.
It may just be a trendy industry buzzword to you today, but tomorrow it could be what empowers your security and network professionals to understand and protect your network more efficiently and effectively than ever before.
Did the questions help you in making your digital twin decisions? Tell us all about it on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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