James Dougherty, Author at Plixer

Packets vs. flow/IPFIX: The effort to reduce dwell time

When we hear about a cyberattack these days, there’s often a reference to when the network was originally compromised. In recent years, the need to determine how long that compromise was on the network, who else was involved, and how you’re going to gain this visibility has moved to the forefront of the SecOps team’s needs.

Security Operations

Network traffic demands of the post-pandemic era and how to manage them

04.22.21 - James Dougherty

Gartner just posted their worldwide spending forecast report for the first quarter of 2021 and it looks positive. Clearly, the experts will continue to argue about the economic pressure that has been choking parts of the global economy and whether it’s losing its strength, but from Gartner’s perspective, it looks like we’ll see growth in all IT spending.

Security Operations

The harsh truth about the next cyberattack

02.17.21 - James Dougherty

I don’t know about you, but it seems like there’s news of some big data breach every other month. The hard truth is that no one can really predict the next cybersecurity meltdown. There is no doubt in my mind that it will happen again (and again…). Over the past 15-plus years, the one thing stuck out as being effective was the idea of always evaluating your security posture.

Network Operations

How to get the best ROI for your SIEM: Tips on picking the right NDR

11.25.20 - James Dougherty

Has management made enhancing your network monitoring toolset with an NDR component a priority for the new year? Have the demands of the pilgrimage to a fully remote office shed some light on dark places on your network? Are you concerned that the one thing your significant other wanted for Xmas won’t be available on Amazon? Don’t worry about it—seems like everyone is facing these issues nowadays.

Network Operations

Returning to normal: monitoring the reintroduction of the workforce

09.02.20 - James Dougherty

When this pandemic started and nearly the entire workforce went remote, our focus was to maintain the quality of service outside of what was then normal operations. Although it seems like we still have a long road to travel, we are starting to see signs of progress. Globally, many companies are opening up their offices and giving their employees the choice of working in the office or from home. For network administrators, this adds another layer of headache.