Network security was thrust into the spotlight again in December with a huge cyber breach in the US. The massive hacking campaign used malware inserted into a software update from SolarWinds to penetrate government agencies.

The breach has forced many enterprises across the globe to conduct an audit of their data security strategies and question how robust they are and which vendors they can trust.

The point about vendors is something that every company should consider. There’s so much marketing gloss when it comes to certification and approvals that it’s important to scratch beneath the veneer to see if you can really believe the promises made.

BSI approval is one of the most challenging qualifications to obtain and is key for the transport of EU- and NATO-classified data.

This is something we’ve been helping customers with recently, especially around BSI approval. Here are a few points from those conversations.

1. Layer 1 encryption is the most secure method possible to protect your data. By encrypting data directly at the transport layer, you’re safeguarding every layer of the OSI stack. 
2. Official certification and approval of DWDM transport equipment are critical. You need to know that what the vendor is promising is true.  
3. BSI approval is one of the most challenging qualifications to obtain and is key for the transport of EU- and NATO-classified data
4. This approval process goes beyond the security of the product. The BSI also examines the vendor’s processes to ensure a full 360-degree review.   
5. ADVA is the only DWDM vendor in the entire networking industry that has BSI approval 

Here are a video and some slides with more information on BSI approval and what it means for network security.

If you’d like any further details on the topic, please use the comments section below or email me through our contact form.