To maximize the value of their data center investments and minimize risk, IT organizations need to protect their data against a wide range of potential security threats.
Data security requires the implementation and enforcement of reliable operational practices, including an auditable, provable way to collect security metrics. By defining security policies and distributing them throughout the fabric in a centralized manner, organizations can gain greater control over their data center environments and maintain a much higher degree of data integrity.
To help organizations improve security, Brocade has incorporated a wide range of comprehensive security capabilities into the Brocade Fabric OS (FOS) operating system. Key features include:
- Fabric configuration servers
- Management access controls
- Device connection controls
- Switch connection controls
- Secure management communications
In addition, Brocade provides critical security and encryption capabilities for both FOS and M-Enterprise OS (M-EOS) environments, enabling high-performance encryption services that scale easily while meeting regulatory compliance requirements. These solutions:
- Protect valuable data from unauthorized access and corruption
- Provide centralized encryption for data-at-rest
- Lower the risk of costly downtime or disruption
- Reduce overall storage costs
Fabric-Based Encryption for Data-at-rest
FOS-based storage fabrics enable centralized management to support nearly every aspect of the data center—from server environments and workstations to edge computing and backup environments. As a result, these fabrics are ideal places to standardize and consolidate a holistic data-at-rest security strategy with plug-in encryption services.
Organizations can also implement this type of encryption for their backup environments, helping to protect data throughout the enterprise.
Key advantages of Brocade fabric-based encryption include:
- The ability to encrypt data at wire speed for uncompromised performance
- Seamless integration with industry-leading key management systems
- Central management of storage- and fabric-based security resources
- Transparent, online encryption of “cleartext” LUNs and rekeying of encrypted LUNs without disruption
- Simplified, non-disruptive installation and configuration in FOS and M-EOS fabrics
- Low-cost, secure device decommissioning of legacy disk arrays
- The flexibility of a standalone switch or a blade for use in the Brocade DCX Backbone
