Jeff Orr's Analyst Perspectives

Infoblox DDI Boosts Network Security Resilience

Written by Jeff Orr | Oct 5, 2023 10:00:00 AM

In today’s rapidly evolving digital security landscape, organizations face the challenge of maintaining robust network security resilience. Chief information officers battling increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and the growing complexity of enterprise networks must enhance network security posture with advanced technologies to stay ahead of potential threats. One such technology is DDI – the integration of DNS, DHCP and IPAM.

DDI integrates three critical security processes: domain name system, dynamic host configuration protocol and internet protocol address management. DNS translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses, allowing devices to communicate with each other over a network. DHCP automatically assigns IP addresses to devices on a network, simplifying network management. IP address management keeps track of IP address usage and allocation, ensuring efficient use of network resources. DDI improves security by automating management of the interactions between DNS, DHCP and IPAM.

Providing real-time visibility and control over who and what connects to the network is foundational to network security resilience. Without an IP address, there is no network access. Infoblox DDI management products and services unite networking and security by integrating these components so organizations can connect all devices, applications and digital resources across the business.

With a market approach focused on network security resilience, Infoblox offers a range of capabilities designed to help organizations protect against cyber threats. Infoblox DNS enables organizations to deliver DNS services across physical, virtual and cloud environments at scale. From a digital security perspective, this helps protect the network against inherent vulnerabilities in DNS, including distributed denial-of-service attacks, malware and botnets. Monitoring DNS usage assists with flagging suspect devices and applications to predict threats.

Infoblox IPAM and DHCP discover and capture all network assets – including those beyond the walls of the facility – in one database to establish a single source of truth. By automating DHCP and IPAM, organizations can manage hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructure and mobile devices.

A history of DNS entries allows Infoblox to track changes in campaigns over time. Essentially, a bad actor from the past cannot reuse a domain without the breadcrumb trail left behind, which accelerates the correlation between the domain and the threat actor. Infoblox Threat Intelligence interrogates threat actor networks and blocks suspicious networks by domain.

BloxOne DDI is the vendor’s cloud-managed product that centrally controls and automates an organization’s DDI management for hybrid and multi-cloud networks. BloxOne DDI is built on the Infoblox BloxOne Platform and offered as a subscription service.

Network landscapes are rapidly evolving, driven by trends in hybrid and multi-cloud transformation, the internet of things and distributed workforces. Security professionals understand how malware exploits DNS and how DNS detection and response can often thwart these attacks. Collaboration between IT and security teams is essential for network security resilience. Through 2025, ineffective relationships between the IT and security teams will contribute to 3 in 5 organizations experiencing access and authentication vulnerabilities.

From DNS products to centralized IPAM management tools, Infoblox assists organizations with increased network resilience. Looking ahead, the field of DDI is poised for further advancements. Emerging technologies and trends will shape the future of network resilience through digital security. Organizations examining ways to include cloud architecture into technology governance, for example, have a path forward with DDI services. By staying up to date with these developments and maximizing DDI approaches, organizations can continue to enhance network security and stay ahead of potential threats.

DDI is an essential technology for organizations looking to increase network resilience. It protects against DNS-based threats such as DDoS attacks, prevents rogue DHCP servers from disrupting network resources and avoids IP address conflicts and unauthorized access to network resources. Automating routine tasks and centralizing control over DNS, DHCP and IPAM enables organizations to improve security while reducing the risk of human error.

In the simplest of terms, organizations must find ways to protect business outcomes, such as uniting network and security resources to effectively manage DNS, DHCP and IPAM. Software providers such as Infoblox and a focus on automation and centralized management help CIOs maximize DDI to stay ahead of emerging and persistent threats. I recommend organizations looking to obtain value from using DNS services in digital security architecture include Infoblox in evaluations.

Regards,

Jeff Orr