Why Network Verification Requires a Mathematical Model
Network verification is a rapidly emerging technology that is a key part of Intent-Based Networking (IBN). Verification can help avoid outages, facilitate compliance processes, and accelerate change windows. Full-feature verification solutions require an underlying mathematical model of network behavior to analyze and reason about policy objectives and network designs.
A mathematical model, as opposed to monitoring or testing live traffic, can perform exhaustive and definitive analysis of network implementations and behavior, including proving network isolation or security rules. In this paper, we will describe how verification can be used in key IT processes and workflows, why a mathematical model is required and how it works, as well as example use cases from the Forward Enterprise platform. This will also clarify what requirements a mathematical model must meet and how to evaluate alternative products.
Solving ACL Problems with Network Modeling
Problems managing your enterprise network ACLs? Think there's no way around it?
Forward has solutions to your ACL conflicts and chaos.
From top-tier service providers to global financial services, Fortune 500 companies trust Forward to save them from troubleshooting headaches and avoidable network outages.
In just 30 minutes, Technical Solutions Architect Derick Winkworth will demonstrate how Forward can quickly solve 3 major ACL problems within your network.
Goldman Sachs uses Forward Enterprise to model entire 15,000+ device network
How does Goldman Sachs perform end-to-end path analysis, and proactively ensure that network behavior is aligned with stated policies and intent? They use Forward Enterprise for network modeling and network verification. With Forward, Goldman Sachs has significantly improved operational efficiency and successfully reduced change-related incidents.
Read why a Fortune 50 financial services company calls Forward Enterprise a critical component of their infrastructure automation, and how their network engineering team relies on the Forward platform as the single source of truth for their network
ROI Study of Financial Institution using Network Verification
The primary function of Forward Enterprise is to collect device configuration data from every network device, including state information that governs the active behavior of the device. Forward Enterprise can then model and anticipate the behavior of the entire network end-to-end, and report on potential vulnerabilities, policy violations or risk exposure.
The common identified process improvements we have seen at several large customers are:
- Reduced time to trouble ticket resolution
- Reduced time spent on audit related fixes and updates
- Fewer, shorter and more reliable change windows or network updates
Read how this financial institution cut costs by leveraging network verification in trouble ticket resolution, audit-related fixes, and change window frequency.
Network Reassurance
Network verification is a new technology for managing network chaos and automating key IT tasks such as troubleshooting, compliance processes, audits and change windows. Verification has been used in other engineering disciplines, such as software and semiconductor design, but has never been viable for networking until recent breakthroughs that Forward Networks helped pioneer. Since 80-90% of large enterprises are looking to incorporate intent-based networking into their IT strategy in the next few years, now is the time to determine how a verification platform can fit into your architecture going forward, and which use cases will bring the most benefit for your organization.
Networking Guru’s Guide to Verification
Today, networks have become so large and complex, along with constant changes to accommodate new services and business requirements, that networking teams can no longer document or manage all the details end-to-end. With potentially tens of thousands of devices and billions of lines of code, until now there has been no way to automate the analysis of network designs to quickly verify what devices you have, how they’re connected, where traffic goes, whether it’s really working, or what needs to change. Network verification is a rapidly emerging technology that provides deep insight to network behavior end-to-end, as well as automating many network troubleshooting and remediation tasks. Organizations are leveraging verification to help avoid outages, facilitate compliance processes and accelerate change windows.
Why Network Verification Requires a Mathematical Model
Network verification is a rapidly emerging technology that is a key part of Intent-Based Networking (IBN). Verification can help avoid outages, facilitate compliance processes, and accelerate change windows. Full-feature verification solutions require an underlying mathematical model of network behavior to analyze and reason about policy objectives and network designs. A mathematical model, as opposed to monitoring or testing live traffic, can perform exhaustive and definitive analysis of network implementations and behavior, including proving network isolation or security rules.
In this paper, we will describe how verification can be used in key IT processes and workflows, why a mathematical model is required and how it works, as well as example use cases from the Forward Enterprise platform. This will also clarify what requirements a mathematical model must meet and how to evaluate alternative products.
A Digital Twin For Your Network
Forward Networks is revolutionizing the way large networks are managed. Forward’s advanced software delivers a “digital twin” of the network, enabling network operators to verify intent, predict network behavior, avoid outages, and simplify network management.
Why Network Verification Requires A Mathematical Model
Network verification is a rapidly emerging technology that is a key part of Intent Based Networking (IBN). Verification can help avoid outages, facilitate compliance processes and accelerate change windows. Full-feature verification solutions require an underlying mathematical model of network behavior to analyze and reason about policy objectives and network designs. A mathematical model, as opposed to monitoring or testing live traffic, can perform exhaustive and definitive analysis of network implementations and behavior, including proving network isolation or security rules.
In this paper, we will describe how verification can be used in key IT processes and workflows, why a mathematical model is required and how it works, as well as example use cases from the Forward Enterprise platform. This will also clarify what requirements a mathematical model must meet and how to evaluate alternative products.
Verifying Network Intent with Forward Enterprise
This ESG Technical Review documents hands-on validation of Forward Enterprise, a solution developed by Forward Networks to help organizations save time and resources when verifying that their IT networks can deliver application traffic consistently in line with network and security policies. The review examines how Forward Enterprise can reduce network downtime, ensure compliance with policies, and minimize adverse impact of configuration changes on network behavior
Accelerating Network Verification with Intent Based Networking
Intent-based networking (IBN) products are now available to intelligently automate many networking tasks, including verification and compliance reviews. IBN can provide the end-to-end view of network policies and behavior needed to verify device configurations and connectivity. IBN has the ability to intelligently reason about network behavior to automate many remediation and testing processes.