Best Practices for IT Systems in Banking

Any bank, large or small, needs to ensure both security and performance across every touch point possible in the infrastructure. For applications in the cloud, IT needs a way of monitoring and measuring end user response time. For data housed locally, or for critical banking applications, every packet needs to be captured, around the clock. Automated analysis on this data for security threats and performance bottlenecks needs to be done at line rate, alerting Network Engineers to any sign of trouble. Focus must be on proactive rather than reactive troubleshooting, analyzing weak systems and taking action before there is any disruption in service.

Since many applications are now hosted in a hybrid or private cloud, a key thing for engineers to ensure is adequate bandwidth, performance, and security for in-house employees that need access. This includes building and maintaining a secure BYOD policy for mobile devices that are used to connect to these systems. An “Eyes in the Sky” wireless analysis system needs to be in place to monitor and enforce access policies, locating any rogue devices that are not allowed on the network, as well as any interferers that are impacting performance for approved users and traffic.

Benefits

A secure, stable, high-performance network with perfect uptime, providing seamless access to customer services and transactions – that is the constant goal of any financial institution. Without the proper proactive monitoring and analysis tools, this target is very difficult to attain. Even if it seems that the network is problem free and that IT has achieved its goals, increasing transactions, new types of security threats, and migration to new technologies will always mix things up. Analysis data gives engineers actionable data, which improves response time to performance and security problems, which ultimately keeps customers safe and happy.

Tools Visual TruView™ TruView is a single analysis appliance that leverages key data sources such as packet inspection, transaction analysis, netflow, and SNMP to present a correlated view of network and application performance in a single, easy to understand dashboard view. These dashboards are critical in any IT environment for one-click root cause analysis to quickly understand and resolve performance problems. TruView automatically calibrates itself to performance baselines, even at remote sites. Simple dashboards and deep packet inspection allows for collaboration between Network Operations and Engineering in the event of a problem, giving each the critical data needed in order OptiView® XG Network Analysis Tablet The OptiView XG provides unparalleled visibility into server and application performance, network infrastructure health, link utilization, and network service health. The analysis tablet is equipped with a 10Gig interface, which allows for link verification through line-rate capacity testing as well as lossless packet capture. The Path Analysis and 1 Click NetTest features allow a path through the network to be identified and analyzed, isolating pain points to a single link. Application dependencies can be determined and tested using the on-board ClearSight Analyzer and the Application Infrastructure feature.AirMagnet Analyzer, Spectrum XT, and Planner also available on the OPV XG are critical for identifying and resolving problem points in the Wireless Environment, especially when preparing for BYOD Network Time Machine™ The Network Time Machine allows network engineers to keep a handle on application performance even in high bandwidth environments which support thousands of users, while providing packet-level detail for events that have occurred in the past. The Atlas feature automatically searches through Terabytes of stored packet data, combing for periods of degraded performance for critical applications and VoIP services. . AirMagnet Enterprise v10 This “Eyes in the Sky” solution monitors Enterprise Wireless networks for performance and security threats, 24/7, alerting Network Engineers when a problem strikes. This system is geared toward analyzing and supporting BYOD, since a mobile solution cannot be everywhere all the time. Sensors installed throughout the system ensure that wireless visibility is provided in all corners of the network, both on and off carpet. AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer The AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer is the industry standard mobile tool for auditing and troubleshooting enterprise Wi-Fi networks. IT Technicians and Engineers alike are equipped with the critical data needed to quickly solve end-user issues while automatically detecting security threats and wireless network vulnerabilities. AirMagnet WiFi identifies BYOD devices, enabling IT to stay ahead of users as they connect to the network with phones and tablets. The onboard AirWise feature gives actionable alerts for performance and security problems, enabling technicians to resolve problems without the need for expert-level RF training. The AirMagnet Analyzer is available on the OptiView XG Analysis Tablet or as a stand-alone product. neTouch™ AT Network Assistant The OneTouch AT is a one-touch tool used for client to Cloud testing, over the wired or wireless network. Application response time is measured and broken down by connection time, service response time, and network latency. Troubleshoot client connection through the wired or Wi-Fi connection, while measuring network services hosted locally and within the cloud. The OneTouch AT can be accessed remotely for team collaboration with other members of the IT organization.