Open source allows for flexible and powerful tools not limited by proprietary technologies, which makes network security less complex.
"Increasingly, enterprise and service provider organisations are turning to open source networking tools in place of - or in addition to - proprietary commercial technologies. These tools enhance management, control, security and visibility of the network at all of its layers - from the physical connections among devices on the network all the way through to the applications and services that the network enables for the business," says Gavin Zackey, 3Com Africa regional sales director.
Wireshark, MRTG, NTOP and Nagios, for example, allow for analysing and monitoring network traffic while security tools such as Snort, Nmap, Nessus, and Retina allow devices and traffic to be scanned and analysed for security purposes, says Zackney.
"These software tools are developed and supported within the open source community, using expertise from around the world to address business and technology challenges," he says.
Zackney adds that open source tools can also easily be personalised to a specific organisation. "With the ability to access and modify the source code of open source software applications, savvy network engineers can customise the solution to meet their needs - something that is typically not possible with closed commercial solutions."
Furthermore, open source tools can augment commercially available solutions in cases where a particular feature or capability may be lacking in commercial solutions, says Zackney. "They can also be used as alternatives when cost is the primary barrier to deploying best-in-class commercial tools."
"The crucial factor is that open source alternatives provide the flexibility to do what is best for the business - whether is minimising costs, filling gaps in other network management and security solutions, or customising solutions to meet particular needs," Zackney concludes.
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