Book excerpt: EVOLVING NETWORKING TECHNOLOGIES This book discusses in a practical manner some of the critical security challenges facing the ever-evolving networking technologies of today. In an age of explosive worldwide growth of electronic data storage and communications, effective protection of information has become a critical requirement, especially when used in coordination with other tools for information security and cryptography in all of its applications, including data confidentiality, data integrity, and user authentication. While the importance of cryptographic technique, i.e., encryption, in protecting sensitive and critical information and resources cannot be overemphasized, an examination of the technical evolution within several industries reveals an approaching precipice of scientific change. The glacially paced but inevitable convergence of quantum mechanics, nanotechnology, computer science, and applied mathematics will revolutionize modern technology. The implications of such changes will be far-reaching, with one of its greatest impacts affecting information security and, more specifically, modern cryptography. The book takes the reader through these issues. As the security systems design becomes more and more complex to meet these challenges, a mistake that is committed most often by security specialists is not making a comprehensive analysis of the system to be secured before choosing which security mechanism to deploy. Often, the security mechanism chosen turns out to be either incompatible with, or inadequate for, handling the complexities of the system. In addition, the book also discusses three main points: Configuration management is a critical issue, and as networks are increasing in size, their configuration needs to be managed. Devices may conflict with each other in terms of configuration. Therefore, it becomes challenging for firewalls to be up-to-date according to network policies. Scalability of the network is another big challenge, it would be easier to address if the network stays the same, but the network is ever expanding with a constant increase in the number of devices devoted to the network. Vendor lock-in: Business decisions that are taken today are revolving around the assumptions and capabilities of the current vendor and environment scenario. Buying the best solutions from today’s vendors involves how to interoperate, integrate, and support multiple solutions. It may involve tearing out all of the longstanding kits without tearing down the entire network at the same time. Audience This book specifically appeals to industry practitioners, IT researchers, and students regarding network technological management.