ISC2 CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)Communication and Network SecurityMedium
A network security architect is designing a highly resilient and secure network for a critical infrastructure organization. The design must ensure that if a core network device fails, traffic can automatically reroute to an alternate path with minimal disruption, and that network changes are centrally managed and rapidly deployable. Which architectural approach BEST supports these requirements?
- AClient-Server Architecture
- BTraditional Hierarchical Network
- CSoftware-Defined Networking (SDN)
- DPeer-to-Peer Network
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Software-Defined Networking (SDN)
Software-Defined Networking (SDN) centralizes network control, separating the control plane from the data plane. This allows for programmatic management, automated traffic rerouting (resilience), and rapid deployment of network changes from a central controller, directly addressing the requirements for high resilience and central management.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Client-server is an application architecture, not a network architecture, and does not address network resilience or management.
- B. Traditional hierarchical networks are less flexible and require manual configuration for resilience, making rapid changes difficult.
- D. Peer-to-peer networks are decentralized and lack central management or guaranteed resilience for critical infrastructure.
Software-Defined Networking (SDN)
An architectural approach that decouples the network control and forwarding functions, enabling network control to become directly programmable and the underlying infrastructure to be abstracted from applications and network services.
- Separates control plane from data plane.
- Centralized network management and orchestration.
- Enables network programmability and automation.
- Improves network agility, resilience, and scalability.
Memory trick: SDN: Smartly Designed Networks.