Layer 4-7 Services

Introduction

CTEC Solutions will partner with your business for success by leveraging best practice methodology under relevant process definitions. This allows for the positive completion of any necessary preparation to allow success for latter stages through design and planning, through to deployment, operations and optimisation.  

We realise that all businesses should be treated uniquely, with the differing set of requirements they have. In respect of Layer 4-7 Services, CTEC Solutions can provide the full suite of E2E process engagements, in which case you can have bespoke tailored solutions to drive your business innovation. We have expert knowledge and experience in both Green-Field and Brown-Field deployments of many services, to included SDN and Cloud. 

Get in touch today to see how we can help! 
 

Layer 4-7 Services

In order to securely deliver application services optimally with minimal risk, the requirements for additional service devices, beyond traditional blacklist ACLs and basic network layer load balancing has been ever more evident. 

Layer 4-7 Service devices used across SP and Enterprise environments: 

• Network Firewalls 
• Next Generation Firewalls 
• Application Delivery Controllers 
• Application Firewalls 
• Intrusion Detection Systems 
• Intrusion Protection Systems 
• DNS, DHCP and IPAM 

Traditional L4-7 Services employed to deliver application requirements have always been at the mercy of Static Network topologies where services elements have been delivered via manual means. This has meant that application teams have been somewhat at the mercy of the Network and Infrastructure. With the often complex nature of VRF and VLAN stitching required to get the application traffic sent to via the correct services devices for processing it has often meant that problems with scalability and speed to deployment were evident. When the virtualisation era came it brought tangible benefits to anything being hosted on a Hypervisor and VM. However, with many core and often high performance devices being on Physical Bare-metal Hosts, along with the advent of Containers and Microservices Application architectures something had to change. 

Benefits of Next Generation L4-7 Services deployments: 

• Equal distribution of services to Hosts 
• Effective optimisation of traffic flows 
• Dynamic insertion of services 
• Single pane of glass view into Service devices 
• Removal of device by device administration
• Removal of stale configuration 
• Integration of services 
• Ability to chain both go-to & go-through devices  

Now with SDN and Infrastructure architected with the application in mind. There is now the ability to automate L4-7 Service insertion. CTEC Solutions can now assist in the creation of centralised policy control where we can manage both Network and Service nodes simultaneously with consistent application. This intent based policy maps the business needs for the application, to the pooling of Service devices that can meet those requirements, they are then implemented, with an optimal, configure once, deploy many capability. 

The latest in Application Centric SDN architecture has much capability surrounding L4-7 Services, such as horizontal integration to ecosystem partners and Open API. Automation and orchestration along with integration via device plug-in makes for a more effective management and optimal deployment of Services.  

Let CTEC Solutions deliver your business advantage, get in touch today to learn more about how we can help!