Whenever I read a report about a distributed denial of service (DDoS), I either smile or cringe. I consider it an easy method to boil down my reactions. But, in the end, the truth is DDoS attacks are an overgrowing day in and out. And with ever-expanding scenarios, these are becoming more sophisticated and more powerful.
Then, what’s next?
How to Safeguard Oneself from DDoS Attacks?
Simple: Use the DDoS Mitigation solution!
But, which one to opt from an array of solutions? If you are also facing the same issue, then here is a list of top 8 questions to ask when considering DDoS Protections. These questions let you assess the needs, objectives, constraints of applications, network, and organization. Another great catch: these questions define the criteria for the selection of the optimal solution.
Have a look at the DDoS Protection Checklist:
Top 8 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Selecting DDoS Mitigation solution
1. What are my data center plans?
Every company has different requirements. Some are maintaining their data center physically, and some are migrating to cloud-based deployments to manage their data center loads. The decision to use a cloud service or invest in new equipment depends heavily on this consideration.
Enterprises that are either eliminating or planning to downscale their data centers can consider a cloud service. The organizations that are planning to maintain data center physically for the foreseeable future can invest in a DDoS mitigation appliance.
2. What is my threat profile?
Company protection model is directly proportional to the organization’s threat profile. If the stream of non-volumetric DDoS attacks is constantly attacking an organization, then a premise-based solution is a perfect fit. However, if there is a large-scale volumetric attack, then the cloud-based solution is the best fit.
3. Are the applications used by me mission-critical?
Some DDoS protection models ensure faster protection and response time in comparison to others. Several applications are potent enough to absorb short interruption periods without causing any significant harm. Thus, it is always advisable to consider this factor in the decision-making process. It also helps you ensure that whether your service can bear a downtime of a single second or not.
4. OPEX vs CAPEX?
Accounting and procurement processes play a vital role. For example, solutions that include ongoing subscription services (like cloud DDoS protection services) are operating expenses (OPEX) and solutions that include hardware devices (such as on-premise based DDoS appliance) are capital expenditure (CAPEX). Depending upon this each company can have their preference.
5. Do I belong to a regulated industry?
Certain organizations are within regulated industries (the ones that handle sensitive user data). As a consequence, these companies either don’t prefer to migrate data/services to the cloud or are prevented from migrating.
6. Are my applications sensitive to latency?
Company and its applications sensitivity to latency is another critical consideration. So, if latency is a big issue, on-premise solution – either inline or out-of-path deployed – is an ideal match. Reason being, cloud-based services usually adds latency to application traffic.
7. What is my priority for control?
Certain organizations pay utmost attention to control, while others don’t pay much emphasis and prefer others to handle the burden. For more control, select a physical device and for lower overhead, choose cloud services.
8. What is my budget?
Cost and available funds play an important role while selecting a DDoS protection solution. Thus, it is always advisable to be clear of the total cost of ownership (TCO). This includes infrastructure, staff, added overhead, support, and training.
Depending on the answers, you can quickly figure out what’s essential for you in DDoS Mitigation solutions and can base their choice based on that.
Typically, for organizations having latency-sensitive and mission-critical applications, a premise-based solution is an ideal match for optimal protection. For organizations, which less frequently underwent attacks, or otherwise have a limited budget, a cloud-based solution is the best fit.
So, use these 8 questions as a cheat list to select a perfect DDoS Mitigation solution for you!