Are you a network administrator? Odds are good that the answer can be yes. Even if the only network you “run” lives at your home, you may be (by default) a network administrator.

Now, back to the first question: What’s running on your network?

Do you know? My network has computers and printers, a router/firewall with wireless capabilities. And an AppleTV, a BlueRay DVD player, iPhones and iPads…and should I take the time to reconfigure it, we’ve got a “Mole”–a wireless capable, infrared and motion sensitive, web cam. That’s in the house. We could talk about the office, yet I’ll save that!

When we talk about computers, we should also talk “OS”, or operating system. We run Linux (Ubuntu 11.10), Mac OS X (Lion and Snow Leopard), and Windows (almost all of which are on virtual machines). And yes, I know what’s running on my network. Right down to the application level. Why? Because I run a SonicWALL TZ 210 Wireless with the 5.8.x firmware.

It used to be that to have a clue, one needed to do “captures” of network data with a tool like WireShark or Snort. Some tool that would allow you to gather huge amounts of data to sift through. And sift through… The difference? Now I can look at a visual graph:

Visual monitoring view

Which might return a comment, “So what? There are all kinds of networking tools that show graphs.” And most all graphical tools, especially tools that show current traffic, have a value when it comes to getting that visual clue of what’s happening _now_. Yet you want to see more. The App Flow Monitor link, on the left menu just above our currently selected tool, breaks things down in a table that shows us flow rates, bytes and packets, sessions, and the application in use.

App Flow Monitor

We can now see the applications used on our network. As long as our SonicWALL has been properly configured, we can see how our network is being used. With the modular, bundled approach of a SonicWALL, our network can now be protected at a level far beyond the capabilities of even a year ago. Yes, we can have Gateway Antivirus with its “6982259 signatures available on the cloud AV Database” (as of 11/6/2011), Content Filtering Service, Intrusion Prevention Service, Anti-Spyware, and Enforce Client Anti-virus, yet we can now have application level control on our network.

App Control now opens for us the ability to control how network applications use our network. We can give high priority and bandwidth, or we can restrict bandwidth. Or we can block an application, such as Skype with its port-hopping abilities, or we can allow Facebook, yet block Facebook games. That’s an awful lot of power for a home firewall (OK, so I got carried away!) And it’s more than is generally needed in a home environment, yet what about in a business?

From small business to enterprise, SonicWALL has an appliance to fit that need. The SonicWALL Next-Gen appliances are powerful, feature rich, and cost effective. Businesses have many of the same types of equipment on their networks as you have at home. Protecting a businesses assets has grown far beyond the requisite locks, keys and alarms. The reach of a business can extend beyond borders at the click of a button in a web browser or the opening of an attachment in an email. The consequences of failing to protect the network and computers of a business can be very costly. You, as a network administrator, are responsible for protecting your business–even if it’s your personal business at home, be it online banking, shopping, or simply surfing the net.

What’s running on your network? Given the state of Internet traffic today, it may be much more than you expect. Or want. Get control.