How to Leverage the Business Benefits of Splunk: 5G to Next G

The modernization of wireless infrastructure has changed the way we communicate and exchange information. In response to customer needs to not only plan for 5G but beyond to the next G, Red River has designed a joint solution with Splunk and Cisco that uses the analytical power of Splunk to enhance network security, accelerate 5G wireless communications and aid federal agencies in meeting their hardware asset management (HWAM) reporting requirements.

What are the benefits of using Splunk?

Through Splunk’s Machine Learning Toolkit (MLTK) and data analytics platform, Red River can integrate a client’s existing technology by implementing a Network Access Control – Data Mapping Solution (NAC-DMS) with their current software. This automatic data process uses Splunk’s advanced analytics capabilities to identify potential security vulnerabilities based on data, like network device location, user access privileges and endpoint authentication information. With the help of network-aware applications for your end-to-end business communications, organizations can take the next step in modernizing and securing their wireless infrastructure.

Here are four of the top benefits of using Splunk:

1. Increase in availability of 5G/B5G networks

Splunk can take data in from any source to accomplish any task by optimizing functionality of Software-Defined Network (SDN) and Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN) environments to utilize any type of circuits – 5G, 4G LTE, MPLS, Broadband, Direct Internet Access (DIA). This allows for an increased availability of 5G networks that can handle data exchanges with minimal packet loss, decreased latency and less burden on IT teams.

2. Optimized network-aware application performance

Red River’s NAC-DMS solution uses Splunk Enterprise as the main source for mapping Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) log data when identifying or managing who is on the network and when. Our team uses Cisco Catalyst switches to collect more information about the client’s endpoint authentication and provide more visibility on the assets that are currently accessing the network.

3. Improved scalability

Red River can enable Splunk to provide a practical, pragmatic and scalable way to manage risk across your networks by turning data collections into tangible results using an analytics-driven approach to network security management. Organizations implementing this solution can increase their network capacity and user base without increasing risk, simply by providing increase data transparency and automating previously manual tasks.

4. Additional layers of security

While there are some limitations to implementing secure transmission from HWAM data sources to federal agencies, Red River can employ the use of Splunk’s MLTK to take available endpoint data and provide insight into how security administrators can use the information collected for threat detection and how they can track potential data breaches with more confidence in their network security.

In addition, Red River’s solution includes the use of Cisco’s Embedded Event Manager (EEM) for filtering log data collection and sifting through Syslog data at the source before transmission commences. By using Splunk as the central integration point for mapping ISE log data, the NAC-DMS solution can expand security administrator capability by developing additional use cases around any inconsistent or irregular activity that may appear.

By leveraging our business relationship with leading OEMs like Cisco and Splunk, Red River can help you make informed decisions about managing your critical focus areas by providing support in network infrastructure, data center facilitation and mobility to improve efficiency with next generation solutions. Red River can provide our federal customers with the end-to-end engineering and integration, logistics, training and support you need to achieve mission success. Contact Red River today to get started.