The risk of trust vs. the cost of assurance-trades in the implementation of a secure LAN

For more than a decade, private and public enterprises have realized increasing productivity benefits from the utilization of Local Area Network (LAN) technology. However, organizations required to provide high security for sensitive information were largely shut out of this general prosperity, since network products provided few security protections for the information they carried. Products showing increased attention to security prompted a new investigation into the feasibility of connecting standalone personal computers in a secure network. This paper is the result of that study. Beginning with a hypothetical problem, we develop alternative solutions for two different operating environments using network products available today. These are compared on the bases of security, cost, impact on current operations, ease of use, and future growth. The risks inherent in trusting people to comply with manual security procedures are compared with the costs of assuring that the LAN implements them automatically