DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service. When someone launches a DDoS attack, hundreds (or thousands) of computers and servers around the world simultaneously send traffic to a web server – or most often, a specific site on a server – in an attempt to take the site down by overwhelming the server.
When a site on our network is the target of a DDoS the effect on your site can range from none, to slowing it down, to making it completely unavailable. The reason for that is DDoS attacks vary in method and severity, and many of them are counteracted before anyone even notices a problem. Others are more intense or sustained or difficult to counteract, and everyone notices those because they can potentially cripple the network.
When other clients are sharing an infrastructure/server with the one under attack, they might suffer some damage, like downtime or security breaches, even when they weren’t the intended victim. DDoS attacks are happening more often, they’re bigger, and getting more complex. Unfortunately, there aren’t many web hosts that have adequate protection—but that means those who are prioritizing security have a strong competitive edge. Stop making mistakes with hosting, such as choosing on price alone, and make sure DDoS attacks won’t target your site.
Scrubbing: Not Just for the Dishes
“Scrubbing centers” are crucial for web host protection, but not if it doesn’t feature visibility in real-time and fast inline mitigation. For example, traditional scrubbing solutions don’t detect attacks quickly, and they’re even worse with mitigation because human touch is required. This can take at least an hour to make happen, and by then the attack could be full-fledged. Instead, shop around for fast scrubbing center deployment, which redirects red flagged traffic flows to a smart appliance for scrubbing and evaluation.
The fast questionable traffic is addressed and scrubbed, the more you can minimize threats. Clean traffic is then sent back to the network so there are fewer bumps, website owners’ information is kept safe, and disruptions are kept to a minimum. The importance of premium scrubbing centers around the world is finally being appreciated, such as the latest Philippines center reported by GMA News to open by the end of the year.
Safe Links, Fully Protected
How well your network is connected is critical for meeting SLAs. As a hosting provider, if you can offer inline DDoS security, complete with high availability links, your smart appliances should be deploying between your hosting network and the internet. This offers safeguarding for the complete infrastructure, battling against DDoS attacks. The switches, hypervisors, routers, and other layers are kept safe from cyber threats, and that protection trickles down to your clients.
Overall, DDoS protection requires five steps: 1) Actually providing superior DDoS protection, 2) Upping the visibility of DDoS attacks, 3) Offering real-time defenses, 4) Offering premium services, and 5) Moving inline as soon as possible. As a web host, enterprises and clients rely on you for protection. This means you need visibility to see the threats coming. Only then can you react in real time, get the analytics you need, and offer scalable implementations.
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