In the realm of defence, the stakes are high and technology simply must not fail. It’s critical that networks are secure, high-performing and resilient – they must be built for the best but be able to cope with the worst.

The essential role of diversity

A defence network requires a robust foundation that withstands attack from any angle and has inbuilt redundancy for worst case scenarios. To achieve that, multi-layered diversity is key.

In the past, many organisations thought having a main network connection and a backup was enough for network safety. Now we know it's not. If both connections come from the same physical location, same provider, or use the same technology, and something goes wrong across any one of those factors, the entire network could go down.

Years of experience of working with the Australia Defence Forces, have taught us that true multi-layered diversity means having different geographical routes to protect against physical attack, using different technology types to protect against an attack that targets a specific technology, and even being supported by different telco carriers to guard against one of the companies going down.

This multi-layered diversity ensures that even if one aspect is compromised, others remain functional, maintaining uninterrupted operations.