Battle lines have been drawn, and volleys are being lobbed between the analyst and vendor camps. In dispute: Whether intrusion prevention is out of commission or the next network security salvation. On one side, Gartner has cast intrusion detection into its "Trough of Disillusionment," saying the tech has stalled and calling for these functions to move into firewalls. Meanwhile, intrusion-prevention product vendor ForeScout Technologies vows to identify and block attackers "with 100 percent accuracy."

Call us Switzerland, but we say neither group has a lock on the truth. NIP (network intrusion-prevention) systems probably won't protect your network from the next zero-day exploit or troublesome worm, but they're not a waste of time or money, either. A NIP system is a safeguard that may protect you from known attacks and alert you to suspicious activity. Think intrusion detection with the ability to block traffic.

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