In this two- part article in our continuing series on ISA Server 2004, we will look at a very critical part of the process, the planning phase. Planning is one of the most important parts of an ISA Server deployment, but is also the part that very few people put a lot of time and energy into. Unfortunately, failing to plan the deployment properly can lead to problems later that will cost you more in terms of time and work to go back and correct these issues. That’s why this phase is so important.
The first part of planning, which this particular article covers, is planning out the network infrastructure that your ISA Server will be a part of, and knowing exactly how it will fit into the architecture. This is critical because there are several considerations to look at before you actually bring the server online. There are several aspects of your infrastructure you will need to examine, including: network infrastructure, organizational security policies, client requirements, branch office connections, VPN structure, server publishing, partner access, fault tolerance, and the actual roll-out itself. We’ll briefly look at each one of these now:
Network Infrastructure: This involves having a comprehensive network diagram and configuration documentation that exactly lays out the way the network is built. Critical parts of the infrastructure that may affect and be affected by the ISA server rollout will be DHCP services, DNS, email services, Active Directory structure, perimeter network configuration, web servers, and any other network services that must be reconfigured to coexist with an ISA Server. You should know what protocols your company network uses, and how they should be secured as they enter and leave the network. You may have to move some services inside the DMZ, if you have one, or look at creating a DMZ if you don’t currently have one. You will need to decide how DNS is handled, and whether the ISA server will handle DNS resolution. You will also need to look at any web services that are accessed from outside your network and how they will be protected against unauthorized use. These are but a few of the considerations you will have to contend with on the network, but it depends on how your network is built and what your requirements are as to how you plan for them.