Akamai Prolexic vs. AT&T Reactive DDoS Defense

Akamai Prolexic is an enterprise DDoS protection platform for defending networks, applications, and internet-facing infrastructure against high-volume and sophisticated distributed denial-of-service attacks. Organizations can deploy Prolexic as an always-on or on-demand cloud service, an on-premises solution powered by Corero, or a hybrid configuration combining cloud and local protection. The service routes incoming network traffic through its defense infrastructure and applies proactive or customized mitigation controls to identify potentially malicious activity. Attack traffic is filtered before reaching protected systems, while legitimate traffic is delivered to its intended destination to help prevent outages and performance degradation. Prolexic operates 32 global anycast scrubbing centers with more than 20 Tbps of dedicated DDoS defense capacity and is supported by Akamai's network capacity of more than 1 Pbps. Dynamic mitigation controls can scale protection across IPv4 and IPv6 traffic flows, while Prolexic Network Cloud Firewall provides network-wide ACL and firewall rules. Prolexic over Akamai Direct Connect provides another connectivity option, creating a direct and private connection between customer origins and Akamai while supporting large traffic packets through GRE tunnels. Akamai offers a 100% Prolexic platform availability SLA and an industry-leading zero-second mitigation SLA, along with 24/7/365 support and optional managed SOC services. More than 225 frontline SOCC defenders support the service and can work with organizations before, during, and after DDoS incidents. Akamai states that Prolexic's proactive mitigation controls stop more than 98% of attacks immediately and that the platform has protected customers against some of the largest and most sophisticated DDoS attacks recorded on the internet.

The AT&T DDoS Defense service presents a cloud-based approach to safeguarding against extensive distributed denial of service attacks, incorporating thorough traffic analysis alongside the capability to implement defenses that prevent harmful traffic from compromising your network. Customers have the option to either contact the AT&T threat management center to start mitigation efforts or rely on automated alerts triggered by AT&T when malicious traffic is identified targeting specific IP addresses within their network. This prompt response guarantees that vital applications essential for business operations continue to function without disruption, allowing legitimate traffic to move freely. Through meticulous traffic analysis, the service identifies anomalies and redirects harmful traffic to scrubbing facilities for effective elimination. Furthermore, the fully managed service ensures that critical notifications regarding alerts, advisories, and attacks are sent via email, keeping customers well-informed. Users also gain access to a web portal that provides detailed reports on service status and activity, enhancing transparency. This comprehensive service can monitor a specified range of IP addresses, bolstering security measures further. Such relentless vigilance enables businesses to uphold their operational integrity, even amidst the challenges posed by potential cyber threats, ensuring a resilient defense against future attacks.