The security challenges of cloud-native 5G
New architecture is not free from legacy threats

Communications service providers can harness a range of benefits by building out 5G networks using cloud-native elements such as microservices and containers. These include reducing capital expenditure, making networks more scalable and flexible, and improving network stability.
Moving mobile network services to the cloud, however, is not without its complications. Those with large legacy security plans, or with complex network layouts, could face the prospect of being exposed to vulnerabilities as part of their cloud migration.
In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Bart Salaets, EMEA Field CTO at multi-cloud security company F5, to find out how telcos and other businesses can securely adopt new network architectures.
Highlights
“Skill-wise it is a big step because this requires a completely new set of skills that telcos have to invest in, these are skills that they typically didn’t have. Running a cloud network is very different from running a traditional network.”
“What we see is that we can leverage a lot of traffic management and security capabilities from the IT world in this new telco 5G service-based architecture. But there are some tweaks that have to be done to make it fully capable to deal with all the protocols and functions that you need in those environments.”
“If you build a network with standalone discrete devices, where every device does a specific function and is managed by a particular team, in some ways it's easier to protect than if you built a much more open cloud infrastructure where many people are coming together, putting their stuff on it.”
Read the full transcript here.
Footnotes
- What is Kubernetes?
- What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?
- What is zero trust?
- What is 5G and how far are we from rollout?
- Building human connections key to cloud-native success
- Microsoft announces new tools to help CSPs go cloud native
- Vodafone taps Oracle for its cloud-native standalone 5G network
- Cloud-native tools are becoming more popular in Europe than the US
- Google Cloud joins TM Forum, aims to foster telco innovation
Subscribe
ITPro Newsletter
A daily dose of IT news, reviews, features and insights, straight to your inbox!
Rory Bathgate is a staff writer at IT Pro covering the latest news on UK networking and data protection, privacy and compliance. He can sometimes be found on the IT Pro Podcast, swapping a keyboard for a microphone to discuss the latest in tech trends.
In his free time, Rory enjoys photography, video editing and graphic design alongside good science fiction. After graduating from the University of Kent with BA in English and American Literature, Rory took an MA in Eighteenth-Century Studies at King’s College London. He joined IT Pro in 2022 as a graduate, after four years in student journalism. You can contact Rory at rory.bathgate@futurenet.com or on LinkedIn.
Most Popular
Resources
A daily dose of IT news, reviews, features and insights, straight to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to ITPro. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.