Cisco Network Security Management Areas

By Edward Tetz from Cisco Networking All-in-One For Dummies

According to Cisco, three main areas of network management play a role in your device and data security. The following are the areas of the devices that need protection through your security measures; these all relate to soft security features (as opposed to hard security features like locked doors and alarm systems) and are the

Management plane: This is the area that is responsible for communication with the management interfaces of your devices. The management interfaces include applications and protocols, such as Secure Shell (SSH), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), and Telnet.
Control plane: This is the area that is responsible for infrastructure. The infrastructure includes applications and protocols that deal with maintaining network infrastructure between devices. Control applications and protocols include routing protocols like Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIRGP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), and Routing Information Protocol (RIP).
Data plane: This is the area that is directly responsible for the movement of data through the network and networking devices.