Secure Your Digital Infrastructure with Link11 Cyber Resilience

Welcome to the Link11 Evaluation Guide. In an era where DDoS attacks are increasing in both frequency and sophistication, traditional reactive security measures are no longer sufficient. Link11 is a global leader in IT security, providing a cloud-based protection platform that leverages Artificial Intelligence and Automation to safeguard digital enterprise values.

This guide is designed for IT Directors, CISOs, and Network Architects who are evaluating Link11’s capabilities in DDoS protection, Web Application Firewalls (WAF), and Bot Management. You will learn about Link11's unique AI-driven approach to threat mitigation, its European-centric compliance advantages, and the technical requirements necessary to deploy their "Shield" across your infrastructure. By the end of this guide, you will have a clear framework for determining if Link11 is the right partner to ensure your organization's cyber-resilience.

Link11’s value proposition is built on three core pillars:

• AI-Powered DDoS Protection: Unlike signature-based tools, Link11 uses patented AI to detect and mitigate attacks in real-time (sub-second). It analyzes traffic patterns to distinguish between legitimate users and malicious bots, effectively stopping Zero-Day attacks without manual intervention.
• Web Application Firewall (WAF): A high-performance WAF that protects against the OWASP Top 10 threats. It features automated rule updates and virtual patching to secure vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
• Global Security Cloud: A distributed network of scrubbing centers that ensures low-latency protection globally. The platform includes Secure DNS, Bot Management, and Content Delivery Network (CDN) services to optimize and secure web performance simultaneously.
• Zero-Touch Management: Designed to reduce the burden on SOC teams, the platform automates the entire defense process—from detection to mitigation and reporting—allowing your team to focus on core business tasks.

• Financial Services: A major European bank uses Link11 to protect its online banking portal. By utilizing the AI-driven WAF and DDoS protection, they successfully mitigated a 400Gbps attack while maintaining 100% uptime for legitimate customers.
• E-Commerce: A global retailer implemented Link11 Bot Management to prevent "scalping" and inventory hoarding during high-profile product launches, ensuring a fair experience for human shoppers.
• Public Sector: A government agency utilizes Link11’s sovereign cloud infrastructure to protect public-facing digital services, ensuring compliance with national data security laws while defending against state-sponsored DDoS campaigns.
• SaaS Providers: A high-growth SaaS company uses Link11’s API to automatically onboard new customer subdomains into the Link11 Shield, providing instant security-as-a-service to their end-users.

Link11 typically utilizes a subscription-based pricing model tailored to enterprise needs:

• Capacity-Based Pricing: Costs are often driven by protected bandwidth (clean traffic) and the number of assets (IPs or Domains) being shielded.
• Tiered Packages: Offerings are generally split between Web Protection (Layer 7) and Infrastructure Protection (Layer 3/4).
• No "Burst" Penalties: Unlike some providers, Link11 is known for not penalizing customers for traffic spikes during a DDoS attack; you pay for your legitimate traffic volume.
• Add-ons: Professional services, dedicated Technical Account Managers (TAM), and advanced threat intelligence feeds are available as premium add-ons.

To deploy Link11, your environment should support the following:

• Network Layer: Ability to perform BGP redirection or establish GRE/IPsec tunnels for network-level protection.
• Application Layer: Capability to update DNS records (CNAME or A-record changes) to point web traffic to the Link11 CNAME.
• SSL/TLS Management: Provision for Link11 to manage or terminate SSL certificates to inspect encrypted HTTPS traffic.
• Browser/Admin Access: The management portal is web-based and supports all modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari) with MFA enabled.

To successfully implement Link11, organizations should consider the following:

• Networking Expertise: A technical lead familiar with BGP (for Infrastructure DDoS) or DNS management (for Web Protection) is essential during the setup phase.
• Security Operations (SecOps): While the platform is highly automated, internal teams should be prepared to review threat intelligence reports to refine broader security postures.
• Stakeholder Buy-in: C-level support is necessary as implementation often involves rerouting core traffic, which requires coordination between IT, Security, and Compliance departments.
• Incident Response Plan: Organizations should update their internal disaster recovery and incident response playbooks to reflect Link11’s automated mitigation workflows.

A typical Link11 implementation follows this trajectory:

• Phase 1: Discovery & Scoping (1-2 Weeks): Analysis of network topology, traffic patterns, and identifying critical assets (IP ranges, domains).
• Phase 2: Configuration & Onboarding (1-2 Weeks): Setting up the Link11 Cloud Security Platform, configuring SSL certificates for Web Protection, and establishing GRE tunnels or Equinix Fabric connections for Infrastructure protection.
• Phase 3: Testing & Validation (1 Week): Traffic redirection in a staging environment, verifying application performance, and ensuring the AI engine is correctly baseline-ing traffic.
• Phase 4: Go-Live (1 Day): Final DNS changes or BGP announcements to route live traffic through the Link11 shield.
• Phase 5: Post-Launch Optimization (Ongoing): Fine-tuning security policies based on real-world traffic data.

Link11 provides enterprise-grade support structures:

• 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC): Access to expert security engineers around the clock for emergency assistance and threat analysis.
• Customer Success Management: Dedicated account managers for enterprise clients to assist with strategic planning and health checks.
• Link11 Portal: A centralized dashboard providing real-time visibility into traffic, attack statistics, and configuration management.
• Documentation & Knowledge Base: Comprehensive technical documentation for APIs, integration steps, and platform features.

Link11 offers flexible integration options designed for modern enterprise stacks:

• API-First Approach: A comprehensive REST API allows for the automation of configuration changes and the integration of threat data into custom dashboards.
• SIEM/SOAR Integration: Pre-built connectors and standardized log delivery (e.g., Syslog, JSON) support integration with tools like Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, and IBM QRadar.
• Cloud Connectors: Seamless integration with AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform for protecting cloud-native workloads.
• Direct Interconnects: Support for high-performance connections via major Internet Exchanges (DE-CIX, Equinix) to reduce latency and increase reliability.

As a German-founded company, Link11 maintains the highest standards of data privacy and security:

• GDPR Sovereignty: Fully compliant with EU data protection regulations, with data processing occurring within the EU.
• Certifications: ISO 27001 certified, ensuring rigorous information security management systems are in place.
• BSI Critical Infrastructure: Recognized by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) as a qualified provider for critical infrastructure (KRITIS).
• Data Residency: Options to ensure that traffic inspection and logging stay within specific geographic jurisdictions to meet local regulatory requirements.