Physical layer security is viewed by most IT professionals as a low-priority problem because cables are run behind walls or in ceilings, beyond the accessibility of most people. Wiring closets and data centers often are locked, and anyway, there are easier ways to subvert a network than by recabling it. That said, if you could protect traffic on the wire with no hit to performance, would you do so? You’ll be answering that question in the next few years as two new network security protocols come to a switch near you. Together, these two protocols–IEEE 802.1AE-2006, Media Access Control Security, known as MACsec; and an update to 802.1X called 802.1X-REV–will help secure Layer 2 traffic on the wire.