HSEs provide the optimal, most efficient means of encrypting data across modern metro or wide area Ethernet networks. By encrypting the payload of Ethernet traffic, sensitive data (including all IP addresses) is kept completely private whilst the frame headers are left unencrypted so that traffic can still be switched across the network. Although HSEs are designed for use across layer 2 networks such as metro or carrier Ethernet services, they can also be effectively deployed across layer 3 MPLS or IP/VPN environments.
