hi folks,
i am new to network security. I have just started my career as the Information Security Analyst in my company. As of now i have to implimient SNORT for the company network. But security is much more than just SNORT, i guess. So any links to useful pages, books etc. would be appreciated. Is there a certification i can go for? I've heard of many including CISSP,GISP (forgive me if i got them wrong!!). which is the best recognized?

Patch that kernel: http://grsecurity.net
PaX combined with grsecurity acts as an incredible safety net. Security is about layers. Don't let intruders get through them all.

Also check out libsafe: http://freshmeat.net/projects/libsafe/
Libsafe is pretty much the only missing piece in grsecurity. This will assist in protection from return-to-libc attacks.

Those are some basics from the tech side of things.

As for certifications, the CISSP is most respected by managers. However I know CISSPs that are not that bright, and I definitely wouldn't trust them to secure any of my machines or networks (like managers!). The GSEC certification by SANS is a certification that is respected amongst your peers. It doesn't necessarily prove your skills/credibility, but it is helpful to have.