Network Admission Control

Information security threats are growing faster than ever. The time between discovery of vulnerability and the availability of malware to exploit it has decreased from months and weeks to days or even hours. System downtime, recovery, and remediation efforts due to threats such as viruses and worms are costly and unpredictable. The demand to make business resources and information easily available corresponds to exposure to higher risks.

Few organisations today are closed entities with well-defined security perimeters. Mobile users bring their laptops and handheld devices in and out of the office. Remote-access users connect from homes and public locations. Business outsourcing requires direct partner access to the internal network. Onsite visitors, vendors, and contractors may need physical access to the internal network to accomplish their work. Even traditional in-the-office workers are subject to threats coming through Internet access, e-mail use, instant messaging, and peer-to-peer (P2P) activities. Traditional security products acting independently are no longer adequate in the new business environment.

Network Admission Control (NAC) allows only compliant and trusted endpoint devices, such as PCs, servers, and PDAs, onto the network, restricting the access of noncompliant devices, and thereby limiting the potential damage from emerging security threats and risks. Access is controlled based on device compliance status, device behaviour, and user credentials. NAC can deny access to unauthorised users and noncompliant devices or redirect them to a quarantine and remediation area.