 | | | | | | | | | Network access control: Pointers for getting the knack of NAC
| Linda Tucci, Senior News Writer
Network access control (NAC) first got the attention of security pros in the wake of the Blaster worm in 2003. Here was a technology that checked student machines at the network gate and kept the sick and dangerous at bay. As one academic we interviewed gushed, who wouldn't want NAC on their network? Six years later, still lacking a single standard and proving more difficult to implement than it first appeared, network access control is nonetheless being hailed as a valuable, if not critical, security technology. Indeed, Forrester Research Inc. is predicting a blockbuster year for NAC, claiming in a recent report that this watchdog technology is fast becoming "a critical component in making many security initiatives efficient and a seamless part of the network infrastructure." Gartner Inc. research director Lawrence Orans calls NAC "a valuable defense that you can add to your network," adding "our advice is start doing NAC now." The technology has moved beyond simply checking and isolating an endpoint device that doesn't have up-to-date security protection to compliance, according to Forrester analyst Robert Whiteley. Now companies are using NAC to check endpoints continually for anomalous behavior and even to monitor employees' roles and rights to network access. NAC can shine a light on stuff you never knew or long forgot belonged to you, thus also helping with asset management.
READ FULL STORY
| | | | | | |
