Network Access Control key components
The following categories are very important in evaluating the fit of any Network Access Control System with regards to your company’s business and security needs.
NAC key components
- Operationally Transparent – Should not impact performance, reliability, or stability of your internal network. Impact to non-compliant systems/users is acceptable.
- Varying Endpoints – Should handle DHCP and statically addressed endpoints that may be managed or unmanaged Windows, Linux, Solaris, etc.
- Compliancy – Should check for compliance at network connect time and periodically afterward with remediation options.
- Differentiated Access – Must provide varying levels of access such as Full Access, Quarantine, Limited, Guest, or None.
- Compatibility – Must integrate with the existing multi-vendor infrastructure (LAN, Wireless, Remote Access, and Authentication Stores) without a complete overhaul.
- Visibility – Should provide global auditing for ALL systems on your network, their compliancy status, and their owners.
- Flexibility – Should allow for the flexible definition of different policies for different environments and management of exceptions.
