Secure Access Central Update - March 2007
Our updates highlight both new services and content
on Secure Access Central and significant industry news. You can view the full
text for each topic by selecting the relevant link. We encourage you to share
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Network Admission Control: Balancing Security And The User Experience
Two strategies and a dozen tips help you improve your user’s NAC
While network access control (NAC) is one of the most talked-about network security topics, the NAC label itself is now applied to so broad a range of security solutions that it is practically meaningless—as vague as the term security itself. Fortunately, there is a common set of important security functions at the heart of most NAC solutions which everyone agrees is network admission control, the subject of this article. I refer to it here as small NAC (sNAC) as its scope is narrower: it enables authenticated users to access specific parts of a network based on the identity and security posture of their devices and helps them correct detected compliance problems.
The entire article authored by Dana Hendrickson is currently available on the Enterprise System Journal web site.
Network Admission and Access Control Product Selection Guide
In this online product selection guide ("PSG") we examine the requirements, technologies and products in different categories of NAC systems. This guide is currently available to registered users of Secure Access Central at no cost. To learn more read the abstract and table of contents at NAC PSG.
(Latest update: March 15)Lippis Report Issue 79: The New Role of IPS & NBAD for Internal NAC-based Security
In this report Nick Lippis presents his unusually broad view of what a "proper" strategic NAC solution should include. With network admission control anchoring one end of the NAC continuum and Nick's vision the other, there is clearly a wide range of NAC solutions that can provide valuable layers of network security. Choice is good. Figuring out what you need for your particular environment is admittedly difficult but doable. Learning about what is possible is always worthwhile. You are also encouraged to read the What is NAC? web page on this portal
Worldwide SSL VPN Gateway Sales Remained Strong in 2006
The SSL VPN market was an especially strong contributor to overall security sales in 2006. SSL VPN sales grew eleven percent sequentially in Q3, generating $78.7 million in revenue, and climbed 41 percent over Q4 2005. SSL VPN market share leaders for the year were Juniper, Citrix, F5, Aventail, Nortel and Cisco whose market shares were 27.1, 14.0, 11.4, 10.3, 9.0 and 8.5 percent, respectively. Please note the inclusion of Cisco in this category for the first time as they have ramped the capabilities of their product, which is now more competitive with other vendor's solutions. Highlights from the Synergy Research SSL VPN report are presented on Secure Access Central.
Gartner MarketScope for NAC, 2007
Breakaway Security is NOT a big fan of these reports. Since the detailed data behind the subjective Gartner judgments is absent you cannot draw your own conclusions about how well these companies and their products fit with your particular requirements. However, since Gartner's net ratings of individual NAC vendors will inevitably circulate widely in the marketplace we strongly recommend you read the report so you actually understand what it DOES and DOES NOT say. The full report is now available at the Bradford Networks web site.
End Point Security Strategies Part 2: The Endpoint Data Protection Benchmark Report
Users constantly access, manipulate, download and store sensitive data on their desktops and laptops. As a result it is critical to protect, control, and monitor this endpoint information. But how? Aberdeen Group’s second study on Endpoint Security focuses on the best practices for doing this. The complete report is currently available at no cost.