Network access control solutions strengthen your security infrastructure with visibility, access control, and compliance capabilities.
When a device or user tries to connect, your NAC solution evaluates their identity and device type to determine whether they comply with your security policies. It can then block or allow the connection based on that information.
Improved Security
Network access control solutions work to secure devices that connect to a business’s corporate network. They avoid adding illegal devices in the first place and detect those already there so they can be removed from the web or adequately secured before a breach happens.
It is crucial for significant businesses that frequently engage with outside suppliers, contractors, and other stakeholders who want access to private company information. Using a NAC solution to grant access ensures these devices follow gold-standard security compliance and don’t become a vector into the network for cyberattacks.
In addition, NAC technical solutions can offer visibility features that effectively serve as a 24/7 inventory of all devices authorized to join the network. It helps IT staff better determine permission access rights and manage device life cycles for when they must be removed or replaced. This centralized approach helps eliminate the fragmented security problem that plagues many more extensive networks today. It’s a significant reason that so many organizations are turning to NAC solutions to help them strengthen their network parameters and reduce risk.
Improved Performance
Network access control solutions allow IT to continually assess the risk posture of devices that connect to corporate networks, whether on-site or remote. It is accomplished through risk assessment policies that evaluate device characteristics, like geo-location and security posture, to determine if the device belongs on the network. If it doesn’t, the NAC solution will quarantine the device or deny access to the web based on its security posture and business policy.
Network access control solutions also help improve network performance by ensuring that devices only have the resources they need; this is crucial for companies that depend on remote employees, collaborations with third parties, and employees using their own devices for work-related tasks.
Another performance benefit is continuous device maintenance, whereby NAC solutions automatically repair devices that don’t meet the organization’s standards. It can significantly lower the volume of support requests a team must manage and free up their time to work on more critical projects.
Reduced Costs
Solutions for network access control are an excellent investment, particularly for companies with a sizable number of remote workers. The increasing prevalence of BYOD policies, third-party collaborations, and IoT connectivity can make it challenging for IT staff to keep track of all devices and users on networks. NAC tools can help minimize these risks by mapping every device connected to a network and implementing policies that authorize only those devices or users who meet gold-standard security compliance requirements.
NAC tools also allow IT to quickly repair devices outside corporate risk regulations and restore them to a compliant posture, significantly reducing the cost of cyberattacks and other costly incidents. This feature is crucial for companies that must comply with strict data privacy and protection regulations, such as those in the healthcare industry or who deal with exponentially growing volumes of at-risk IoT devices.
The right NAC solution is also priced to fit an organization’s budget. Some products are based on hardware and placed in line with networks, while others operate out of the network’s direct path and connect to infrastructure devices such as switches and routers to apply the policy.
Better Compliance
Network access control helps businesses meet a variety of compliance regulations. It prevents unauthorized users and devices from joining the network in the first place and ensures that any device that does join is secure. In addition, it helps companies identify devices already on the web to ensure those devices comply with security rules and are disconnected when no longer needed.
In many large enterprises, guests, third-party contractors, and other stakeholders regularly use their mobile devices on company premises. It presents an additional challenge to keeping company systems safe because cybercriminals frequently launch attacks against these endpoints.
Network access control solutions can help by automatically detecting guest and non-employee devices and ensuring they only have Internet access and do not gain access to company resources. In addition, some solutions like ClearPass allow businesses to create policies based on user role, device type, health, traffic patterns, and location. It makes it easier to achieve gold-standard security compliance for the whole network.
Reduced Risk
NAC solutions can verify and authenticate users and devices, granting permission access rights (or automatically updating them) based on network policy rules. These permissions may be imported from existing directory systems or a centrally managed application programming interface (API).
Additionally, NAC may be used to track and categorize device behavior, making it simpler to spot and respond to abnormal activity that might indicate a cyberattack. It can even prevent malware threats that rely on unauthorized, unpatched devices.
In the context of BYOD, NAC solutions can provide a valuable way to manage the many different types of devices connecting to corporate networks. They can automatically repair devices that violate corporate risk regulations and return them to a safe posture before allowing network access. Minimizes security risks while saving administrators from manually repairing thousands of devices. NAC can ensure that specialized devices like printers and IP phones have the proper quality of service settings to maintain call clarity and performance. It helps organizations avoid the expense and headache of exempting these devices from NAC rules or developing complicated policies to accommodate them.
