Microsoft donates its NAP software to the public

Network Access Control This newsletter is sponsored by Network General Ease Application Performance Headaches Four real-world case studies show you how network IT executives are improving performance in Network World's latest Executive Guide, "Perfecting App Performance Management." Also, discover tips, trends and expert advice on how you can take advantage of new technologies to stay ahead of performance problems. Click here to download Network World's Network Access Control Newsletter, 05/24/07 Microsoft donates its NAP software to the public By Tim Greene Microsoft has donated part of its network access protection (NAP) software to the public, and it has been picked up by the Trusted Computing Group as one of its NAC standards. The protocol is used for the communication between the device trying to get on the network and the server deciding if it actually will. The protocol comes as part of Microsoft’s Vista client, so it will be pretty available on network endpoints after awhile, making it somewhat simpler for business users to deploy NAC. Along with the announcement of Microsoft’s contribution, Juniper announced that its NAC architecture is compatible with the Microsoft protocol. In other words, they work together, and they demonstrated this at Interop Las Vegas. Discover the Business of Gaining Organizational Support for your Security Initiatives. September 10-11, 2007 | The Fairmont Chicago How do you get everyone from the boardroom to the mailroom to comply with your security initiatives? Come collaborate with peers on critical business topics like this at The Security Standard-the only business summit for senior security executives. For the latest in planning and management strategies. Click here for more details Absent from this news is Cisco, whose own CNAC scheme employs its own client software - the Cisco Trust Agent - and uses its own protocol. Cisco is also not a member of TCG so pays little attention to TCG’s standards. Instead, Cisco is working on standards within the IETF, which doesn’t even have formal proposals yet for this particular protocol. TCG and IETF efforts are to make it possible for customers of NAC to pick and choose among the makers of the many pieces that comprise NAC deployments. TCG seems to be working faster at it. NAC is still developing, and vendors of NAC gear are feverishly trying to get customers and stake out claims to as many NAC customers as possible. This is a standard part of any technology development. Also standard is the development of standards, which usually happens after the vendors have already staked out customers. That is what is happening here. TCG and its members are coming up with standards early because it helps them grab early customers. Cisco isn’t participating because it can grab more customers by waiting for later standards. Meanwhile, the Microsoft contribution is good for Microsoft because it makes its Vista client more valuable to customers. It is also good for non-Cisco NAC vendors for whom it means more possible sales.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: Tim Greene is a senior editor at Network World, covering network access control, virtual private networking gear, remote access, WAN acceleration and aspects of VoIP technology. You can reach him at tgreene@nww.com. This newsletter is sponsored by Network General Ease Application Performance Headaches Four real-world case studies show you how network IT executives are improving performance in Network World's latest Executive Guide, "Perfecting App Performance Management." Also, discover tips, trends and expert advice on how you can take advantage of new technologies to stay ahead of performance problems. Click here to download ARCHIVE Archive of the Network Access Control Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007