Cisco: oneNAC is better than two

Security: Network Access Control This newsletter is sponsored by SonicWALL Risk Management Leads to a Secure Network Join this live Webcast on September 12, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT to learn how assessing your company's risk can lead to a more proactive sustainable security strategy. Hear respected security experts Andreas Antonopoulos from Nemertes Research and SonicWALL VP of Product Management, Patrick Sweeney, discuss this new risk management approach and its benefits. Click here to register today! Network World's Security: Network Access Control Newsletter, 09/04/07 Cisco: oneNAC is better than two By Tim Greene Cisco seems to be getting ready to further integrate its NAC gear under a program it calls oneNAC. While Cisco’s not acknowledging that name, oneNAC promises to be a new alignment of Cisco’s NAC appliance with its network based NAC Framework architecture. Cisco has said that the two NAC alternatives were established in part to give customers a variety of choices. The company’s original NAC architecture called for embedding NAC enforcement in network devices, but that was going to take some time for customers to make sure their Cisco network gear supported it. Network World Security Buyer's Guide Find the right security products for your enterprise - fast. From anti-spam to wireless LAN security, our Buyer's Guides have detailed information on hundreds of products in more than 20 categories. With the side-by-side comparison tool you can evaluate product features to make the best decision for your enterprise. Click here to go to the Security Buyer's Guide now. The Framework architecture required software and in some cases hardware upgrades for individual customers, and some of these upgrades were only available on a roadmap. The appliance can be installed in networks with less disruption and expense for customers that can’t wait or can’t afford to adopt the Framework. And Cisco has said that ultimately there will be individual customer cases requiring a blend of NAC technologies. According to a source familiar with what Cisco is saying to customers about its NAC plans, the NAC management server that is part of the NAC Appliance option will be able to determine policies under the NAC Framework as well. If Cisco succeeds with oneNAC it will help customers that want to start with a NAC appliance to fulfill a limited, targeted NAC need and then expand the deployment. Most NAC customers do start with NAC appliances, whether from Cisco or others, because they are simpler to deploy and are less disruptive of existing networks, says Rob Whiteley, an analyst with Forrester Research. If Cisco can show customers that the NAC Appliances they buy initially will also work within the more scalable NAC Framework option, it may persuade them to by into Cisco’s NAC gear.   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 SonicWALL Risk Management Leads to a Secure Network Join this live Webcast on September 12, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT to learn how assessing your company's risk can lead to a more proactive sustainable security strategy. Hear respected security experts Andreas Antonopoulos from Nemertes Research and SonicWALL VP of Product Management, Patrick Sweeney, discuss this new risk management approach and its benefits. Click here to register today! ARCHIVE Archive of the Security: 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