Aruba Networks, Inc. announced two advancements in Network Access Control (NAC), the process whereby devices are checked for security risks prior to admission onto a network. First, Aruba verified the interoperability of its user-centric networks with the three leading NAC solutions for devices managed by IT departments. Next, Aruba announced its new Endpoint Compliance System (ECS), a NAC solution that is especially well suited for unmanaged mobile devices, such as user-owned computers and PDAs, that are not as well served by the managed NAC solutions. Taken together these two advancements address the spectrum of managed and unmanaged devices, and offer users a comprehensive security solution for both fixed and mobile devices.

By verifying interoperability with the leading NAC solutions for managed devices, Aruba ensured that its network could be successfully integrated with all three major platforms. These platforms are Microsoft’s Network Access Protection (NAP), Juniper’s Unified Access Control (UAC), and Cisco’s Network Admission Control (NAC). The identity-based access feature of Aruba’s Mobility Controller authenticates users through the Active Directory, RADIUS, and LDAP databases used by these platforms. As a result all three NAC platforms, in addition to Aruba’s new ECS system, can compare device security settings against enterprise security policies such as the anti-virus software version, firewall settings or operating system patches. The Mobility Controller correlates this policy information with its knowledge of user behavior, environmental factors such as time and location, and third-party in-line security appliances such as IDS/IPS systems or anti-virus devices. Any discrepancy will be flagged and the device quarantined or blacklisted.

Aruba’s new ECS tool extends Aruba’s NAC offering to include threat assessment and policy decision making, and excels in the area of unmanaged devices, an area not well covered by the three major NAC solutions. Unmanaged devices typically include transient devices such as PCs and PDAs owned by users and not under the management of the facility’s IT staff, a situation typically found in universities and hospitals. Working in conjunction with Aruba’s user-based stateful firewall, policy enforcement is role-based and can be implemented as RF-level blacklisting, quarantining for immediate remediation, and redirection to third-party in-line security services such as anti-virus tools. Aruba’s firewall allows quarantined users to be securely isolated, something not easily accomplished with traditional VLAN isolation. By protecting against risks from viruses, malicious attacks, and unauthorized clients, the new ECS tool is designed to mitigate common security risks.

Aruba’s ECS tool is available now.

Marc Jacob B  

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August 2007