Choosing The right NAC Solution – How to lasso your devices

LASSO

It’s no fun herding cats. They are difficult to control, and it’s nearly impossible to tell one cat from another when they’re scattered all over the place.

Network administrators undoubtedly can relate. Controlling their company’s network access essentially amounts to “herding” numerous independent devices that are sometimes unpredictable (they’re not all safe) and hard to distinguish.

Many administrators have all but thrown their hands in the air. They’ve tried a network access control (NAC) solution — maybe several of them — and found it difficult to deploy or maintain. Or their current solution is in dire need of updating but they’re unsure if a new offering is worth trying.

NAC solutions have been around seemingly forever — actually for more than a decade — but they are still relevant. The increase in Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) in the workplace, Internet of Things (IOT) applications, and machine-to-machine networks means there’s more of a need than ever for an effective access control solution. Businesses recognize they can no longer rely on IT administrators who wear too many hats as they frantically attempt to balance productivity – approving authorized and safe devices – with security.

The NAC market is expected to grow by 30.2% yearly over the next six years, according to Grand View Research. A rising demand – a growing clamor, so to speak – for manageable and insightful endpoint intelligence is prompting businesses to seek innovative NAC solutions. Shouldn’t your enterprise be one of the many businesses that invests in a NAC solution that can herd all devices? If you’re debating the value of a new NAC solution, here are three basic reasons why your business should consider investing in an effective one.

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  1. You’ll Be in ControlAs the children’s author Dr. Seuss once said, “Only you can control your future.” If you can’t control the devices on your network, you won’t be able to control your network. An uncontrollable network leads to uncontrollable business losses.A NAC solution that lets you control all of your networks – wired, wireless, VPN, cloud and virtual – and fine-tune access is the type of solution that truly provides control. Your network pro will also thank you for lowering his stress level.
  • You’ll See Everything trying to access your network

We’ve cited this Riverbed survey before but it’s more relevant than ever: 150 network engineers said they were suffering from not having full device and application visibility. And no organization likes to lose money, especially a taxpayer-funded one, but it was alarming to see in that same survey that poor network and app visibility at U.S. federal agencies cost $1 million per hour in lost productivity.

Full network visibility increases productivity. IT teamss can’t keep up with the many devices trying to access their company networks. And it’s not just the devices they know; the larger problem is trying to determine whether they should grant access to the devices of guests or the ones that look legitimate but really aren’t. Any device that connects to a network can find its way to the data, to your crown jewels… And this is what keeps your IT pro stressed – all of the time.

  • You’ll Find it Easy to Use

A NAC solution doesn’t have to be difficult to deploy or manage. Complicated solutions only take away valuable time that should be spent controlling your network. NAC solutions, such as the ones offered by Portnox, are simple to use. Such solutions give administrators the ability to add or remove device access without having to jump through hurdles; and access is bending, accommodating always-changing risk profiles. It’s easy to control control.

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