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Network Management Solutions Provider MetaInfo Introduces New Extensible Architecture for Network Access Protection

Posted on: Tuesday, 18 October 2005, 09:00 CDT

MetaInfo, a leading provider of network infrastructure management solutions, today announced SAFE Registration Framework, a new extensible architecture the company is introducing for network access protection. Designed as an alternative to IEEE 802.1x and other proposed standards for network access control and protection, SAFE Registration Framework is an extension to MetaInfo's standards-based infrastructure services that allows enterprises to monitor and control network access according to their pre-defined standards.

As with 802.1x and other proposed standards, SAFE Registration Framework is designed to meet one of the growing concerns to enterprises: the need for enhanced network access protection to prevent unauthorized users or unhealthy systems from gaining access to network resources. In a recent survey by industry research firm IDC, corporate IT managers ranked access by unauthorized users as their number one security concern regarding workstations and laptops within the enterprise, followed by anti-virus protection and policy enforcement. At present, most networks allow users full access to network resources while authenticating and verifying the health of the machines. It is in those few moments that malware and other malicious code can be released from infected machines throughout the network, with devastating results.

With SAFE Registration Framework, IT managers are able to quarantine all systems attempting to access the network until the user's identity is authenticated and the health of the machine is verified. By quarantining computers before they have access to network resources, enterprises can reduce or eliminate this security risk. At the same time, SAFE Registration Framework enables security products vendors, such as anti-virus and policy enforcement, to integrate their products with little or no modification, providing a platform by which enterprises can protect network access. Unlike 802.1x and other proposed standards, SAFE Registration Framework is cross-platform, does not require costly hardware upgrades, and is available now.

"SAFE Registration Framework offers enterprises the opportunity to add network access protection now, using their current resources and without the need for costly hardware upgrades and/or switching to a proprietary system," said Grant Asplund, president of MetaInfo. "With standards such as IEEE 802.1x or proprietary systems such as Cisco, enterprises must invest in significant hardware upgrades to achieve network access protection. With SAFE Registration Framework, however, enterprises can add network access protection seamlessly simply by using products that are compliant with the Framework."

"Unauthorized network access is becoming a primary vector for the spread of worms and other malicious software in enterprise settings," said Daniel Golding, analyst for industry research firm The Burton Group. "802.1x authentication has significant hidden costs, particularly in the area of desktop support. Alternatives that utilize DHCP authentication and MAC address security should be given careful consideration by enterprise network managers."

According to the company, SAFE Registration Framework will be incorporated in a series of upcoming products from MetaInfo, including SAFE Registration Server, introduced today in a separate announcement. Additionally, the company has formed the SAFE Network Alliance to support "best of breed" third party vendors wishing with to integrate their solutions with SAFE Registration Framework.

"We've been using SAFE Registration Framework to assist our organization in establishing controls on network access mandated as a result of a recent Sarbanes-Oxley audit," said Robert Colborn of Duquesne Power and Light, who received support from MetaInfo's local partner, Cadre, a Midwestern security solutions provider, to install SAFE Registration Framework. "We evaluated a number of solutions, and selected SAFE Registration Framework because it was a simple process to deploy within our organization. We've found SAFE Registration Framework to be bulletproof and to work without a hitch. As a result, we plan to upgrade to the SAFE Registration Server to further assist with our network access protection needs."

How it works

SAFE Registration Framework is an extensible architecture that uses current, industry standard infrastructure resources to provide a conceptual "skeleton" or framework by which MetaInfo and other security products vendors can integrate their products. Leveraging MetaInfo's SAFE DHCP, standards based IP service that authenticates users before they have access to network resources, SAFE Registration Framework provides new capabilities in "best of breed" anti-virus, security and policy enforcement products by enabling them to interact and perform their task at the network endpoint, before users have access to full network resources. With the SAFE Registration Framework, software products from various vendors can interact with the host computer as if they were "live" on the network, but all the while quarantined from full network resources until computers attempting to access the network are authenticated and the health of the systems is verified.

About MetaInfo

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, MetaInfo provides secure IP foundations for network infrastructures. Its flagship product, Meta IP, provides unified network access management and endpoint access protection in a single product. Meta IP is used by enterprises in a variety of industries, including healthcare, finance and government. The company's U.S. headquarters are in the historic Pioneer Square district of downtown Seattle, Washington. For further information, please contact MetaInfo by phone at 206-674-3700 or visit the company's web site at www.metainfo.com.

Source: Business Wire

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