• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Bradford Networks' New NAC Director(TM) Strengthens Microsoft Network Access Protection With Control Over Guest Access

Posted on: Wednesday, 7 February 2007, 12:00 CST

Bradford Networks, a leading provider of comprehensive network access control (NAC) solutions and a Microsoft Network Access Protection (NAP) partner, announced that Bradford's new NAC Director™ product line gives organizations running Microsoft Network Access Protection the power to manage and control guest access to the Internet while validating that guest laptops comply with established network security policies.

With Bradford Networks' NAC Director working in concert with Network Access Protection, guest laptops are validated and granted temporary access to the Internet for email, web access, and other appropriate network activities. As companies protect network assets by deploying the policy enforcement platform in Network Access Protection, the daily challenge of how to allow guests and contractors temporary access is an issue IT personnel confront every day, as customers, partners, contractors, and guests need Web access.

Bradford Networks is demonstrating NAC Director at booth #447 at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, February 5-9.

Network Access Protection is a policy enforcement technology built into the Windows Vista and Windows Server (code-named "Longhorn") operating systems that allows customers to better protect network assets from unhealthy computers by enforcing compliance with network health policies. Microsoft Network Access Protection technology is publicly available with trial versions of Windows Vista, and available to select partners and customers with Beta 2 of the future version of Windows Server "Longhorn."

"We have hundreds of contractors and guests at our offices every year and Internet connectivity is vital for them to be productive while they are here," said Bob Chin, Cofounder and EVP, NaviMedix, Inc., a leading eHealth solutions vendor based in Cambridge, MA. "At the same time, we need to know that their laptops are safe according to our standards and they have access to only the services they truly need for only the time they are on site."

When deployed on a network using Microsoft Network Access Protection, NAC Director will work with NAP Network Policy Servers as a RADIUS proxy to detect a guest laptop without an active Network Access Protection agent and redirect the user to NAC Director's captive portal, which will validate the configuration and grant network access. Because NAC Director grants access according to user identity and user role, the guest will have access to just the parts of the network authorized by the IT manager.

NAC Director will be generally available in March 2007.

"The efficiency of NAC Director's handling of guest access makes it a robust solution for Microsoft Network Access Protection," said Mike Schutz, group product manager of Security and Access Products at Microsoft Corp. "The use of user-based policy gives IT managers the flexibility to control who gets access to what part of the network."

About Bradford Networks

Bradford Networks is dedicated to solving the security challenges facing enterprise, institutions and government by developing innovative network access control solutions for wired, wireless and VPN networks that deliver automated security services by leveraging existing network infrastructures and investments. Privately held, Bradford Networks is located in Concord, NH. For more information, call (603) 228-5300 or visit www.bradfordnetworks.com.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category