In today’s digitally driven world, businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on network connectivity to operate effectively. But with increased connectivity also comes increased risk exposure. Cyberattacks are on the rise, and more businesses are succumbing to security breaches, data loss, and other security-related issues. In fact, cybercrime damages are expected to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025. 

Your ability to protect your network from cyberattacks and unauthorized access while maintaining network performance and compliance with regulatory requirements is not a nice-to-have—it’s essential. With a Network Access Control (NAC) system in place, you can safeguard your network infrastructure and your data while maintaining business continuity.

5 Reasons to Implement a Network Access Control System

NAC is a security solution that restricts access to network resources based on users’ identities, roles, and devices. Today, more businesses are turning to NAC solutions, and here’s why:

1. Improve security: Cyberattacks are a significant threat to businesses of all sizes. Cyber hackers are always looking for new vulnerabilities that make it easy to install malware, access sensitive data, and disrupt business operations. By preventing unauthorized access to your network to protect sensitive data and prevent malicious attacks, network access control systems provide an added layer of security for greater peace of mind. NAC systems can also be used to enforce security policies that ensure only authorized users can access the network. Even if a cyber hacker gets through one layer of security, they will be faced with additional security measures that make it infinitely more difficult to launch an attack.
2. Comply with regulatory requirements: Many industries have strict data protection and privacy regulatory requirements—and failure to comply can result in lofty fines and a tarnished reputation. NAC systems enforce security policies that restrict access to the network based on predefined rules, ensuring only authorized users and devices can access the network. Plus, with the ability to deliver greater visibility and control over all devices that connect to the network, NAS makes it easy for you to monitor and manage the access of devices across the network—and automatically remove a non-compliant or malicious device. And with simpler auditing and reporting capabilities, NAS also simplifies auditing and reporting to support various regulations and standards.
3. Improve performance: Offering a secure and efficient network environment, NAC solutions can help businesses optimize network performance and productivity. As network traffic increases, its performance can take a hit, disrupting operations. By reducing the number of unauthorized devices that connect to the network and ensuring critical business traffic receives priority over non-critical traffic, NAC solutions help to reduce network congestion to boost performance. And with the ability to identify and address issues with connected devices before they create a problem, NAC also improves uptime.
4. Simplify network management: NAC solutions offer a centralized approach to network security, making it easy for administrators to easily control and monitor access to the network and enforce security policies. By automating the process of identifying and authenticating users and devices, NAC eliminates the need for manual configuration and management of network devices, which minimizes the risk of human error, reduces the workload on IT teams, and improves overall network security.
5. Boost productivity: NAC solutions ensure only authorized users can access the resources they need, which reduces the risk of data breaches and other security incidents that can lead to network downtime and lost productivity. By providing visibility into all devices that connect to the network, your IT team can quickly resolve issues and enforce security policies, which allows employees to work with confidence and without interruption.

By implementing an NAC system, your IT team can ensure the network is secure, reliable, and always available, while supporting regulatory compliance, network management, and network performance.

At Zunesis, we can help you protect your network infrastructure, safeguard sensitive data, and maintain business continuity with ClearPass from Aruba, a leading provider of NAC solutions that help businesses secure their network infrastructure while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. Providing robust network access control with granular role-based policies for authentication, authorization, continuous monitoring and enforcement, Aruba ClearPass gives you anywhere, anytime connectivity while supporting simplified network security operations and enforcing security policies.

Increased Vulnerability

 

 

Identifying what connects to the network is the first step to securing your enterprise.  Control through the automated application of wired and wireless policy enforcement ensures that only authorized and authenticated users and devices are allowed to connect to your network.  At the same time, real-time attack response and threat protection is required to secure and meet internal and external audit and compliance requirements.

 

 

 

Laptops, smartphones, tablets and Internet of Things (IoT) devices are pouring in the the workplace.  The average employee now utilizes an average of three devices.  The addition of IoT increases the vulnerabilities inside the business adding to the operational burden.

 

Wired and Wireless Devices

 

 

The use if IoT devices on wired and wireless networks is shifting IT’s focus.  Many organizations secure their wireless networks and devices. Some may have neglected the wired ports in conference rooms, behind IP phones and in printer areas.

 

 

Wired devices – like sensors, security cameras and medical devices force IT to think about securing the millions of wired ports that could be wide open to security threats.  Because these devices may lack security attributes and require access from external administrative resources, apps or service providers, wired access now poses new risks.

 

 

As IT valiantly fights the battle to maintain control, they need the right set of tools. Tools that can quickly program the underlying infrastructure and control network access for any IoT and mobile device – known and unknown.

 

 

Today’s network access security solutions must deliver profiling, policy enforcement, guest access, BYOD onboarding and more. They should offer IT-offload, enhanced threat protection and an improved user experience.

 

 

Mobility and IoT are Changing How We Think About Access Control

 

 

The boundaries of IT domains now extend beyond the four walls of business and the goal for organizations is to provide anytime, anywhere connectivity without sacrificing security.

 

 

How does IT maintain visibility and control without impacting the business and user experience?  It starts with a 3-step plan.

 

 

1. Identify – what devices are being used, how many, where they’re connecting from, and which operating systems are supported. This provides the foundation of visibility.  Continuous insight into the enterprise-wide device landscape and potential device security corruption.  Which elements come and go gives you the visibility required over time.
2. Enforce – accurate policies that provide proper user device access, regardless of user, device type or location; this provides an expected user experience. Organizations must adapt to today’s evolving devices and their use, whether the device is a smartphone or surveillance camera.
3. Protect – resources via dynamic policy controls and real-time threat remediation that extends to third-party systems. This is the last piece of the puzzle.  Being prepared for unusual network behavior at 3 AM requires a unified approach that can block traffic and change the status of a device’s connection.

 

 

 

Organizations must plan for existing and unforeseen challenges.  With their existing operational burden, it’s not realistic to rely on IT and help desk staff to manually intervene whenever a user decides to work remotely or buy a new smartphone.  Network access control is no longer just for performing assessments on known devices before access.

 

 

 

Aruba ClearPass

 

 

The stakes are high. It’s surprising that more companies have not embraced secure NAC to prevent malicious insiders from causing damage to the enterprise.  The uses cases are many-control devices connectivity, simplify BYOD, secure guest access leads to the same answer, Aruba ClearPass.

 

 

 

 

 

Over 7,000 customers in 100 countries have secured their network and their business with Aruba ClearPass.  They have achieved better visibility, control and response.  Shouldn’t you? Contact Zunesis to find out how you can secure your network.