McAfee, Inc. Strengthens Position in Network Access Control Market

McAfee, Inc. (NYSE: MFE), the leading dedicated security technologycompany, today unveiled its network access control (NAC) strategy. The solution leverages McAfee's leadership position in integrated enterprise-scale security management and policy enforcement, as well as McAfee's unique expertise in both system and network security.

McAfee® NAC, powered by McAfee Policy Enforcer, gives medium to large businesses anywhere, anytime access to corporate networks for their employees, guests and contractors, while protecting valuable assets from the risk of endpoint malware and misconfiguration.

McAfee NAC provides:

NAC Now: Allows customers to implement a complete NAC solution,leveraging existing endpoint and network security investments.
Safer Networks & Endpoints: Only endpoints free of infections gain network access. McAfee AVERT Labs continually and automatically updates recommended lists for infection checking.
Unified Security Management & Policy Compliance: McAfee Policy Enforcer is designed as a module of ePolicy Orchestrator®, allowing customers to deploy a fully-functioning NAC solution immediately, leveraging a single console for both security management and policy compliance.

"To maintain the availability and integrity of the IT infrastructure in the face of a rapidly changing threat environment, businesses should implement a NAC process and architecture," said Lawrence Orans, Gartner research analyst. "This helps evaluate the security of a system or user as it connects to the network; monitors the security of systems that are already connected; and implements network access and system remediation policies based on the system, the threat environment and the user's identity."

"Most NAC solutions only check to see if you're compliant, but don't check to see if you've been infected with malware or unwanted programs," said Andre Gold, director of information security, Continental Airlines. "McAfee's network access control solution provides detailed policy checks that gives insight into our assets, applications and their associated risks, and also checks to see if an endpoint is infected in the first place, before allowing it onto our network."

McAfee's comprehensive NAC strategy aims to deliver the most complete and flexible NAC solution to suit any customer environment. Five-step process outlined below enables complete risk management when endpoints connect to the network.

Policy Definition:

Seamless integration of McAfee Policy Enforcer with ePolicy Orchestrator, providing fully integrated security management and policy enforcement on a single centralized console. Smart & flexible policy control such as highly granular and location-aware policies.

Detection:

Identifies all endpoints connecting the network regardless of network access modality. Supports agented, agent-less and agent-on -demand endpoint access

Assessment:

In-depth assessment of managed as well as unmanaged systems using hybrid local and remote scan powered by industry-leading Foundstone technology. It assesses compliance for patch level, OS & application updates, security applications and infections.

Enforcement:

Broad enforcement choices including, but not limited to, self-enforcement, switch-enforcement, 802.1x, VPN APIs, DHCP, Cisco Network Admission Control, Microsoft Network Access Protection (NAP), and Trusted Network Computing (TNC). Allows for policy enforcement even when the system is off the network. Enables full, partial, quarantine, or no network access driven by compliance level.

Remediation:

Flexible remediation options span security application updates; vulnerability shielding using host IPS for pre-patch protection; as well as patch deployment. Customer-driven choice of one-click and automated remediation.

Driven by the enforcement method of choice, McAfee allows customers to deploy a NAC solution today on their existing heterogeneous network, while providing a foundation for future network upgrades.

"The McAfee NAC framework includes a proven policy management infrastructure that already manages over 40 million endpoints today," said Rees Johnson, vice president of product management at McAfee. "McAfee is the only pure play security vendor with extensive expertise in both endpoint and network security. Now, it offers the industry's only policy management system to combine comprehensive security protection tightly integrated within a NAC policy framework."

McAfee NAC creates new opportunities for its channel partners, allowing them to add value by providing quick start NAC implementation services that helps their customers to deploy a fully-functioning NAC solution. McAfee channel partners act as trusted advisors to help implement and manage security solutions, providing services such as vulnerability assessment, security policy planning, and training.

About The Author:

Lawrence Orans is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.help-desk-software-n-application.com. The latest information for computer help desk software, IT help desk software, software programs and help desk support software.