Boston College Leverages Enterasys Identity-based Networking
Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., has deployed an Enterasys identity-based networking solution to automatically prioritize and secure more than 20,000 networked devices used by over 15,000 students and employees. Enterasys Matrix® N-Series flow-based switches unify and secure three large campus locations in Chestnut Hill, Brighton, and Newton, Mass. and five smaller, remote sites.
MAC-based authentication for all users and guests is delivered at the edge of the network — all without the need to manually reconfigure each desktop or laptop computer or install any additional agent technologies. The identity-based edge access policies deliver granular visibility and control over the priority and security of networked users and applications, while providing custom policy based on university affiliation.
“As a leading university, we are committed to centralizing all of our electronic information assets in our data center, where they’re protected by both physical and logical security technologies,” said Joseph Harrington, Director of Network Services at Boston College. “The Enterasys identity-based edge access policies enable us to black hole users or devices which are infected with malware or violating our acceptable use policy guidelines. Authenticated students, faculty, and staff are provisioned automatically with network access throughout the campus based on the automated integration with our student information system and directory infrastructure.”
A network systems staff of 10 people has leveraged Enterasys’ role-based policy management to contain nuisance traffic and threats at the edge of the network. This policy-based approach enables more secure user mobility, as the same connectivity and priority privileges follow the user or device as they move around the network, without requiring continuous manual intervention for every move, add,
or change.
The edge provisioning and security capabilities of the Enterasys solution have enabled Boston College to substantially increase visibility and control over unknown users, guests, and systems. Unknown devices are redirected to a registration website and contained until such time as they can be properly authenticated based on role, to then be granted appropriate network access.
“Before, we had an open network where viruses, worms, and other intrusive traffic had the ability to slow down or even bring our network to a halt,” continued Harrington. “Now we have a high-quality, reliable, and secure network. The ease of installation, use, and maintenance along with the responsiveness of the Enterasys technical support team have been exceptional. Thanks to Enterasys, we are in a position to sufficiently address, mitigate, and eliminate any potential network threats before they become problematic.”
