Network Access Protection
Network Access Control (NAC) is the ability to control network access and usage based on a broad range of contextual information related to an endpoint connecting to a network. Microsoft’s Network Access Protection (NAP) is a policy enforcement technology built natively into the Windows Vista/XP SP3 and Windows Server 2008 operating systems that enables protection of network assets from unhealthy computers by enforcing compliance with network health policies. Microsoft NAP client is embedded into Windows Vista/XP SP3 and the NAP server component is part of Microsoft’s Network Policy Server (NPS), available exclusively on Windows Server 2008.
Enterasys currently supports Microsoft NAP deployments with Matrix and SecureStack switches running 802.1X authentication. Enterasys NAC (including both inline and out-of-band) supports transparent NAP integration for pre-connect authorization. Enterasys also provides post-connect assessment and authorization for all devices connected on a network.