Network Access Control Market Gaining Steam

Network access control solutions ensure that the devices that connect to the corporate network are in line with established security policies and that laptops are free of viruses, worms and other malware before they’re allowed to reconnect. A growing number of companies also are using the technology as a way to comply with federal and state regulations.

Paul Adamonis, manager of security technology solutions at Forsythe Solutions Group, Skokie, Ill., said network access control allows customers to verify the identity of the connecting user. Future rollouts will include tighter controls in the identity and access management space, providing the ability to restrict access to the needed resources, he added.

Companies are still trying to understand what network access control means from a technical and cost perspective, said Dan Thormodsgaard, manager of business development professional services at FishNet Security, a Kansas City, Mo. VAR. “The challenge of [network access control] is there really isn’t a business driver to do it. Instead you are doing it to avoid network outages and lost productivity. There’s enough pain there that people want to do it, but they’re struggling to justify the cost.”

Compliance is a future driver for network access solutions, Thormodsgaard said. FishNet is working with a national bank that implemented the technology after a government audit of activity on its wireless network. “We’re starting to see some avenues for it on the compliance side,” he said.