Network Access Control Made Easy

Tim Hebert, CEO of Atrion Networking, a VAR in Warwick, R.I., said the first mistake he made with NAC was having Cisco Systems-centric people handling NAC implementations. "They were strong in networking and security, but the challenge with NAC is you start dealing a lot with end users for things like desktop and application issues," he said.

So Atrion decided to start having people with Microsoft skill sets handle the implementations, he said, because they could bring something that was a very important part of the NAC puzzle—an understanding of Active Directory and desktops.

Atrion gave its NAC staff a weeklong refresher course on basic TCP/IP skills, with emphasis on setting up virtual LANs, followed by a week of NAC product-focused instruction with formalized training and lab trials, Herbert said. After that, training concluded with a couple of days showing staff how to optimize the NAC solution.

While NAC touches both networking and security, VARs have to be especially good at discussing security issues with customers in order to close deals or at least be able to articulate common problems that companies struggle with that NAC can fix, Bybee said. "You have to have that firmly in your grasp before knocking on the door of any CIO or CSO," he said.

Preston Hogue, chief security officer at Network Computing Architects, a Seattle-based integrator, said the key to success with NAC is to have a strong security practice, because developing and enforcing policies are the armor that gives NAC solutions their effectiveness. "Implementation of NAC begins with making sure the network is architected properly, with the right switches and routers installed. But after you've done that, then it's all about policy," Hogue said.

Like other emerging technologies, VARs should expect to absorb some cost to get their staff trained on implementation. Cisco offers its channel partners discounted NAC training courses that help ensure that staff involved in deployments have the skills necessary to do it right, Hogue said. Network Computing Architects has sent four staff members through the training thus far, at a cost of $2,500 per person. "People that do NAC implementation work for us are generally more senior people because you need to have a deep understanding of switching and routing, which means it's not a good idea for entry-level people to be doing it," Hogue said.

VARs need to remember that profits from NAC implementations don't just end with the sale of a NAC solution. NAC can be treated as yet another layer of an overall security plan. Truly secure networks are built from various pieces of security technology, and NAC is only one piece of the puzzle.

VARs looking for opportunities can use NAC as a starting point to building unified security solutions, which encompass technologies ranging from secure remote access to anti-malware technologies to single sign-on solutions. In other words, NAC offers a huge integration opportunity for the security-savvy VAR. The lists of add-ons can be quite extensive and includes technologies such as endpoint control, patch management and security auditing. The idea here is for a VAR to build a product matrix of security technologies that uses NAC as a foundation. First, control who enters the network, then control what they can touch or do, all the while keeping unauthorized users, applications and devices at bay. It's a significant undertaking, to say the least, but one that brims with margins and service revenue.

VARs looking to get into the NAC market must evaluate vendors' technology as well as keep track of which vendors have taken channel-friendly routes to market, said Brian Haboush, vice president of business development at Intelligent Connections, a Royal Oak, Mich.-based solution provider.

But there is significant differentiation that exists between the channel programs of vendors in the NAC market, Haboush noted. "You have to evaluate several vendors to figure out what horse you're going to ride—that can be anything from testing a single product to [evaluating] multiple vendors," he said.

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