InfoExpress Takes Dynamic Approach

NAC solutions that use network infrastructure to protect against potential threats from mobile workers’ laptops coming into and out of the network can be expensive and time consuming because they typically require more subnets, VLANs and changes to RADIUS servers, said Stacey Lum, CEO of InfoExpress, Mountain View, Calif.

InfoExpress’ Dynamic NAC solution simplifies deployment of NAC by using software installed on network PCs to enforce corporate security policies and block unauthorized users. It works by organizing users into communities of clients, enforcers and authorized guests, Lum said.

“Dynamic NAC doesn’t require any new infrastructure or network reconfiguration. The enforcers continuously watch for unauthorized end points, and immediately isolate them from the rest of the network until they are compliant with security policies,” Lum said.

John Kasser, vice president for Internet and security services at Sayers, a Mount Prospect, Ill.-based solution provider, said it can take days to deploy an infrastructure-based NAC solution. But InfoExpress’ Dynamic NAC can be set up and configured in an hour, and its high level of security makes it an easy sell, he added.

“The primary thing people are concerned about with NAC is that it’s easy to use,” Kasser said. “You don’t want to bring a solution to the customer that is so complex that they get discouraged, and [you] need to have a reasonable balance between ease and sophistication.”

Dynamic NAC may be easy to set up, but does afford opportunities to offer value-added planning and configuration services, Kasser said.

NAC is an effective way of protecting the network from unauthorized outsiders, as well as the even greater risk of mobile workers, introducing threats once they come back inside the network, he said.

InfoExpress’ Dynamic NAC solution will be available in July starting at $49 per seat.