Cisco launches Network Admission Control (NAC) security solution for the mid-market and large enterprises

Cisco Clean Access Commercial represents one of the industry's first and most comprehensive Network Admission Control (NAC) solutions designed to automatically detect, isolate and clean infected or vulnerable wired and wireless devices that attempt to access a network.

Commenting on the announcement, Samer Al Kharrat, General Manager, Gulf Region, Cisco Systems, said, "Cisco Systems' Clean Access solution is an ideal solution for the mid market and enterprise segment adaptable to a variety of network infrastructures. The solution offers a full-fledged, competitively priced Network Admission Control (NAC) to organisations with up to 750 users."

Cisco Clean Access Commercial is an extension of the Cisco Clean Access family of NAC appliances including Cisco Clean Access Enterprise. The advanced and integrated suite of network security tools recognizes users, devices and their role in the network. This recognition occurs at the point of authentication, before malicious activity can cause any network damage. Cisco Clean Access solutions also evaluates if machines are compliant with security policies and enforce security policies by blocking, isolating and repairing non-compliant machines. Non-compliant wired or wireless machines are redirected into a quarantine area where remediation occurs.

Customers can deploy NAC functionality either through the NAC industry-collaborative framework or through the Cisco Clean Access product family. The Cisco Clean Access product family supports a wide variety of Cisco Systems products, including posture assessment and remediation support for Cisco System's switching, routing and wireless solutions.

Network Admission Control (NAC) is a Cisco Systems sponsored industry initiative that uses the network infrastructure to enforce security policy compliance on all devices seeking to access network computing resources, thereby limiting damage from viruses and worms. NAC is part of the Cisco Self-Defending Network, an initiative to increase network intelligence in order to enable the network to automatically identify, prevent, and adapt to security threats. There are 30 global partners for NAC including IBM, Symantec, Trend Micro, Computer Associates and Microsoft.