MSP News
ForeScout Unveils NAC-as-a-Service Platform for Managed Service Providers
November 01, 2011
Based in Northern California and first opening its door in 2000, ForeScout Technologies provides automated security control platform software and hardware that allows customers to increase infrastructure accessibility while remaining highly secure. According to Forrester, the company is the top ranked NAC vendor by product offering and execution.
Today, the company launched its NAC platform for managed service providers, allowing providers to extend their service portfolio with regards to network access control, endpoint security, mobile security and threat prevention.
As the bring your own device (BYOD) trend continues to increase in popularity, businesses are requiring a well designed, easy to manage risk prevention solution that can fully automate processes and controls for anything accessing a corporate network. What can provide an ultra high level of security within BYOD policies? Analyst firm Gartner has recommended NAC as a great means to enable BYOD policy.
MSPNews™ recently had the chance to speak with Scott Gordon, vice president of worldwide marketing, ForeScout Technologies all about the new NAC as a Service platform and the many benefits it can offers MSPs.
“Network access control basically allows companies to in real-time apply policies to all IP devices that are attempting to attach to corporate network, whether it be servers, desktops, notebooks, phones, videophones or printers. Essentially what we are able to do is identify the device including who the user is associated with the device, what the device is, what the configuration of that device is, what is the security posture of the device, as well as where the device is and when is it requesting access and then based on those parameters, the system applies a security policy. Administrators can activate policies that allows the user or device immediate and full access, or if there is an issue, would potentially deny users access, limit their access or attempt to fix or resolve some of the security issues resolved with that device in a highly automated fashion,” Gordon said.
The NAC-as-a-Service Platform for Managed Service Providers is a packaged solution which encompasses a virtual appliance software, a CounterACT virtual appliance and the enterprise manager virtual appliance, allowing MSPs to deploy these solutions fully at the customers premise, or position the CounterACT appliance at the customer’s premise and enterprise manager at the MSPs operation site, and enables them to roll out a complete network access control service leveraging ForeScout’s platform.
When asked about what benefits MSPs will see from this solution, Gordon added, “If you look at the MSP market on the security side, there are quite a number of service providers offering firewall services, intrusion detections services, VPN services, web filtering and malware services, security information management services. Those are to some degree fairly mature markets. So, if you’re a MSP, it can be more difficult to differentiate yourself from others because many of them are all selling very similar services to yours. With our solution, MSPs can expand their portfolio to now introduce NAC-as-a-Service which allows them to have another strategic solution to sell into their install base and also to generate new business.”
“I think what makes our product more capable comparatively to others is that with our solution, it is fully integrated so all of the functionality including access control, guest management, asset management, mobile security and remediation is fully integrated into our one appliance. This equates to less CPE to configure, upgrade and maintain. Our product is also fully interoperable. Since we are largest independent NAC provider on the market, we have to interface with almost all of the most popular network infrastructure and security infrastructure that MSPs would be most likely face when introducing a product to their client. As a result, our solution fits into more prospect environments and offers a faster deployment and time to value for both customer and provider.
In addition, the platform is extremely easy to implement, manage, and scale. Gordon said, “If you can imagine network access control, you have the ability based on policy to block or limit access to a network. You certainly want to do that for security purposes, but at the same time you have to recognize if there is a mistake or error, if a policy is not flexible or you are unable to test in advance of it’s application – this like other security tools can cause an MSP to be very disruptive to organization’s business. With our solution, we don’t require agents, we allow you to discover and monitor before implementing access controls, and you can even phase in the level of enforcement. In essence, this means our approach is non-disruptive, and it allows for MSPs to implement without impacting a client’s business before providing value.”
Not only is their growth among mid-tier commercial markets for managed or cloud services, but the government is also outsourcing IT services. Recently, this NAC-as-a-service platform achieved Common Criteria ELA 4+ certification, which makes the company the highest and most recently certified NAC solution for government markets that require such certification.
Furthermore at TMC’s semi-annual ITEXPO West 2011 that took place in Austin, Texas, Gordon sat down with Erik Linask, group managing editor at TMC to discuss everything ForeScout. To watch the full video, click here.
Jamie Epstein is a MSPNews™ Web Editor. Previously she interned at News 12 Long Island as a reporter's assistant. After working as an administrative assistant for a year, she joined TMC as a Web editor for MSPNews™. Jamie grew up on the North Shore of Long Island and holds a bachelor's degree in mass communication with a concentration in broadcasting from Five Towns College. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
