We were only partially correct. Infrastructure gear must support protocols like 802.1x and enforcement mechanisms, but much NNV decision-making is done elsewhere. After spending some time with racks full of this next-generation gear, we realized this new combination of 802.1x- and RADIUS-based re-encapsulation isn't necessarily vendor-specific. The technique winds up, from a design perspective, pushing the intelligence off onto two other points: the endpoint agent and the upstream "authorization" component.
Sygate, which was recently acquired by security consolidator Symantec, has been in the endpoint-protection business for its entire existence. Although its endpoint-management technology is some of the most mature on the market, boasting customer deployments of more than 100,000 internal nodes, the company recently started shipping RADIUS-enabled authorization servers, dubbed Sygate NAC (for, in this case, network access control) that could deliver a lot of the functionality found in, say, Phase II of Cisco's NAC initiative. Plus, using the RADIUS-802.1x combination, Sygate has successfully implemented the basic VLAN assignment and quarantining approaches found on a multitude of switching platforms, including those from Enterasys, Extreme Networks and Foundry Networks, making Sygate NAC cross-vendor-friendly. Unfortunately, Sygate's product lacks Linux or Mac OS X client agents, which puts it in the same boat as the other initiatives in the shortcomings department.
Unfortunately, we were unable to test Sygate's suite in action, but we hope to do so in the coming months. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how Symantec integrates this technology, and what type of role it will play in offering comprehensive alternatives to Juniper's Unified Access Control Suite or Cisco's NAC.
Verizon is demoing crowd analytics technology that uses 5G along with AI and mobile edge computing to give stadium operators insights into the flow of fans throughout a venue.
As we move closer to fully realizing the potential of Wi-Fi 7, it becomes evident that the RF, signaling, and throughput tests are not merely procedural checkpoints but the pillars of excellence in wireless communication.
With low earth orbit (LEO) satellites fast becoming the norm and 3GPP unifying telecom standards around the globe, the satellite IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) sector ought to be looking at a bright horizon. But is this the case?
