This, of course, bodes well for infrastructure vendors, especially Cisco, whose framework is based on using its switches as enforcement points. Other approaches also require support in the network infrastructure, leading such vendors as Enterasys Networks, Extreme Networks, Hewlett-Packard and Nortel Networks to add features that make their gear more NAC-friendly. Microsoft's Network Access Protection (NAP), for example, uses a nonstandard version of 802.1X alongside IPsec, which is why the company has partnered with almost every networking vendor in the last two years. However, many vendors say they can support Microsoft's extended 802.1X version anyway, so users may need fewer upgrades than anticipated.
Hidden Hits
Cost and complexity are the biggest barriers to NAC adoption, but the fastest growing concern is NAC's impact on productivity. This can mean specific application conflicts, or fears that it will prevent people from connecting to the network and doing their jobs. Whereas respondents last year complained about a general trade-off between security and productivity, this year they were more likely to mention NAC's incompatibility with particular applications, such as CRM and ERP.
As "System Incompatibilities", shows, a majority of readers planning NAC are now highly or very highly concerned about its impact on productivity software.
"Security can be your own denial-of-service attack if you go overboard," said one respondent, whose main worries are about incompatibility with remote-access clients. A system dependent on an IPsec VPN, for instance, can't co-exist with a softphone that requires direct access to the Internet.
The new HPE Aruba 730 series Wi-Fi 7 access points tout high performance, enhanced security, location tracking capabilities, and more.
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.
