Cisco Network Admission Control

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This guide addresses the security challenges faced by businesses today, including malware threats and the complexities introduced by a mobile workforce connecting various devices to corporate networks. Many of these devices lack essential antivirus updates and patches, increasing vulnerability to infections that disrupt operations and require constant remediation. Noncompliant servers and desktops are prevalent, making detection and isolation labor-intensive. Network Admission Control (NAC) leverages network infrastructure to enforce compliance with security policies for all devices accessing network resources, thereby mitigating risks from emerging threats. NAC grants access only to compliant and trusted devices while restricting and remediating noncompliant ones. This volume offers a comprehensive overview of NAC architecture, detailing each solution component and providing design guidelines for implementing network admission policies. It also addresses the management of agentless hosts. As a technical primer, the book elucidates the NAC Framework, its operational architecture, and relevant protocols, supplemented by sample worksheets to assist in designing a NAC solution. The authors bring extensive experience from their roles at Cisco, contributing to the Cisco Press Networking Technology Series, which aims to empower networking professionals in securing data and building resilient networks.