This post was written by Jason Stella
Kyocera KR2 is a portable Wi-Fi router that lets you share a cellular broadband connection from Verizon Wireless and Sprint (S) with a group. The biggest improvement with the KR2 may be the switch to the 802.11n flavor of Wi-Fi, which carries the wireless signal farther than the 802.11g transmitter in the KR1. The market for the KR2 isn’t huge. Many mobile professionals can make do with Wi-Fi or a solo cellular data account. But it’s a great option for those who want to set up a quick network or share access.
Cisco 851W Integrated Services router is one of the best routers to use; throughout its usage. It dissipates packets faster than you can think of. However, a whole lot should be said about restarting routers, it has been a routine since have known something about networking, this particular router is not exempted but its own is quite manageable. Nevertheless, configuring a Cisco router, you need a Cisco specialty to do that compared to other routers in the market. All in all, Cisco routers are still the best, although expensive.
McAfee network-access control has a strong foundation in the breadth of security checks and a mature endpoint-security management platform, but it lacks some standard NAC capabilities, such as a captive portal for guest users, the ability to authenticate users against external repositories and the option of creating custom endpoint checks. It does not support direct integration for external authentication, but relies on the authentication information on the endpoint accessed by the agent software. In its current iteration, this product would be a good fit for those looking for an easy introduction to NAC.
Mirage Networks, developer of patented, full-cycle Network Access Control (NAC) technology, has released a ruggedized appliance that is designed for environments where standard equipment cannot be deployed. The new appliance withstands temperature extremes, vibration and airborne contaminants - conditions that occur in less than ideal environments where computing equipment is essential. Independently tested to comply with select MIL-STD-810F standards, the ruggedized NAC appliance was engineered for industrial environments in gas and energy, transportation, military and manufacturing organizations.
ForeScout Technologies, Inc. has announced that its CounterACT(TM) Wireless Integration kit has been tested and proven interoperable with Meru Networks. Meru’s Wireless Interoperability & Network Solutions (WINS(TM)) lab verified the interoperability of the ForeScout CounterACT NAC platform with Meru’s virtual cell wireless infrastructure. Verification ensures that customers can deploy ForeScout solutions on Meru’s WLAN infrastructure without having to do their own extensive testing. The CounterACT wireless integration kit is available through local ForeScout representatives and supports the entire family of Meru wireless network controllers.
Napera is expanding the capabilities of its box. New software for the appliance enables a gateway firewall, support for a remote-access VPN and a DHCP server. The firewall is a basic, packet-filtering product along the lines of what is offered in a small office-home office appliance. The VPN relies on the point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP) support in Windows XP and Vista client software as well as Apple’s OSX. With PPTP, remote users will connect over the Internet to the Napera appliance, establish a VPN tunnel and submit to a NAC test.
Mirage Networks’ NAC solution has been selected by Rich Products Corporation of Buffalo, New York to reduce the risk of system downtime through proactive identification of infected clients and provide self-healing capabilities for assets to meet security requirements. Mirage’s NAC (Network Access Control) technology enables maximum network performance by controlling network access, monitoring network behavior, isolating non-compliant endpoints, and providing self-remediation capabilities. Mirage’s network-based solution requires no agent software, deploys virtually inline, and works in any environment.
ForeScout Technologies, a market leader in clientless network access control (NAC) and policy management solutions for large enterprises, said that the Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), a not-for-profit mortgage lender that services developers of multifamily housing, has deployed the CounterACT family of NAC appliances in its financial services network. According to Chris O’Keefe, Director of Information Management at CPC: “We adopted CounterACT to protect our internal network against viruses or malware introduced through visitors’ laptops. CounterACT integrated quickly and seamlessly with our existing heterogeneous network. We deployed the CounterACT appliances in less than a day and I was able to use it to audit connected devices for policy compliance and manage real time updates immediately.”
NeoAccel is coming out with a software version of its NAC-Plus and VPN-Plus that can run on virtual machines. Customers that want to try out the platforms can download the software and hardened operating system and a VMware player - everything they need to try out the platforms except the hardware. The company says that customers can download the software version of its NAC-Plus and VPN-Plus on any laptop, desktop or server hardware will do, making this an economical way to test out NAC or VPN technology.
Mirage Networks, a developer of patented, full-cycle Network Access Control (NAC) technology, has received the 2008 Frost & Sullivan Best Entrepreneurial Company Award. The award is presented annually to the company with fewer than 300 employees showing the highest achievement in innovative product development, strategic business development and focused market strategy. Chris Rodriguez, research analyst for Frost & Sullivan said “NAC technology is increasing in popularity with customers, and Mirage Networks is quickly gaining market share within this booming market.” Frost & Sullivan expects Mirage will continue to increase its share of a network access control market that will achieve revenues of $530 million within 2-5 years.