NAC makes it possible to determine which users have permission to access a network, what they can see and who is restricted from accessing the network.
For instance, all employees within a company will require access to the company network. But not everyone should have permission to view sensitive data, such as the company’s financial information or proprietary data. Guests, such as contractors and freelancers, will only need limited access and control. For example, guests may be able to view documents but have no editing ability. Network access control is one method that companies can use to ensure that only employees who require access can gain access and to prevent malicious traffic from accessing the network.
Cloud technology has changed network security as well as NAC. The rise of new devices and technologies connecting to networks, including IoT, mobile devices, BYOD (bring your own device) from remote workers and cloud resources, makes it even more necessary and important for companies to monitor and control who can access their network, from where and which specific information they have access to.
“NAC solutions are used by a wide range of SMBs to manage and secure their network infrastructure,” Josh Amishav-Zlatin, founder and CEO of the data breach monitoring company Breachsense, said. “This includes organizations in healthcare, finance, retail and education, among others, essentially anywhere where data security is a high priority.”