Deployment Considerations

Successful NAC deployment with Genian NAC

Establishing network access control can lead to changes in the network environment. To avoid distruption to end-users, Genian NAC uses a phased approach to deployment. Based on the experience gained by deploying NAC to many customers over 10 years, Genians highly recommends the following deployment steps:

Step 1: Gain visibility into your network assets

Understanding your network and user environment is the most important factor in establishing security policies and successfully applying network access control.

Having visibility into the network and the user device means that the following information can be monitored in real time:

  • Exact type and quantity of devices in the network, including switches / routers and their configuration
  • Operating system / hardware / software information of the user's device
  • Wireless LAN environment

There are many ways to achieve this visibility. We hear from many customers that they have failed to achieve visibility through the 802.1x access control method, which has a high degree of implementation complexity. It is very difficult to establish gradual network access control through 802.1x, because 802.1x is a technology designed for control rather than visibility. This means that network control must be established before visibility is obtained.

Another method is switch device integration via SNMP / CLI. This makes it easier to obtain visibility without control. However, considering compatibility with switch manufacturers and models, as well as un-managed switch devices, there are still considerable limitations.

To address these complexity and compatibility issues, Genians offers a method of securing visibility through an independent Network Sensor. The network sensor is connected to each subnet (broadcast domain) and can be deployed without changing the existing network environment. Usually, installation and full visibility can be acheived in under three days.

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Genian NAC also provides Agent software for greater visibility into Windows and MacOS operating systems. It can be installed on the user's system to collect information (operating system / hardware / software / update, etc.) desired by the administrator.

Step 2: Classify assets and check compliance

Once the visibility of the IT assets is established, the next step is to classify known assets. Genian NAC offers more than 500 different conditions for grouping assets. Node group membership updates in real time as the status of the node changes.

Ideally, groups are defined by multiple perspectives, such as who the intended user is, what kind of device the node is,or what subnet the nodes are part of. To this end, various additional information such as manufacturer / product name / model information, connection method, and more are provided by Genian NAC's Device Platform Intelligence.

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In addition to administrative classification, classification of devices that violate security regulations is also very important.

In general, groups may be configured for:

  • Devices that are not assets of the company are connected to the network (personal devices)
  • PC's without antivirus software
  • Non-Authenticated devices

Step 3: Establish IT security policy and remediation

Once an IT security policy is established, control of the device that violates it is required. Becasue it is not easy to control all identified violation devices at once Genian NAC provides a step-by-step, automated approach.

The Agent is equipped with a variety of control action plug-ins to automatically process various security settings and configurations without user intervention. The Captive Web Portal (CWP) can also guide you through the tasks you need to perform, such as guest user on-boarding.

For more information on control actions, see Controlling Endpoints with Agent

Step 4: Enforce network access control and Quarantine non-compliance devices

After removing the known unauthorized device through the above steps and completing the necessary security measures for the user's device, the remaining task is to continuously monitor whether the security regulations are complied with, and to control network access by the devices that violate the regulations. At this stage, various control methods can be selected according to the network environment and required security level. Genian NAC provides a variety of controls for this.

  • 802.1x
  • Layer 2 (ARP, DHCP)
  • SNMP/CLI (Port Shutdiown)
  • Port Mirror (SPAN)
  • Inline
  • Integration with 3rd party device (Firewall, VPN, etc)
  • Agent

For details about each control method, see Policy Enforcement Methods

Technical Considerations

Topic Layer 2 Sensor/Enforcer SNMP/CLI Port Mirror (SPAN) Inline 802.1x Agent
Access Control at Layer 2
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Access Control at Layer 3
RBAC
Switch Port ACL
RBAC
No
Switch Port ACL
OS Firewall
Post-admission Control
ARP, DHCP
VLAN/ACL/Shutdown
TCP RST, ICMP unreach.
Filtering
CoA*
OS Firewall
Additional Hardware
Network Sensor
Managed Switches
Full traffic capable Device,
Tap Device,
SSL Decryption Device
Full traffic capable Device
802.1x Switch/AP
No
Endpoint Dependency
No
No
No
No
802.1x Supplicant
Agent required
WLAN Security
Monitoring
(WNIC on Sensor)
Monitoring
(SNMP with Controller)
No
No
Monitoring / Control
(WPA2-Enterprise)
Monitoring / Control
(SSID Whitelist)
Layer 2 Security
Detect MAC Spoofing,
Detect Rogue DHCP,
Managing IP Conflict
No
No
No
No
No

CoA*: Change of Authorization, RFC 5176 - Dynamic Authorization Extensions to RADIUS

Management Considerations

Topic Layer 2 Sensor/Enforcer SNMP/CLI Port Mirror (SPAN) Inline 802.1x Agent
Network Config Change
Trunk port (optional)
Switch Config,
VLAN/ACL
Tap Device,
SPAN Port
Gateway Change
Switch Config,
VLAN/ACL,
Endpoint Config
No
Compatibility Issue
No
Vendor-dependent
SNMP MIB/CLI
No
No
RADIUS Vendor Attribute,
non-802.1x capable Device
(Poor wired device support)
OS Type/Version
Easy of Deployment
Easy
Difficult
Intermediate
Easy
Very Difficult
Intermediate
Phased Deployment
(Discover First, Control Later)
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Must be controlled from
the start of deployment
Yes
Single point of Failure
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Vendor Lock-in
No
Intermediate
No
No
High
Intermediate
Recommended for
Essential Discovery
and Control
Extended information
and port control


Wireless network
Extended information
and enforce compliance

Deployment Models

On-Premises

Policy Server and Network Sensor can be deployed flexibly.

  • Policy Server/Network Sensor combined may be hosted on a single appliance or separately
  • Sensor(s) may be deployed centrally (802.1Q trunk or mirror port) or distributed between networks.
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Configuring High Availability

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Your Cloud

The Policy Server may be hosted in an existing Private Cloud by utilizing the publicly available AWS AMI. Deployment instructions are posted in the AWS Market Place product listing for Genian NAC Policy Server.

Genians Cloud

The Policy Server may be hosted in a Private site in the Genians Cloud which can be launched from Genians.com.

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NAC AS A SERVICE (MSP READY)

Essential Features For CyberSecurity-As-A-Service

Enhance the way of monitoring your customer network:

Secure network connections made by any type of IP enabled devices at the edge:

Plus, the built-in services:

Cloud Ready

Supports various Cloud environments:

  • Public Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google)
  • Private Cloud (VMWare, OpenStack)
  • Nutanix Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI)

Genian NAC Components:

  • Policy Server: Supports multi-tenancy (Docker container)
  • Network Sensor: Support Universal customer premises equipment (uCPE)
  • Agent: Multi functional features and customization

Management:

  • One-stop service (sites, users, licenses, subscriptions, billing)
  • Virtual domain support
  • Centralized dashboard/reports
  • Zero Config Provisioning
  • White label service