With enterprises opening network access to non-employees such as contractors, partners, customers and guests, the need to control access to network and application resources and ensure these users do not inadvertently or maliciously compromise the LAN, is a significant challenge facing many IT organizations today. This class of user typically utilizes personal laptops with varying levels of desktop security controls (e.g. anti-virus, anti-spyware, OS patches, etc.) Without IT control and visibility into these unmanaged endpoints, these connections expose the network infrastructure to availability risks. Consultants and contractors often require access to network resources to get their jobs done, but there is a need to control and monitor what resources and applications they can access — for ensuring data privacy and integrity, and regulatory compliance.
In addition, transparent security that can be efficiently deployed is essential for unmanaged users and endpoints. An implementation best practice for this class of users would be one that avoids costly administrative overhead such as agent installations or client software maintenance. To address these challenges, Nevis provides continuous endpoint posture assessment without the need for installation of endpoint agents. This provides for easy rollout to both managed and unmanaged users. In addition, Nevis enables differentiated access based on specific role-based identities. For example, guest access can be restricted to Internet access only, while contractor access may be restricted to Internet access plus access to specific network resources required for their interim job responsibilities. Access control is accomplished without setting up or changing VLAN policies.