Network World writer Tim Greene has a good piece on Juniper's announcement that it can now use the Microsoft NAP client in place of Juniper's own UAC client. That makes installations using Juniper's UAC for NAC easier to deploy since they don't have to use the UAC client on machines running Windows Vista and XP SP3. But this is a one-way announcement when it comes to Microsoft NAP as it's what enables NAC client machines to participate in Juniper's UAC solution (and Trusted Computing Group's TNC architecture), not the Microsoft-based NAC product solution. Microsoft has a dual NAC strategy; expose the NAP client for 3rd party NAC solutions, and deliver its own Microsoft-centric NAC solution.
While the NAP client helps Windows devices participate in TNC solutions, Microsoft is really counting on the capabilities in Forefront to be the center point of the Microsoft centric NAC solution. Forefront's "Sterling" beta incorporates network access control features into the Forefront management software. Not only can endpoints be tested, but downstream software management and updating features can help keep Windows clients compliant. Forefront Sterling also incorporates personal firewall management, endpoint quarantining, patching, configuration changes, and more. Add in Forefront's own anti-virus, anti-spyware, personal firewall, full management capabilities and NAC capabilities and you have a solution that's really more directed beating out Symantec and McAfee.
As Forefront Sterling gets closer to RC bits, I think we'll see Microsoft beating the drums about its own NAC solution while maintaining capability with 3rd party NAC vendors through the NAP agent.
Like this? Here are some of Mitchell's recent posts.
Development Costs In The Cloud
Meet Up At Black Hat
Podcast: SOA and Web Services, But BizTalk?
Do You Trust The Cloud?
Symantec & McAfee Finally Get Run For Money
SaaS, If It Was Easy, Everybody Would Be Doing ItProduct Reviews:
Microsoft Live Mesh Google App Engine LiveNewsCameras.com Xobni Outlook pluginRecent Converging Network Blog Posts:
Get Ready For XaaS Everywhere Unbelievably Bad Web Password Security Back From Hiatus, Saved by Web 2.0 Technology It Takes a Village.. ah, actually, being there first and tons of hard workFavorite Book Recommendations: The Big Switch Zero Day Attack Clear Blogging
Check out Mitchell's Converging On Microsoft Podcast. Current Podcast Episode: Security Mike Gets Serious About Security
Also visit Mitchell's personal blog The Converging Network, his new blog Breast Cancer For Husbands.com, and SSAATY Security Podcast.
Visit Microsoft Subnet for more news, blogs, opinion from around the Web.
Sign up for the bi-weekly Microsoft newsletter. (Click on News/Microsoft News Alert.)
Mitchell Ashley is principal consultant at Converging Network LLC where he provides product, technology and social media consulting to emerging technology companies. A successful CTO and product innovator, Mitchell has created many successful, award winning products in the networking, security, convergence, Internet and IT industries. In addition to blogging for NetworkWorld, Mitchell regularly blogs at TheConvergingNetwork and co-hosts the widely popular StillSecure After All These Years podcast.
Subscribe to Mitchell Ashley's Converging on Microsoft feed
The opinions expressed in this Weblog are those of the writer and may not represent the opinions of Network World.
|
|
Post new comment