Beacon Endpoint Profiling System facilitates the successful deployment of Network Admission Control and 802.1X
Contacts:
Bob Durkee
Great Bay Software
bdurkee@greatbaysoftware.com
Greenland, NH -- October 3, 2005 -- Great Bay Software Inc. today announced the availability of its Beacon Endpoint Profiling system. Beacon was developed to enable the deployment of Network Admission Control, network-based authentication, and trusted computing, to dramatically reduce the time and cost associated with the deployment of these technologies, to support the compliance efforts of Enterprise networks, and as an enabler in the implementation of secure VOIP.
Using the concept of Endpoint Profiling, the Beacon system identifies all network attached endpoints by location and type, a requirement for any company looking to deploy NAC and/or 802.1X. In addition, Beacon provides ongoing support for authentication enabled networks and provides the foundation for identity and location management of all network attached endpoints.
Deploying Network-based Authentication
Beacon facilitates the timely deployment of NAC, 802.1X, and systems that rely on 802.1X by providing the network administrator with the tools required to accurately configure all network edge ports leading up to deployment and providing a framework for managing identity, location, and adds, moves, and changes following deployment. Beacon addresses critical items in the deployment of NAC such as the requirement to ascertain the type and location of all EAP and non-EAP endpoints (those that will not authenticate using 802.1X) prior to the deployment of NAC and the ability to monitor/manage the state of the authenticated LAN edge for changes and security events on an ongoing basis.
The Problem Space and the Beacon Solution
The emergence of 802.1X for port-based authentication and Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) as a signaling medium in Trusted Computing initiatives has given network administrators the opportunity to dramatically improve the security profile of wired and wireless networks. Like any IT initiative, the benefits of implementation must be measured against the risk and cost involved in the deployment and ongoing administration of that technology. In the case of strong authentication, there is one particular challenge in the deployment and management of strong authentication that must be considered prior to deployment; the identification of all non-EAP end points and the individual port configuration of each port/interface in the network.
This means that the network administrator must know where 100% of the non-EAP devices are prior to deploying strong authentication and must be able to configure the appropriate ports based on this understanding both at the time of deployment as well as in support of adds, moves, and changes. Common non-EAP endpoints include: Printers, VOIP Phones, FAX/Scanners, Uninterruptible Power Supplies, HVAC systems, Inter-switch links, Wireless Access Points, etc, all of which must be located to prevent them from becoming isolated when 802.1X is deployed.
Great Bay Software Inc. has created a product to address these challenges called Beacon. The Beacon system is designed to provide the network administrator with all of the required information to deploy and manage an authentication-enabled network. The system profiles network endpoints and accurately portrays the state of the network edge leading up to, and following, the deployment of strong authentication. More specifically, Beacon works by combining numerous sources of information including results from monitoring network traffic at aggregation points, profiling end stations based on behavior, mapping the network topology, continuously monitoring the port states of the appropriate ports in the system, and the company’s Inference-based Discovery.
Once the endpoint type and location are understood, the time and cost savings in the deployment of strong authentication are realized. In addition, the information that is learned and continuously updated by Beacon provides the foundation for identity and location tracking of all network attached endpoints. Beyond facilitating the deployment and administration of strong authentication, Beacon provides the network administrator with the functionality critical for initiatives that include regulatory compliance, e911 services, help desk applications, asset tracking, and change management.
Importance of Beacon to Enterprise Companies IT Strategy
In total, the implementation of Beacon prior to the deployment of authentication provides a number of benefits in enabling the deployment of strong authentication including time and cost savings during planning and deployment, asset tracking by type and location, and real-time visibility into the identity and location of all end points in the network. “The Beacon end point system will allow Enterprise customers to save a tremendous amount of time and effort in deploying technologies like Network Admission control” said Steve Pettit, President of Great Bay Software. “Beacon will dramatically improve Enterprise Company’s opportunity for a successful deployment of NAC and/or 802.1X as well as providing a framework for Identity, Location, and Asset Management”.
About Great Bay Software:
Great Bay Software is a Software development firm focused on facilitating network-based authentication and secure network access. The Company’s Endpoint Profiling technology provides enterprise customers with the products, services and solutions required to enable the Network Admission Control and Trusted Endpoint Solutions being introduced by many of the top security manufacturers in the world. For more information on the Beacon System from Great Bay Software, visit www.greatbaysoftware.com or call (603) 866-1134.
