Another NAC supplier closes its doors but is Cisco really to blame? On Wednesday, NAC start-up Lockdown Networks became yet another victim of the slower than predicted NAC market - like Caymas Systems (which shut down last year) and Vernier Systems (which reinvented itself as Autonomic Networks and is developing new technology to complement its Edgewall NAC appliances) - before it. Lockdown said it was unable to raise additional sufficient venture capital to continue, according to a story by Network World's Tim Greene. Computerworld security blogger Eric Ogren believes Cisco's presence in NAC leaves little room for smaller players. "When Cisco creates a market, it does not necessarily create a derivative market for private vendors. Even if you buy into the NAC concept, NAC has to be ubiquitous to be effective," according to Ogren.

"NAC is an infrastructure play - all the companies jumping on the NAC bandwagon really just didn't get it," he adds.

He believes that "there are only a couple of vendors that should be considered for NAC: Cisco and Microsoft. Cisco belongs because the network is a great place for gathering intelligence and enforcing operational policies; Microsoft because simplifying management of Windows endpoints is a responsibility they own."

Is the NAC market doomed to a choice of between just 2 giant vendors?

More from Cisco Subnet:

More from Cisco Subnet:

* Privacy breach insurance mitigates the risk of credit card, identity breaches
* No love for central office techs
* Hackers hijacking routers and blackmailing firms to regain access
* Security wireless networks: Using the wireless network to monitor itself
* The CCNP $5,000 question
* March Giveaways: Win access to Tech 2000's CCNA Lab Simulator; win a copy of Cisco Networking Simplified, 2nd Edition

Go to Cisco Subnet for more Cisco news, blogs, discussion forums, security alerts, book giveaways, and more.

Recent Cisconet blog entries

20 useful sites for Cisco networking professionals

Cisco Subnet's Top 20 Cisco Press books: How do you rate them?

Network World's IT Buyer's Guide: Cisco products

Subscribe to Network World's Cisco Alert, which includes a weekly digest of all Cisco Subnet items

Click to read the article this is in response to.