Cram Session: Network Access Control

TNT identity appliance tracks key traffic

Trusted Network Technologies this week is launching a dedicated appliance to keep records of traffic that passes through the vendor's network access control gear -- an asset to companies trying to meet the demands of regulators.
Businesses that need to keep an extensive audit trail of who accesses network resources can do so with TNT's Identity DM box that stores as much as a terabyte of data.

Identity devices sit in-line in front of critical network assets such as application servers and databases and allow, deny or limit access to the assets they protect. They work in conjunction with an Identity policy and management server and client software deployed on corporate network devices.
Previous Identity gear also stored data about the traffic it monitored and actions it took all on the same box. The new box doesn't screen traffic; it stores and processes data about the traffic that is screened.

This ability is key to FAMS, an Atlanta-based collection agency that stores data including individuals' Social Security numbers, amounts they owe, addresses, birthdates and other private data that has to be protected, says John Kahn, the company's CFO. "We can be asked by clients to keep [access records] for four to six months," he says.

FAMS is audited by its customers, which include federal agencies, telecom companies and healthcare and financial services firms, in accordance with Statistical Analysis System 72 and ISO specifications, he says. "Identity protects the data and proves we're protecting it. You can prove that nothing goes on that shouldn't go on," Kahn says.

TNT is also announcing a Identity device called Identity Enterprise, which is smaller -- one rack unit instead of two -- and processes stored data twice as fast as the previous Identity, the company says.
Identity gear can also quarantine devices that fall short of security policies and hide segments of networks from view to those who are unauthorized to use them.
The appliances can also be deployed out-of-line in audit mode to track what devices are accessing or attempting to access what resources. In audit mode the device does not enforce policies.

Identity Enterprise costs US$15,000 for a box that supports 250 users. Identity DM has not been priced yet.

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