Enterasys Networks at this week’s NetWorld+Interop trade show unveiled security capabilities for its Matrix N-Series of multi-layer switches.

The capabilities would add sophisticated security to networks of devices (even those from other vendors) that lack such security features today, the company says. Multi-vendor switches could reside at the network edge, with Enterasys switches a step removed. The new security features of the Enterasys switches identify, authenticate and manage users, applications or devices, even if those devices are networking through wireless access points, and even if the devices are IP phones.

Enterasys’ equipment uses policies to manage users’ access to resources. The company says IT managers can have granular control over every user and every port across an enterprise network. While much switch-based security acts at the physical port level, Enterasys’ gear reaches the users beyond the ports, even in a heterogeneous network.

Enterasys equipment looks at individual user/application traffic flows, so that policies can target individual users. The company says the features can help protect against worms and viruses and other attacks on your network.

Enterasys’ Matrix N-Series also now features VLAN-to-policy mapping. Instead of controlling virtual LANs by access control lists, the switches lets VLANs be controlled by policies. Flow setup throttling is another feature of the switches; it sets off an alarm if traffic spikes above a certain threshold, as such spikes might indicate an attack or security breach.

The new functionality for the Matrix N-Series is shipping now.

Jeff Caruso is site editor at Network World.