* Blue Coat ProxySG redirects NAC requests to Impulse Point appliances
NAC vendor Impulse Point is teaming up with WAN-optimization vendor Blue Coat to ensure that their gear works well together. Blue Coat makes ProxySG security gateways that perform multiple security functions but can also compress traffic and optimize it between devices or between an appliance and a workstation running a ProxySG client. Impluse Point makes Safe-Connect, a NAC appliance that discovers new devices on networks and pushes a Safe-Connect agent and a policy key. The key dictates what configuration parameters the device must meet and the agent enforces the policy on the device itself at Layer 2.
NAC vendor Impulse Point is teaming up with WAN-optimization vendor Blue Coat to ensure that their gear works well together. Blue Coat makes ProxySG security gateways that perform multiple security functions but can also compress traffic and optimize it between devices or between an appliance and a workstation running a ProxySG client. Impulse Point makes Safe-Connect, a NAC appliance that discovers new devices on networks and pushes a Safe-Connect agent and a policy key. The key dictates what configuration parameters the device must meet and the agent enforces the policy on the device itself at Layer 2.
The two companies have worked together so the NAC check becomes part of the Proxy SG authentication process.
As end users authenticate to ProxySGs, part of the authentication process can be to redirect the request to Impulse Point’s Safe Connect NAC platform for testing of the users’ endpoints for operating system patches, virus updates and the like. It is one more way to capture these devices as they log on to networks.
Rather than enforce NAC policy on the end device, customers could have the ProxySG enforce the policies, preventing access to the Internet and Web resources ProxySG protects.
If a ProxySG were deployed in a branch office and guarded the Internet connection, the NAC check would be performed when the end user tried to use the WAN. The endpoint could be logged in to the local branch network without the NAC check until it authenticates to the ProxySG.
The two companies are selling their products together through partner channels, particularly Dell to start with.
