* Considerations for adding 802.1X Wired to your network
Continuing with our look this week at adding intelligence to the network, Pete Hughes, manager with KPMG’s Information Technology Services organization discusses some of the challenges facing IT organizations as they attempt to make their networks more intelligent.
Hughes starts by discussing when and where to deploy more intelligence in the network. He says: “Clearly the answer is specific to an enterprise’s requirements and environment. And some technologies and their associated solutions will demonstrate greater business value with less risk, i.e., WAN acceleration technologies. However, that topic has gotten wide scale attention. A less publicized topic that draws much clearer pros and cons for consideration is 802.1X Wired. In my panel presentation at the recent Interop conference in NYC, I walked the audience through the pros and cons of an 802.1X Wired deployment so they could clearly see the business value vs. operational tradeoff of this particular technology.”
Hughes adds: “802.1X Wired, as a network authentication protocol, can provide tremendous business value in securing our data networks via directory services authentication and can restrict unauthorized clients and machines from connecting to LAN switch ports. It can also integrate automated guest access and potentially set the foundation for [network access control]. However, 802.1X can be a complex solution to deploy and the downside of the technology not working correctly could be disastrous. It is critical, especially with disruptive technologies that expectations be managed and that policy agreement and process support be maintained.”
At Interop, Hughes walked the audience through an assessment that included industry alignment, design considerations, deployment approach, and operations and support considerations for 802.1X Wired. According to Hughes, there are dome clear conclusions and considerations:
* Where on the technology adoption curve do you wish to be since 802.1X Wired is still maturing?
* Design considerations can minimize the potential downside of 802.1X Wired and can cover more use cases.
* Proper preparation can reduce the potential pain of a deployment.
* End-to-end, integrated testing, process support and improved troubleshooting skills can facilitate the support of this technology deployment. This is especially important for the “exceptions” that are bound to arise during the deployment.
* An integrated, end-to-end strategy can provide direction and guidance to the enterprise’s IT efforts and help determine whether 802.1X Wired is the “right” fit for that enterprise.
Hughes adds: “Alternative approaches may exist depending on the environment and goals of a particular enterprise, for example, securing the physical environment or looking at new and developing technologies such as NAC.”
If we can summarize Hughes, there are clear tradeoffs with the introduction of intelligence to the network that can generate debate among intelligent people. Each organization needs to make the decisions for itself but there are clearly ways to minimize the risks these technologies present. We want to keep this dialogue going and would like to hear from you. How has your organization addressed this debate?
