* Mirage Networks' N-120 appliance
Mirage Networks is going downscale with its new N-120 appliance designed for smaller offices.
The new box addresses several important issues facing businesses with multiple sites, some of which serve fewer than 50 employees – the rough number that the box supports.
The smaller Mirage box is also simpler to configure than earlier models. This makes possible for IT staffers to guide non-technical co-workers in branch offices in how to install the devices with instructions over the phone.
The new device costs $2,500, which puts it in a range that makes it affordable to place in a branch office, assuming it is perceived that users and the computers in that office could pose a threat to the company network.
In addition to running configuration policy checks against machines as they log in, the devices also continue to monitor their behavior once they are on the network. If a PC or laptop attempts to access data that it and its user are unauthorized to reach, it can block that traffic automatically and send alerts.
Cost is a key consideration for devices in offices this small. For instance, a firewall/VPN box for such an office would be considered overpriced at $2,500, so the value has to be weighed.
Potential customers have to balance the cost of the NAC device against the damage that might be done by a machine that might have been held in check by the NAC gear. The answer may be that the cost is worth it, and it is certainly less than it would be if the only other option was a bigger, more expensive device.
