Cisco launches Network Admission Control program

Cisco Systems has announced the launch of its Network Admission Control (NAC) program in association with anti-virus software vendors like Network Associates, Symantec and Trend Micro. The program will enable customers to leverage their Cisco network infrastructure to limit damage from viruses and worms. This industry-wide collaboration is intended to address a broad and growing concern among enterprise customers -- losses resulting from attacks from worms and viruses. 

Through the collaboration, the anti-virus software vendors have licensed a software agent, the Cisco Trust Agent (CTA), that resides on an end-node system and communicates with the Cisco network. This component collects security state information from multiple security software clients and communicates it to the connected Cisco network where access control decisions are enforced. Initially, the NAC program will support end-points running Microsoft Windows NT, XP and 2000 operating systems. 

NAC is scheduled to be available in the first half of 2004, at which point Cisco routers will communicate with the CTA and the Cisco Access Control Server to provide network admission control. 

NAC support will be extended to other Cisco devices including switches, wireless access points and security appliances. Cisco also expects to expand the set of NAC co-sponsors to include other security software and operating system vendors. It will license, publish, and open the NAC interfaces and protocols to facilitate both NAC adoption and the extension of CTA capabilities to other end-point devices and operating system.

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