Lord of Wi-Fi: Aruba ClearPass
Today, with the dynamic development of the IT industry, wireless access to information is gaining more and more weight. So, in the corporate segment, the IEEE 802.11 standard networks, or simply Wi-Fi, are firmly established. To simplify the construction of a corporate wireless network will allow the decision Aruba ClearPass.
In the modern metropolis it is difficult to find a place where there is no Wi-Fi coverage. In some cities, wireless networks cover the whole city. The latest generation of the 802.11ac standard makes it possible to reach speeds of more than 1 Gb / s - thus, wireless networks made a request to replace the classic cable. The trend noticed and manufacturers of popular gadgets, and sometimes the most popular models, for example. Microsoft Surface or Apple MacBook Air does not have a built-in cable network port.
Many network equipment manufacturers offer their own wireless solutions, and thanks to this, the basic functions of a Wi-Fi network can be realized within a fairly modest budget. But progress does not stand still, and the basic functions of wireless networks for the modern corporate segment are no longer enough. Trends such as BYOD, guest access control, extended authentication, application control, protection of the Next Generation Firewall, and the prevention and detection of hacking attempts via a wireless network force customers to be more careful in choosing the manufacturer of wireless solutions, and the complexity of implementing and maintaining some software hardware. Complexes narrows the choice even more.
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And what about Gartner?
To understand who is today in the lead in developing solutions for building wireless networks, let's turn to the Gartner quadrant.
According to the latest report, the choice is not great at all. The company with the long name Aruba a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company occupies a leading position in the wireless solutions segment. This company has become a leader for a number of reasons, which can be found in the Gartner audit report. But most importantly, it is worth noting that the main reasons are the ease of implementation of the solution, the subsequent maintenance and management of advanced functionality of Wi-FI networks on the equipment of this manufacturer.
How things are arranged
Aruba’s wireless network architecture is quite simple. The network itself is implemented in hardware by the Aruba AP access points, and advanced functionality is achieved through the Aruba ClearPass solution. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to take Aruba AP access points as the basis of the network, since access points and third-party vendors are supported, which allows you to implement the solution into the existing architecture.
ClearPass does not require installation and comes as a ready virtual machine for all popular hypervisors, although optionally the system can be purchased as a ready-made solution with the server. Any modern web browser that supports HTML5 acts as a user interface.
For the convenience of users, the solution is divided into four functional modules.
• ClearPass Policy Manager;
• ClearPass Onboard;
• ClearPass OnGuard;
• ClearPass Guest.
Next, we consider each module in more detail.
ClearPass Policy Manager allows you to create access policies based on roles or devices, regardless of whether it is a wired network, wireless infrastructure (WiFi) or VPN.
Policy Manager simplifies and automates device configuration, profile creation, and security policy compliance checks. It also supports the ability to emulate and monitor the created policy to verify the health and correctness of settings. The module provides full support for NAC (Network Access Control), NAP (Network Access Protection and TNC (Trusted Network Connect)) technologies. For this, ClearPass Policy Manager implements built-in services RADIUS, TACACS +, CA, MDM, SSO.
Interface of the ClearPass Policy Manager module
The module is designed to assist the administrator of the company's information network in maintaining compliance with the current state of the network by the company's security policies for connecting network devices and automatically correcting inconsistencies.
ClearPass Onboard is part of Policy Manager and is a module that automates the connection of devices running Windows, Mac OS X, iOS and Android. Once connected to the network, it automatically checks the device for compliance with all security policies and their observance.
Interface module Aruba ClearPass Onboard
This tool allows you to implement the concept of BYOD in the company's computer network.
ClearPass OnGuard is a software agent that allows you to provide a deep check of a device connecting to the network and at the same time fulfill security requirements, for example, check the availability and version of the antivirus, block the installed Pear-to-Pear agents, use external drives or connections to third-party networks etc. It also automatically issues recommendations on compliance with corporate security policies in the event of a negative verification result.
Interface settings agent ClearPass OnGuard
The main purpose of this module is to block or restrict access to a corporate or guest network by digging devices or users that violate security policies.
An example of blocking access to the network due to a violation of the policy of using USB-drives
ClearPass Guest allows you to automate the process of obtaining guest access and at the same time ensure the security of your corporate network. Depending on the policy, the user may only receive temporary access at a specific time and place. Automatically creates and deletes a unique guest name and password for each user, delivers the name and password by email or SMS. This scalable solution to support tens of thousands of connections without the participation of IT staff includes an adaptive Captive portal and the ability to link to payment systems. It is simply an indispensable system for Wi-Fi networks of hotels, universities and marketplaces.
Interface settings module ClearPass Guest
An example of a guest page access to the enterprise network
It is worth noting that the division of Aruba ClearPass into modules is rather conditional and is more connected with the licensing policy. All modules work as a single solution, allowing relatively simple to implement advanced services of the enterprise information network through an intuitive web interface.
For questions, contact: aruba@muk.ua.
In the modern metropolis it is difficult to find a place where there is no Wi-Fi coverage. In some cities, wireless networks cover the whole city. The latest generation of the 802.11ac standard makes it possible to reach speeds of more than 1 Gb / s - thus, wireless networks made a request to replace the classic cable. The trend noticed and manufacturers of popular gadgets, and sometimes the most popular models, for example. Microsoft Surface or Apple MacBook Air does not have a built-in cable network port.
Many network equipment manufacturers offer their own wireless solutions, and thanks to this, the basic functions of a Wi-Fi network can be realized within a fairly modest budget. But progress does not stand still, and the basic functions of wireless networks for the modern corporate segment are no longer enough. Trends such as BYOD, guest access control, extended authentication, application control, protection of the Next Generation Firewall, and the prevention and detection of hacking attempts via a wireless network force customers to be more careful in choosing the manufacturer of wireless solutions, and the complexity of implementing and maintaining some software hardware. Complexes narrows the choice even more.
')
And what about Gartner?
To understand who is today in the lead in developing solutions for building wireless networks, let's turn to the Gartner quadrant.
According to the latest report, the choice is not great at all. The company with the long name Aruba a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company occupies a leading position in the wireless solutions segment. This company has become a leader for a number of reasons, which can be found in the Gartner audit report. But most importantly, it is worth noting that the main reasons are the ease of implementation of the solution, the subsequent maintenance and management of advanced functionality of Wi-FI networks on the equipment of this manufacturer.
How things are arranged
Aruba’s wireless network architecture is quite simple. The network itself is implemented in hardware by the Aruba AP access points, and advanced functionality is achieved through the Aruba ClearPass solution. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to take Aruba AP access points as the basis of the network, since access points and third-party vendors are supported, which allows you to implement the solution into the existing architecture.
ClearPass does not require installation and comes as a ready virtual machine for all popular hypervisors, although optionally the system can be purchased as a ready-made solution with the server. Any modern web browser that supports HTML5 acts as a user interface.
For the convenience of users, the solution is divided into four functional modules.
• ClearPass Policy Manager;
• ClearPass Onboard;
• ClearPass OnGuard;
• ClearPass Guest.
Next, we consider each module in more detail.
ClearPass Policy Manager allows you to create access policies based on roles or devices, regardless of whether it is a wired network, wireless infrastructure (WiFi) or VPN.
Policy Manager simplifies and automates device configuration, profile creation, and security policy compliance checks. It also supports the ability to emulate and monitor the created policy to verify the health and correctness of settings. The module provides full support for NAC (Network Access Control), NAP (Network Access Protection and TNC (Trusted Network Connect)) technologies. For this, ClearPass Policy Manager implements built-in services RADIUS, TACACS +, CA, MDM, SSO.
Interface of the ClearPass Policy Manager module
The module is designed to assist the administrator of the company's information network in maintaining compliance with the current state of the network by the company's security policies for connecting network devices and automatically correcting inconsistencies.
ClearPass Onboard is part of Policy Manager and is a module that automates the connection of devices running Windows, Mac OS X, iOS and Android. Once connected to the network, it automatically checks the device for compliance with all security policies and their observance.
Interface module Aruba ClearPass Onboard
This tool allows you to implement the concept of BYOD in the company's computer network.
ClearPass OnGuard is a software agent that allows you to provide a deep check of a device connecting to the network and at the same time fulfill security requirements, for example, check the availability and version of the antivirus, block the installed Pear-to-Pear agents, use external drives or connections to third-party networks etc. It also automatically issues recommendations on compliance with corporate security policies in the event of a negative verification result.
Interface settings agent ClearPass OnGuard
The main purpose of this module is to block or restrict access to a corporate or guest network by digging devices or users that violate security policies.
An example of blocking access to the network due to a violation of the policy of using USB-drives
ClearPass Guest allows you to automate the process of obtaining guest access and at the same time ensure the security of your corporate network. Depending on the policy, the user may only receive temporary access at a specific time and place. Automatically creates and deletes a unique guest name and password for each user, delivers the name and password by email or SMS. This scalable solution to support tens of thousands of connections without the participation of IT staff includes an adaptive Captive portal and the ability to link to payment systems. It is simply an indispensable system for Wi-Fi networks of hotels, universities and marketplaces.
Interface settings module ClearPass Guest
An example of a guest page access to the enterprise network
It is worth noting that the division of Aruba ClearPass into modules is rather conditional and is more connected with the licensing policy. All modules work as a single solution, allowing relatively simple to implement advanced services of the enterprise information network through an intuitive web interface.
For questions, contact: aruba@muk.ua.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/318028/
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