Data Security

Brescia U Overhauls Network Access Control

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 05/20/10

Brescia University has deployed a new network access control appliance. The Owensboro, KY university, which has about 635 students, deployed Avenda Systems' eTIPS to authenticate and authorize users based on their roles. The installation will allow IT to manage access to network resources without configuring permissions manually. Students, staff, and faculty are now differentiated based on their role, access method, and location.

For example, students logging onto the wireless network in student housing will receive e-mail and Internet access. If logging in from the library, they'll receive access to e-mail, the Internet, and campus servers.

"We were looking for a way to dynamically track and differentiate network access, for both our wired and wireless networks," said Chris Ford, network administrator. "Avenda's solution offers a complete set of policy applications for authenticating all of our users and devices. Avenda offers the versatility to enhance Microsoft [network access protection] health checks, and it supported our multi-vendor network right out of the box."

In the future, Ford said, eTIPS will also provide the ability to differentiate privileges based on the health of a user's device. Computers not meeting peer-to-peer application usage guidelines or anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall requirements won't be permitted to connect to production campus networks until a remediation process has been performed.

The eTIPS platform will also host an external captive portal that will consolidate authentications to a common platform for all access methods. This approach forces a client device to a special Web page for authentication and endpoint health checking before the device is granted access to the wider network.