TROY ? Computer security company Creative Breakthroughs will host a free Network Access Control Panel Discussion for IT professionals December 5 at Automation Alley.

Panelists include engineers and product specialists from Symantec, Juniper Networks, HP ProCurve, eEye Digital Security, and Cisco. The discussion will be moderated by Greg Schaffer, a columnist at Computerworld magazine who has written extensively about NAC as well as other relevant technologies. Seats are limited.

Network Access Control, defined as the ability to validate end-systems prior to giving them network access, has become a hot topic recently as more employees and vendors are bringing in laptops and other devices and connecting them to corporate networks.

NAC is comprised of several elements:

Admission control or the ability to selectively let hosts attach to the network and stay attached.

Health checks which verify that connecting systems are up to date on patches, antivirus, firewalls, anti-spyware and other software preventative measures and may even include checking the status of USB drives.

Access control or the ability to dictate what hosts can see or do while attached to the network.

Some studies indicate that less than 20% of companies have any type of NAC policy and/or technology. ?Cost and complexity are the biggest reasons most companies are not fully embracing NAC,? says Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. President and CEO Steve Barone. ?NAC should be a very important part of every corporate network security strategy. But the lack of standards and the multiple NAC architectures cause many companies to sit on the sidelines and play the waiting game. Their biggest fear is that they will make an expensive investment in one technology and then the rest of the IT world will go in an entirely different direction.?

The Creative Breakthroughs panel will bring together key players in the NAC space and give audience members an opportunity to learn how the hardware and software offerings of each vendor work together. Audience members are encouraged to submit questions to the panel prior to the event.

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