With the NAC space numbering 35 vendors and growing, consolidation is bound to happen through acquisition and attrition. Both conventional infrastructure vendors that are partnering to fill gaps in their NAC strategies and security vendors facing commoditized markets should be looking to acquire technology. That's the only way to ensure they won't be cut off at the knees if a key partner is acquired by a competitor. Here are some tempting acquisition targets.
AIRMAGNET
Although AirMagnet is not a NAC vendor per se, it does provide robust endpoint port control and, more important, wireless networking control--to the point of managing to which access points to connect or changing posture based on location. NAC offerings generally don't have a decent solution for controlling wireless networking.
CONSENTRY NETWORKS
ConSentry is one of the vendors offering a wide variety of options for endpoint assessment, remediation and access control. Its product line provides migration paths from one assessment or remediation path to another--or what the heck, you can do them all simultaneously. ConSentry boasts a 10-Gbps inline access-control appliance, the LAN Shield Switch, with a purpose-built 128-core CPU under the hood that can move traffic through the switch with a claimed latency of less than 1 millisecond. ConSentry's LANShield Controller is a command-and-control system that can configure infrastructure switch ports from a variety of vendors. Its breadth of offerings would fit well with vendors lacking a high-speed in-line device or a robust command-and-control system.
NEVIS NETWORKS
Nevis Networks offers network-level assessment and remediation products that complement endpoint assessment. Its transparent appliance, the LANenforcer LAN Security Appliance, sits between access switches and distribution switches and is positioned to control access for managed hosts. Its Secure Switch access device is intended to control access for unmanaged hosts, including guests and contractors. With the ability to assess a host, control access, and perform continuous monitoring using IDS/IDP and network behavior monitoring, Nevis should be an attractive acquisition for the same reason as ConSentry--flexibility.
STILLSECURE
StillSecure's strength is command and control, rather than a complete NAC line like ConSentry and Nevis have. Its partnership with Extreme fills the need for a command-and-control system in Extreme's NAC offering and gives StillSecure a reach into Extreme's customer base.
