Vernier Networks Wireless LAN Security Solution Addresses Access Management and User Accountability
Wireless Computing is a threat not to be ignored -- but with WLAN security and management solutions, enterprises can secure and manage their wired and wireless networks to protect against attacks from strangers and insiders alike.
(PRWEB) December 22, 2003 --http://www.verniernetworks.com - Vernier Networks, a developer of innovative systems and software to protect, manage, and enhance wireless networks, advises organizations about WLAN security and management solutions as ways to protect themselves from attacks and sabotage.
A recent survey by the Computer Security Institute, CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey, found that insider abuse of network access was the second most common form of network attack. Insider abuse was reported by 80% of survey respondents -- second only to virus incidents (82%). Just as astonishing, disgruntled employees (77%) were ranked just behind independent hackers as a likely source of attacks. As these numbers show, organizations need to find a way to keep their networks secure from both strangers and insiders.
As organizations move more operations and assets online, their vulnerability to attacks and sabotage from within will only increase. Fortunately, these problems can be solved with an effective implementation of WLAN security. Just as WLANs expose the vulnerabilities of enterprise networks, so WLAN security and management solutions show a way forward for enterprises who want to secure and manage both their wired and wireless networks.
Before the age of WLANs, network administrators usually managed ports, rather than users and the only way employees accessed the network was through the computers in their office. The network could be secured--theoretically--by ensuring that every PC in every office enforced a simple login procedure. If there was trouble on the network, administrators could trace it to a port and, hence, to a user.
Wireless access points and mobile computing devices completely undermine this security model. Now a wireless access point connects to a port in the wall. Any wireless user, friendly or hostile, who happens to be nearby can now access the network. This situation creates two problems for administrators managing user accounts and network security:
1. It forces administrators to provision different levels of security for a single location to accommodate a rapidly changing pool of users.
2. Because mobile users do not have to be sitting at a desk to access the network, its easier for them to execute attacks without being detected.
The best way to ensure that only authorized users access the network and that, once on the network, users do not engage in illicit activities, is to deploy a user-based access management system. By managing users, rather than ports, these systems give IT departments the precision they need to ensure that each user has the access rights he or she needs -- and only those rights.
Vernier Networks reminds organizations that physical barriers no longer prevent malicious users from gaining access to online resources. Therefore organizations must protect their Wired & Wireless LANs from an access management and user accountability standpoint in order to secure their networks from attacks from strangers and insiders.
About Vernier
The Vernier Networks System provides the foundation for building secure, scaleable, and mission-critical 802.11 wireless networks. At the core of the wireless LAN (WLAN), the Vernier Network System provides key services including, fine-grained access control, centralized management, and seamless roaming, that enables companies to deploy and manage 802.11 networks ranging from 10s to 1000s of access points.
For information about Vernier Networks visit: http://www.verniernetworks.com
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