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Bradford Networks Releases Network Sentry SmartEdge Platform to Enhance BYOD Security

Bradford Networks (News - Alert) (BN) announced on Tuesday that it has launched the Network Sentry SmartEdge Platform. The solution is designed to help companies improve network security and have better control over mobile devices used under bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies.

The platform will integrate with BN's Network Sentry, the company's network access control solution, currently used by over 900 customers. Network Sentry provides complete real-time visibility of authorized and unauthorized devices on a network and works with an organization's policies as they relate to BYOD. It evaluates the combination of user, device, if the device is company-issued or not and location of the connection before assigning a level of network access.

Endpoint compliance is another feature provided by Network Sentry. Before any device can connect to the network, it is evaluated to determine if the device has the latest software updates and antivirus installed. It also checks to see if the device is 'jailbroken'. If the device does not meet compliance requirements, it is denied access to the network.

By itself, Network Sentry is valuable in helping organizations provide flexible, yet secure access to networks, but the SmartEdge Platform takes these features a step further. It provides an application programmer interface (API) to allow communication to and from Network Sentry and gives admins the ability to customize BYOD solutions.

The combination of a rapid growth in both mobile device use and malware attacks have made integrated network access control solutions, such as BN, a necessity in protecting an organization’s network and data. A fourth quarter 2011 CTIA (News - Alert) report states that there are more mobile devices than people in the United States. As users accessed sensitive content like bank accounts and corporate data more often with mobile devices, the frequency of malware attacks increased. According to Juniper Networks (News - Alert), malware attacks increased 155 percent on mobile devices in 2011.

The days of closed systems like the company LAN made up of numerous desktop PCs and printers connected together and accessed by a user name and password are a thing of the past. The rapid growth in mobile device use has put pressure on companies to adopt BYOD policies. A SANS Mobility/BYOD Security states that 60 percent of organizations have a BYOD policy, but only nine percent are confident that they know what devices are on their network. It’s clear that most companies have a long way to go in improving BYOD practices to the point that IT managers feel comfortable with them.