Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Cisco Unveils Role-Based Enterprise Security Architecture

Cisco announced a new role-based security architecture that integrates identity and role-based security measures for scaled implementation across enterprise networks.



The Cisco TrustSec architecture creates a trusted enterprise network encompassing Cisco switches along with Cisco routers and Cisco Unified Wireless Network controllers as a foundation for authenticating users, assigning roles, enforcing access policies and delivering integrity and confidentiality to network traffic. Key attributes of Cisco TrustSec include:

  • Role-Aware Secure Campus Access Control: Anytime, anywhere access to the network is determined by an individual's role in the company. This "role aware" network helps enforce identity-based security policies pervasively across the network regardless of the network access method or device (wired, wireless, mobile, laptop, printer).


  • Converged Policy Framework: Various authentication mechanics are converged into a single central policy engine that dynamically communicates across the entire switch infrastructure. This framework addresses the information technology (IT) challenge of managing policies consistently across the network by greatly simplifying the management of identity policies over disparate authentication methods.


  • Pervasive Integrity and Confidentiality: Helps maintain the integrity and confidentiality of data as it moves through all points in the network. This safeguards against data leakage, supports regulatory requirements and increases the privacy of the network itself.



Cisco also announced industry relationships with Intel and Ixia to increase interoperability with this architecture.htt://www.cisco.com