End-point integrity Security is hotting up

In a move that further adds to the momentum of adaptive security architectures and self-defending networks, The Trusted Computing Group (TCG), whose promoters include IBM, Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp., has released details of a new Trusted Network Connect (TNC) architectural standard for authenticating and enforcing security polices on client devices that connect to corporate networks.

This joins Cisco's Network Admission Control (NAC) Identity Based Security model (IBSM) and Dimension Data's Adaptive Secure Infrastructure (ASI), and more architectures are probably likely to follow. The main difference is that TNC is being designed to work in a multivendor networking environment, whereas Cisco's NAC works only with its own network technology.

The enforcement of the integrity of end-points is becoming a popular approach among industry giants to solve the security issues of the day, and will allow IT managers to set rules to deny, permit, quarantine or restrict network access depending on the security status and identityt of a user's PC, laptop or handheld device.