Network Access Control | Educause 2013 News

Bradford Adds Hyper-V Server 2012 Support in Network Sentry 6.2

• By Leila Meyer
• 10/17/13

Bradford Networks has unveiled Network Sentry 6.2, adding support for Microsoft Hyper-V Server and integration with MaaS360 mobile device management (MDM).

Bradford revealed the update at the Educause 2013 conference in Anaheim Wednesday. (Bradford Networks is exhibiting at the Educause conference this week in booth 1518.)

Network Sentry is a network access control solution that is designed to help IT departments connect devices to the campus network while maintaining network security. With thousands of students now bringing multiple devices onto campus, "network access control is no longer a nice to have in education, it's an imperative," said Tom Murphy, CMO of Bradford Networks, in a prepared statement.

Since many schools are transitioning to cloud and virtualized services, Network Sentry has added support for the Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012 virtualization hypervisor. According to the company, running Network Sentry on Microsoft Hyper-V Server can reduce hardware and energy costs and centralize and simplify NAC administration.

Network Sentry also integrates with three different MDM solutions: AirWatch, MobileIron, and MaaS360. According to the company, integration with an MDM solution enables educational institutions to combine device-level security with network access security to deliver a "holistic solution" for bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies.

Network Sentry 6.2 offers multiple deployment options. It is available as an appliance or virtual appliance, and the company recently announced its availability through a cloud service.

New features of Network Sentry 6.2 include:

• Ability to run on Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012;
• Integration with MaaS360 mobile device management (MDM), in addition to existing AirWatch and MobileIron MDM integration; and
• Integrated RADIUS Server for deployment of authentication and authorization services for on-boarding, guest management, and 802.1X implementation.

Network Sentry 6.2 is available now, and further information about it can be found at bradfordnetworks.com.