Hirsch Partnership Joins Physical, Network Security
SANTA ANA, Calif.
Hirsch Electronics, a supplier of physical security management solutions, has teamed with IT providers Juniper Networks and Infoblox to tie physical and network security together, increasing protection for both environments.
The collaboration is expected to help customers improve security and enhance compliance efforts by establishing physical presence as a policy for gaining access to various network resources.
The solution was implemented by the three companies using the open Trusted Network Connect (TNC) architecture and IF-MAP open-standard protocol for metadata exchange. More than 100 companies that comprise the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) endorse the standard.
Hirsch’s Velocity security management system sent IF-MAP-based physical event messages (metadata) to the Infoblox appliance, which in turn notified the Juniper network appliance that enforced network access control (NAC) policies.
At Interop Las Vegas in May, the Hirsch Velocity system received access requests to enter a building as well as secure building locations using both contactless smartcards and personal identification number (PIN) credentials. Access grant and denial messages were sent in real-time to Infoblox’s 1550 Network Services Appliance, which acted as a clearinghouse for events and device status.
The Infoblox server automatically sent notification of changes to the Juniper Networks IC Series Unified Access Control Appliance, which enabled or disabled the credential holder’s network access per pre-established policies.
“This is an excellent proof-point for how extensible the Trusted Network Connect architecture and TCG’s specifications are,” says Stephen Hanna, co-chair of TCG’s Trusted Network Connect Work Group and Juniper Networks engineer. “Through TCG’s IF-MAP protocol, physical security events can now trigger network security enforcement policies and vice-versa. Hirsch’s support and innovative collaboration with other TCG members Juniper and Infoblox has demonstrated that TNC can be deployed to make security pervasive in any organization.”
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
Related Content
Security Is Our Business, Too
For professionals who recommend, buy and install all types of electronic security equipment, a free subscription to Commercial Integrator + Security Sales & Integration is like having a consultant on call. You’ll find an ideal balance of technology and business coverage, with installation tips and techniques for products and updates on how to add to your bottom line.
A FREE subscription to the top resource for security and integration industry will prove to be invaluable.
