// The Challenge
You Can’t Protect
What You Can’t See.
Modern networks are flooded with unmanaged IoT, guest devices, and personal hardware. For most organisations, this creates a dangerous ‘visibility gap’. Standard security measures often fail to distinguish between a corporate laptop and a compromised smart camera. Network Access Control (NAC) provides the intelligence required to identify, profile, and secure every connection in real-time.
The Five W’s
of Network Visibility
Before you can secure your environment, you must have absolute clarity on its composition. Most organizations struggle to answer the five fundamental questions of network security:
- What device is it? (Is it a corporate laptop, a smart camera, or a rogue access point?)
- Who is connecting it? (Is it a vetted employee, student, a contractor, or an anonymous guest?)
- When was it connected? (Was it a scheduled update or a suspicious midnight connection?)
- Where is it connecting from? (Is it on the secure office floor, the warehouse IoT segment, or via VPN?)
- What access does it have? (Does that printer really need access to your financial servers?)
KHIPU’s Network Access Control (NAC) services transform these questions into real-time intelligence. We provide an all-encompassing view that answers these questions automatically, ensuring that no device enters your network without being identified, profiled, and authorized.
Strategic NAC Capabilities:
Zero Trust in Action.
We don’t just provide NAC solutions; we architect security policies that follow the user, not the port.
- Dynamic Device Profiling: Automatically identify and categorise devices (IoT, Medical, Industrial, or Mobile) based on their behaviour and MAC address.
- Automated Posture Assessment: Check device ‘health’ before granting entry. If a device lacks the latest patches or has disabled antivirus, it is automatically quarantined.
- Guest & BYOD Onboarding: Provide secure, self-service internet access for visitors while keeping your corporate core completely isolated.
- Micro-Segmentation: Prevent lateral movement. If a device is compromised, NAC ensures the threat is locked in a single segment, protecting the rest of your infrastructure.
Key Outcomes
- 100% Device Visibility: Know exactly what is on your network at all times.
- Rapid Incident Containment: Automatically isolate infected devices in seconds, not hours.
- Audit-Ready Compliance: Simplify GDPR, PCI-DSS, and Cyber Essentials audits. Securely isolate sensitive data environments and generate reports proving exactly which devices are permitted access to your secure zones.
Network Access Control FAQs.
What is Network Access Control (NAC) and why is it important? More
Network Access Control (NAC) is a security solution that enforces policies to manage access to network resources. It is critical because it provides 100% device visibility, ensuring that unauthorized or non-compliant devices – such as unmanaged IoT or personal phones – cannot access sensitive corporate data or move laterally through your network.
What is the difference between agent-based and agentless NAC? More
Agent-based NAC requires a small piece of software installed on the endpoint to provide deep visibility into its security posture. Agentless NAC uses network-based detection (like scanning and traffic analysis) to identify devices. Agentless is ideal for IoT and guest devices, while agent-based is preferred for high-security corporate assets.
How does NAC support a Zero Trust security model? More
NAC is a fundamental gatekeeper for Zero Trust, operating on the principle of “never trust, always verify.” Instead of granting automatic access to a device just because it is physically plugged in, NAC validates a user’s identity and assesses the device’s security posture at the exact moment of connection (and via subsequent scheduled intervals). If the device fails to meet your baseline requirements during these checkpoint evaluations, it is denied entry or restricted to a safe segment.
Can NAC prevent the spread of ransomware? More
Yes, but only when integrated with your broader security ecosystem (such as an EDR platform or Next-Gen Firewalls). Natively, a NAC system does not inspect live data traffic, map malware, or detect network scans. Think of NAC as a traffic cop: when your EDR or firewall flags a device for anomalous behavior or active ransomware, it sends an instant API alert to the NAC. The NAC then executes the punishment, immediately triggering an automated macro-isolation to move that compromised device onto a restricted quarantine VLAN, stopping the threat from migrating to your server infrastructure.
Is NAC difficult to implement in a large environment? More
Historically, NAC was complex, but KHIPU utilises a phased deployment strategy. By starting with monitoring without blocking, we identify all devices and refine policies before enforcement begins. This ensures a smooth transition to a secure environment without disrupting business operations.