Network Access Control For Dummies®

2.7. Off-Shoring and Outsourcing

The ability to find the best product or service at the best price helps keep companies profitable. Outsourcing aspects of business helps companies grow and retain their margins. A form of outsourcing, called off-shoring (outsourcing production of a good or service, or outsourcing a business process such as manufacturing, to a company that's based outside of your company's country) has helped to grow the world economy while keeping spiraling prices in check, allowing companies to keep their margins up by controlling the cost of goods or services. These savings also help keep consumer prices in check.

Although outsourcing and off-shoring provide clear benefits to business, these services include very real gotchas for networking and security. Outsourcers and off-shore partners, like contractors and local partners, may require access to sensitive corporate resources and assets stored on the company's network to be productive and perform their duties. And, like contractors and partners, they may be conducting their business either locally or remotely.

Whether the outsourcer or offshore partner accesses the corporate network via Ethernet at the corporate offices or via VPN, your company should provide them with differentiated network access that has unique authentication credentials:

• Your company's NAC solution needs to check the devices that the outsourcer or off-shore partners use to connect to the corporate network to make sure that those devices ...