Gartner defines network access control (NAC) as technologies that enable organizations to implement policies for controlling access to corporate infrastructure by both user-oriented devices and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Policies may be based on authentication, endpoint configuration (posture) or users' role/identity. NAC can also implement postconnect policies based on integration with other security products. For example, NAC could enforce a policy to contain the endpoint based on an alert from a SIEM. An organization should evaluate the following capabilities: • Device visibility/profiling • Access control • Security posture check • Guest management • Bidirectional integration with other security products.
Gartner defines network security microsegmentation — also referred to as zero-trust network segmentation — as an effort that can create more granular and dynamic access policies than traditional network segmentation (often north-south traffic segmentation). It allows the insertion of a security policy between any two workloads in the same broadcast domain — with microsegmentation technologies narrowing fine-grained network zones down to individual assets and applications. Microsegmentation tools support the implementation of finer-grained zoning across public, private and hybrid cloud infrastructures. Security and risk management (SRM) leaders must understand the key features, use cases, and role of microsegmentation in their environment, as well as determine which model is the best fit for their needs.