As organizations realize the benefits of IoT, the number of sensors, electronic controls, and automated equipment connected to IT networks increases exponentially. Managing these devices to ensure they are secure and determining their location is increasingly complex.
In response, Allied Telesis and Forescout have developed an integrated management platform, significantly reducing the time and cost of managing endpoint devices and simplifying IoT infrastructures.
An increasingly complex environment
Enterprise IT organizations have traditionally built out their technology infrastructures using a combination of physical access control and agent-based device monitoring and management. However, due to the increased usage of BYOD, wireless and IoT devices, agent-based device management is no longer practical and leads to the following issues.
• Unexpected connection of unidentified and unmanaged devices,
• Increased numbers of IoT devices and OT devices that are not able to install agent software,
• More cost and effort for deploying and maintaining agent software.
To successfully manage this complex environment, you must find ways to collect, visualize, and control network assets without further burdening operational staff. For a complete solution to manage all the devices connected to your network, you need agentless device discovery.
Agentless device discovery
The Forescout Continuum Platform is the most widely deployed, scalable, enterprise-class solution for agentless device visibility and control. It deploys quickly on your existing infrastructure – without requiring agents, upgrades or 802.1x authentication.
Vista Manager EX, from Allied Telesis, helps reduce the complexity of network management operations through improved visibility and control of an ever-increasing number of devices that access online data and applications.
By integrating Vista Manager and Forescout, complete network topology and endpoint device information is readily available without agent software. Vista Manager graphically visualizes the devices in the dashboard map to quickly identify the connected network segment. With any status change, the map updates for continuously accurate information. Device discovery, visualization, monitoring, and traffic analysis features are easily accessible from the dashboard.
Example deployment
1.Forescout analyzes traffic flows and discovers endpoint devices connected to the network.
2. Forescout shares device information with Vista Manager EX.
3. With visibility of the whole network and all endpoint devices, unauthorized devices are easy to identify.
The Forescout integration with Vista Manager provides the following customer benefits:
• Integration of Forescout Continuum is easy with a simple plug-in to Vista Manager.
• Endpoint devices are detected automatically using Forescout’s agentless discovery technology.
• Discovered devices are automatically added to Vista Manager’s topology map with meaningful icons to simplify identification and management.
• Comprehensive device and status information is available directly from the Vista Manager network dashboard.
Today’s enterprise networks must provide wired and wireless access to support digital resources, BYOD policies, and third-party devices such as IoT, security cameras and IP phones. With ever-increasing network complexity, the only practical solution for endpoint management and security is agentless device discovery partnered with network automation to reduce everyday IT tasks.
The integration with Forescout device discovery is supported from Vista Manager v3.9.1. Talk to us to learn more about benefits of the integrated Vista Manager and Forescout network management solution.
