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Nottingham Trent University Selects ForeScout CounterACT to Improve Network Visibility and End User Experience
[March 31, 2014]

Nottingham Trent University Selects ForeScout CounterACT to Improve Network Visibility and End User Experience


(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Campbell, Calif. - - ForeScout Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of pervasive network security solutions for Global 2000 enterprises and government organisations, today announced that Nottingham Trent University (NTU), one of the UK's most innovative universities with a strong reputation for launching graduate careers, chose ForeScout CounterACTT to help monitor and mitigate security risks from devices connecting to its wireless network while maintaining end-user ease of use.



With over 25,000 students and 2,500 staff spread across three campuses, NTU's wireless network accommodates about 6,000 active wireless endpoints -- and 10,000 "seen" endpoints -- figures that grow continually as students bring more of their own devices (BYOD), including laptops, smartphones, tablets and gaming devices, onto the network.

In 2013, in response to student requests for a simpler solution, NTU reduced its multiple, fragmented networks to one integrated wireless network. They needed to ensure the security of this network, and having previously used a first-generation network access control (NAC) solution that was difficult to use and created a negative user experience, the network team knew it was time for change. NTU did, however, still need NAC functionality, so the network team examined ForeScout's CounterACT platform as well as a number of other NAC solutions available at the time.


"For today's UK universities and colleges, the student is king. We, therefore, had to look at our wireless strategy from the perspective of ensuring that connecting to the network is as painless as possible, regardless of the device in use," said Mark Pearson, core networking team leader at NTU.

"The main selling point for ForeScout was that it is so much easier to use than our previous NAC solution and doesn't require an agent to be deployed on each endpoint. Once we connected CounterACT to our network, it was up and running within 30 minutes. CounterACT is also non-intrusive to end users, which was critical, helping us to provide an inclusive and accessible network while optimising security." After implementing CounterACT, calls to the IT helpdesk were reduced, which has contributed to cost-savings for NTU. The platform's ease of management and automated mitigation capabilities have also saved the university time, money and resources.

The CounterACT dashboard makes it easy to monitor the entire wireless network from one screen, so the network team can see and monitor activity across all three campuses. Additionally, the system allows NTU to offer different levels of network access depending on whether the device is known or unknown.

"NTU is one of a growing number of UK public sector organisations utilising the CounterACT platform to help monitor and mitigate security risks from a multitude of devices connecting to its network," said Peter Batchelor, ForeScout's regional manager for UK, Ireland and Africa.

"CounterACT's ease of management and low administration costs are imperative for customers to keep their IT security costs to a minimum while also ensuring the best possible experience for end users." Relevant Links Nottingham Trent University Case Study ForeScout Blog ForeScout Twitter ForeScout Facebook About ForeScout Technologies, Inc.

ForeScout delivers pervasive network security by allowing organisations to continuously monitor and mitigate security exposures and cyberattacks. The company's CounterACT platform dynamically identifies and assesses all network users, endpoints and applications to provide complete visibility, intelligence and policy-based mitigation of security issues. ForeScout's open ControlFabric technology allows a broad range of IT security products and management systems to share information and automate remediation actions. Because ForeScout's solutions are easy to deploy, unobtrusive, flexible and scalable, they have been chosen by more than 1,500 enterprises and government agencies in 54 countries. Headquartered in Campbell, California, ForeScout offers its solutions through its network of authorised partners worldwide.

Learn more at: www.forescout.com.

CASE STUDY: Nottingham Trent University Selects ForeScout CounterACT to Improve Network Visibility, Security and End User Experience Sidebar: Objective: NTU sought a NAC solution to enable secure wireless network access for 25,000 students and 2,500 staff across three campuses and to help monitor and mitigate security risks from devices connecting to its network.

Solution: After assessing ForeScout CounterACTT and other NAC solutions, NTU selected ForeScout's next-generation NAC platform to deliver secure, uninterrupted access to its new wireless network while ensuring a positive end-user experience.

Results: * Real-time visibility and control of all types of devices ranging from laptops and smartphones to tablets and gaming devices * Easy, non-intrusive user experience for students and staff accessing the wireless network * Ease of management and a reduction in helpdesk calls resulting in cost savings for NTU Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is one of the UK's most innovative universities, with a strong reputation for launching graduate careers. With over 25,000 students and 2,500 staff spread across three campuses, NTU's wireless network accommodates about 6,000 active wireless endpoints - and 10,000 "seen" endpoints - a figure that is growing continually as students increasingly bring more of their own devices (BYOD) on to the network, including laptops, smartphones, tablets and gaming devices.

In January 2013, NTU's network team developed a new wireless strategy in response to student requests for a simpler solution encompassing a wireless network that was easier to access and utilise. Subsequently, NTU reduced its multiple, fragmented networks to one, integrated wireless network.

As part of this strategy, NTU needed to ensure the security of its new wireless network. Having previously used an agent-based, first-generation network access control (NAC) solution that had proved difficult to use and created a negative user experience, the network team knew it was time for a change. The university did, however, still need NAC functionality, and so it began the search for an alternative solution.

Why ForeScout Given that the NAC capabilities most desired by NTU were ease of use, cost-effective administration and a better end-user experience; selecting a non-disruptive, reliable and flexible solution was imperative.

The network team examined the ForeScout CounterACT NAC platform, as well as a number of other NAC solutions available at the time.

Mark Pearson, core networking team leader at NTU, said, "The main selling point for ForeScout was the fact that it was so much easier to use than our previous NAC solution. Once we connected the CounterACT appliance to the network, it was up and running within 30 minutes. CounterACT is also non-intrusive to end-users, which was critical. The other NAC solutions we looked at were clunky and more challenging, and, like our previous NAC solution - still required an agent to be deployed on each endpoint." Pearson added, "For today's UK universities and colleges, the student is king. We need to look at our wireless network strategy from the perspective of ensuring that connecting to the network is as painless as possible, regardless of the device in use. ForeScout's NAC platform facilitates this, helping us to provide an inclusive and accessible network while optimising security." How ForeScout Helped Nottingham Trent University deployed ForeScout CounterACT across its three campuses in January 2013 and expanded its deployment at the main city site over the winter to cater to the university's ever-increasing number of BYOD endpoints.

Rapid Implementation ForeScout's product has superior interoperability, does not require infrastructure re-architecting and does not require agents. This approach allowed NTU to deploy a next-generation NAC in record time without impacting operations and users.

Real-time Visibility ForeScout's easy-to-manage NAC platform gives NTU's network team real-time visibility and control across devices on the wireless network while being unobtrusive to the user.

Ease of Management The CounterACT dashboard makes it easy to monitor the entire wireless network from one screen so the network team can see and monitor activity across all three campuses. Additionally, the system allows NTU to offer different levels of network access depending on whether the device is known or unknown.

Context-aware Access Control "Students are always bringing in a huge range of devices. If we do not know what a particular device is, we grant the user reduced network access via ForeScout's virtual firewall functionality. For known devices, we allow full network access, as CounterACT allows us to check their security posture - monitoring for up-to-date anti-virus, for example - which helps to optimise the security of our network," commented Pearson.

Scalable, Secure BYOD "Our search for a NAC solution was prompted by the BYOD phenomenon, with students bringing more and more devices on to the network - a trend that is only going to increase," said Pearson. "CounterACT provided the scalable, non-intrusive answer we were looking for, enabling all users easy, secure and uninterrupted access to our wireless network." Cost-savings for IT Team After implementing CounterACT, calls to NTU's IT helpdesk were reduced, which contributed to overall cost-savings. The platform's ease of management and automated mitigation capabilities have also saved time, money and resources.

The ForeScout Difference "Over the past few years, we have witnessed a massive shift as students bring multiple devices on to the wireless network. To get the most from these devices - be it for study, leisure or social networking - they expect instant and easy network access, as well as a continuous service. Within NTU's network team, our role is to keep students happy by fulfilling this requirement while also maximising network security and keeping helpdesk calls to a minimum. ForeScout CounterACT has enabled us to deliver on all these elements, and more," commented Pearson.

About ForeScout Technologies, Inc.

ForeScout delivers pervasive network security by allowing organisations to continuously monitor and mitigate security exposures and cyberattacks. The company's CounterACT platform dynamically identifies and assesses all network users, endpoints and applications to provide complete visibility, intelligence and policy-based mitigation of security issues. ForeScout's open ControlFabric technology allows a broad range of IT security products and management systems to share information and automate remediation actions. Because ForeScout's solutions are easy to deploy, unobtrusive, flexible and scalable, they have been chosen by more than 1,500 enterprises and government agencies in 54 countries. Headquartered in Campbell, California, ForeScout offers its solutions through its network of authorised partners worldwide.

Learn more at www.forescout.com.

Sally Bratton Bratton PR +44(0)7930 301601+44(0)7930 301601 twitter: @sallybratton1 www.brattonpr.comCallSend SMSAdd to SkypeYou'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype .

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