Bradford
Networks, a company that enables secure network access for corporate-issued and
employee-owned mobile devices, launched a Network Access Control (NAC)
security-as-a-service offering called Bradford.cloud, which delivers the
company’s on-premises network security offering in a cloud-based SaaS model,
with no hardware or virtual appliance required.
Connecting
via VPN through private-cloud architecture, Bradford.cloud can help enterprises
provide secure network access for trusted mobile devices in a bring your own
device (BYOD) environment; demonstrate compliance with regulations such as PCI
and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) by providing
the ability to distinguish between corporate and personal devices, and
provision network access accordingly; gain an inventory of all devices, such as
laptops, iPads, smartphones and users in their network environment; and
automate network control and provisioning based on role, device type,
geography, time of day and other factors.
The
service will be sold through Bradford’s global network of managed service
provider (MSP) partners, who have the option to OEM or integrate the solution
into their existing suites of network and security service offerings.
“Bradford.cloud
fills a distinct market need,” said Mark Moretti, vice president of sales at
Atrion Networking, one of the first MSPs authorized to deliver the solution.
“We’re seeing strong demand among clients for greater network visibility and
control over mobile devices, but many of these companies aren’t in a position
to take on additional workload. By delivering network security capabilities via
the cloud, Bradford is opening up an entirely new market space for us.”
According
to research firm Infonetics, the managed security services market will grow 13
percent in 2011—roughly four times faster than the overall IT market. By
2015, this market will reach nearly $17 billion. Research firm Gartner
predicts that by 2014, 90 percent of organizations will support corporate
applications on personal devices.
Dan
Haley, CEO of Bradford Networks, noted that the BYOD trend is affecting all
types of organizations, from small to medium-size businesses (SMBs) to large
enterprises, and that a simpler, SaaS-based approach to network visibility is
needed to help more companies adopt NAC. “Bradford is the only vendor that
can deliver a pure SaaS solution for NAC,” said Haley. “The reception we’ve had
so far from MSPs and their clients has been very encouraging—we’re really
excited about taking this out to the market.”
