NAC now? NAC later? How about both?

Since it's sum-sum-summertime, I'm inevitably reminded of afternoons spent at the swimming pool, which in turn (of course) reminds me of candy.  Now, everyone had their own favorite candy back then.  Some would continue to insist on candy that, in the space of about 3 seconds, was going to melt in the heat that is a trademark of Texas summers.  Others would go for a more heat-resistant candy that, while far less delicious, at least wouldn't melt away like a wet wicked witch.  My own favorite was Now and Later.  Marketing delayed gratification to kids is always a tricky business; however, these candies were a stroke of genius.  Eat them now.  Save them for later.  They're a tasty treat either way.

I was reminded of all of this last week, reading Tim Greene's article on the Gartner Marketscope report.  Greene summarizes Gartner's viewpoint that even initial NAC deployments must take into account the organization's larger strategic vision of network security, endpoint compliance, etc.  Certainly, we agree with that.  However, the article also seems to pose a choice to organizations between an "overlay" solution that may have a short shelf life (say, a Snickers bar), and a more broadly integrated infrastructure-based solution that's not quite there yet (those fun dip things that had the inedible edible stick).

Any pure-play (overlay, whatever you want to call it) NAC vendor that cannot articulate a vision for how their solution fits into a larger overall framework is going to melt away very quickly.  And even before it melts away altogether, organizations are likely to get disgusted with what it's turning into and simply toss it.  By contrast, current pure-play vendors that do have that vision are like the Now and Later candy.  They provide a good firm texture now, but are pliable enough later to mold into your general network security strategy.

So, I say the choice is not as stark as portrayed in Tim's article, either for customers or vendors.  You can get your NAC snack now, knowing that even after some cannonballs and back flips, you'll still have something that is not just relevant, but delicious.