WiteSand’s cloud-based Network Access Control (NAC) is an alternative to systems like Cisco’s Identity Services Engine and Aruba’s Clearpass
Juniper Networks has acquired cloud network access control (NAC) software maker WiteSand, the companies announced. WiteSand emerged from stealth mode last year, created by Insieme Networks founder and former Cisco SVP Praveen Jain. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Juniper will integrate WiteSand’s technology into Mist, its AI-driven network management platform. As enterprise cloud migration continues, this deal helps Juniper consolidate expertise in zero-trust networking. WiteSand’s cloud-based Network Access Control (NAC) is an alternative to systems like Cisco’s Identity Services Engine and Aruba’s Clearpass.
Traditional network access control solutions rely on on-premise hardware and monolithic code and are difficult to scale to the expanding needs of the cloud, said Juniper. Cloud-based operations leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) can provide businesses with automated provisioning, monitoring, analysis and security, Juniper said.
“When NAC is integrated with wireless assurance, wired assurance, WAN assurance, IoT assurance, and indoor location services under a common Mist cloud and AI umbrella, Juniper customers can deliver amazing experiences to their network users, from the client all the way to the cloud,” said Sujai Hajela, EVP AI-Driven Enterprise, Juniper Networks.
In a separate blog post, Hajela explained that the two companies have synergies around AI-driven network management. Mist exists, Hajela said, because of a desire to evolve wireless LAN (WLAN) management to the cloud.
“With WiteSand comes a treasure trove of talent, technology and early traction that is a perfect complement to Juniper’s industry-leading development team. This includes constant enhancement to the Mist AI engine to optimize both user and operator experiences,” said Hajela.
Security on the cloud edge
Juniper strengthened its Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) portfolio earlier this month with the release of Juniper Secure Edge. The company describes it as a “Firewall-as-a-Service” which sports application control, intrusion prevention system (IPS), anti-malware, web proxy and filtering, and advanced threat protection.
Juniper Secure Edge employs the same policy framework as Juniper’s SRX hardware. It also provides a single-stack architecture for SASE, a more secure methodology, according to Juniper Networks VP of Product Management, Security Business & Strategy Samantha Madrid.
“When we say single stack, we mean that customers now have one solution to manage both user access and network access, and ensure that traffic is legitimate and protected from threats,” said Madrid.
Juniper is making progress in network disaggregation thanks a recent collaboration with Intel and Rakuten Symphony. In October, they announced Symware, a carrier-grade multipurpose Open RAN edge appliance aimed at helping operators densify networks, accommodate different network topologies and reduce hardware cost per site.
