What is FortiNAC?

This document provides a general overview of NAC concepts and introduces the FortiNAC product and solution.

Executive Summary

Network access control (NAC), or network admission control, ensures that users and devices connecting to a network are compliant and authorized to obtain access to the network. In other words, the goal of NAC is to prevent unauthorized access by assessing the eligibility of the user or device to enter the network.

NAC solutions represent an important first step for integrated security solutions by joining the capabilities of endpoint security software with security features of the network infrastructure to manage network access.

With the explosion of new endpoint device technology, and the ever-increasing mobile user population, the need to understand who and what is connecting to a corporate network has become critical.

IT departments struggle with how to ensure that mission-critical network resources are both operational and secure, while allowing network access for endpoint devices, mobile devices, biomedical devices, IoT devices, etc. IT departments are also responsible for ensuring that mobile users, employees, partners, guests and contractors do not misuse network resources, wrongly distribute intellectual assets or other- wise violate usage policies. In addition, IT is ultimately responsible for making sure that network users can accomplish valid tasks with minimal interruptions. This requires IT to be able to dynamically identify, manage and secure a wider variety of devices and users on the network.

FortiNAC is a network access control solution that enables organizations to easily manage their network access policies and ensure compliance with security policies. It offers a comprehensive view of all devices and users on the network, allowing for granular control of access based on user roles, device types, and network locations.

The solution provides automated onboarding of new endpoints, as well as continuous monitoring and remediation of non-compliant devices. FortiNAC is an appliance-based solution which can be deployed independently as well as integrated with Fortinet’s security fabric infrastructure. It is a powerful multi-vendor solution that supports 95+ vendors and more than 2,800 managed network devices. With FortiNAC, organizations can secure their network against unauthorized access and potential threats.

Intended Audience

This guide is intended for an audience who is interested in learning about Fortinet’s Network Access Control (NAC) and Zero Trust Access (ZTA) concepts. Readers should have a basic understanding of networking and security concepts before they begin. Interested audience may include:

• Network and Security architects

• Network and Security engineers

About this guide

This guide aims to provide a broad overview of NAC concepts, and introduce products in the Fortinet portfolio that work together to implement a scalable NAC solution. Industry standard terminologies are used, with introductions to Fortinet specific terms, concepts and technologies. Readers can move on to the FortiNAC Architecture Guide and other FortiNAC Deployment Guides when they are familiar with the concept and terminology and is ready to explore different designs to use in their environment.