Avenda Systems' Network Access Security and RADIUS Platform Replacing Cisco ACS Installations

Online, September 14, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Avenda Systems, the innovation leader in identity-based network access security, today announced that its eTIPS AAA and NAC platform is winning over once loyal Cisco Access Control Server (ACS) customers. Avenda's eTIPS platform delivers greater functionality, costs less to own and maintain, and supports any vendor's network devices.

In addition, Avenda's fine-grained policy controls provide a new level of authorization flexibility not found in Cisco's ACS. Since customers are now forced to support a wider variety of users (employees, guests, contractors), and managed and unmanaged devices (laptops, smartphones, tablet PCs), the ability to easily differentiate access privileges is more important than ever. This highlights shortcomings in the Cisco ACS solution.

"Here at Kenyon College, we replaced unreliable ACS appliances with the Avenda solution, which allowed us to meet the changing demands of our user community," said Ron Griggs, VP of IT at Kenyon College. "We have been impressed with the solid performance of the Avenda solution - it feels like a product that has been around for 20 years."

Avenda's eTIPS identity-based platform provides customers with a full service solution for authenticating users and devices, while providing improved levels of visibility and control over all access transactions. Any user or device that does not meet authorization criteria can be restricted from accessing network resources until policy requirements are met.

Avenda's integrated functionality and benefits include:
• Web-based management that enables IT teams to centrally configure and control enterprise-wide policies across multiple locations
• Built-in guest access and web-based authentication that simplifies access management for visitors, contractors, students, etc.
• Large and small scale clustering and redundancy that supports any size organization

"Avenda's product innovation is proving advantageous over legacy solutions like Cisco's ACS, verified in competitive bakeoffs at customer sites and in Network World's recent NAC roundup," said Ron DiBiase, VP of Sales at Avenda Systems. "The ability to provide a clear technology advantage and service for Cisco ACS migrations has been a strong incentive for customers to evaluate and select Avenda."

With growing customer traction, Avenda's eTIPS continues to be recognized in the industry as a superior secure access control solution. Gartner positioned Avenda as a Visionary in its 2010 Magic Quadrant for Network Access Control. In a recently published competitive roundup in Network World magazine, Avenda's highlighted strengths included simplicity, ease of use, and well-balanced NAC features.

About Avenda
Avenda's Identity-based access control solution delivers industry proven employee, guest and endpoint access management for multi-vendor wired, wireless and VPN networks. Avenda has been recognized for innovation excellence, including being positioned as a Visionary in Gartner's 2010 Magic Quadrant for Network Access Control report, and being named a Gartner Cool Vendor in Identity and Access Management, 2010. Further information: http://www.avendasys.com