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Intelligent Control
Intelligent Control - full control of users and applications
Intelligent control brings a much richer understanding of users and applications, as well as the ability to enforce policy on that information. Perhaps the easiest way to understand the architectural underpinnings is to contrast the architecture of an intelligent switch to that of a legacy switch. The intelligent architecture has the packet processing needed to learn and retain a user’s identity and role, the application in use, and the destination server. This intelligence brings business context directly into the switch, enabling IT to deliver user and application control
In the case of ConSentry, this intelligent architecture is available in two devices - the intelligent switch for the wiring closet and the intelligent controller to sit between the wiring closet switch and the core or distribution switch. Both platforms deliver wire-speed, deep packet inspection for user and application control.
Legacy Switch vs. Intelligent Switch Architecture
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Legacy Architecture |
Intelligent Architecture |
Performance |
Wire speed |
Wire speed |
Latency |
Microseconds |
Microseconds |
Hardware |
Fixed |
Programmable |
Processing |
Packet-based |
Flow-based |
User Context |
IP addresses |
Identity, device, role |
Application Details |
Limited to Layer 4 |
Rich Layer 7+ detail |
Access Policies |
Complex - ACLs/VLANs |
Dynamic - by user/role/app |
Security |
Overlay, external apps |
Embedded |
Audit/troubleshoot |
Sampled Layer 4 data |
Full user/app/resource data |
| Bottom Line: The legacy switch architecture cannot support intellligent switching. |
Why do you need Intelligent Control?
Because so many IT tasks are just too complicated when done with LANs built on the legacy architecture.
- Supporting a dynamic and diverse workforce.
- Rolling out new applications.
- Troubleshooting your users’ network problems.
All these jobs are made harder by LANs that operate on IP addresses, VLANs, ACLs, and Layer 4 ports.
An intelligent control architecture understands users, by username, and their roles in the organization. It automatically recognizes devices on the LAN. It knows what applications a user or device is running – at Layer 7 not just Layer 4. It knows what the user is trying to do – down to the filename or URL involved – which makes applying policy much easier.
So rather than forcing the business to speak the language of the network, with intelligent control, the network speaks the language of the business.
A new architecture, from the ground up
You can’t just bolt on a few new features, update a supervisor engine, or run new software to migrate a legacy switch to an intelligent switch. It takes a new architecture – with high-performance, specialized hardware and software built from the ground up to provide this kind of intelligence.
| Intelligent Control Architecture |
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Having intelligence directly in the LAN simplifies the task of applying controls. |
Intelligent control platforms are:
- Dynamic and flexible – policy-based switching, with programmable hardware.
- Integrated – user/role/app knowledge plus switching in a single platform.
- Simple – Easier to maintain than switches based on legacy architecture.
Dynamic, integrated, and simple, with full user and application control – that’s intelligent control.
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