Episode 103 — NAC Concepts: posture assessment, enforcement points, dynamic lists
Network access control appears in CloudNetX because it is a practical way to decide who and what can connect, and to adapt that decision based on device trustworthiness rather than assuming all endpoints are equal. This episode defines posture assessment as evaluating device conditions such as patch level, security agent presence, and compliance state, and it defines enforcement points as the places where access decisions are applied, including wired switches, wireless controllers, and gateway systems. The first paragraph focuses on the goal of NAC: reduce risk by preventing unmanaged or noncompliant devices from gaining broad access, and apply differentiated access based on identity and posture. It also explains dynamic lists conceptually as automated groupings that update permissions when device context changes, enabling access policies that respond to current reality rather than static assumptions.
