Centralized management of diverse devices
Modern gateways and firewalls can manage device access. Fundamentally, they can permit internet access or allow/block access to specific server networks. The advantage lies in having a centralized unit that provides an overview of the current access situation. Such management units are offered by vendors such as Cisco, Sophos, Lancom, WatchGuard, and SonicWall.
Time- and volume-based internet access control
If temporary internet or network access needs to be provided to third-party devices, modern gateways can generate vouchers with time and data volume limits. These vouchers can be created easily and independently. Once handed to the guest, the voucher grants network access based on the predefined criteria.
Deployment of temporary Wi-Fi networks across multiple access points
Centralized access point management allows Wi-Fi networks to be added or removed at any time. The process takes only a few minutes. This enables the deployment of devices–such as handheld scanners, printers, smartphones, or any other equipment–that should not be visible to the general public. It also allows for the creation of complete temporary Wi-Fi network structures, for instance, to provide access for specific devices used by guest groups during training sessions. These networks can be configured to restrict access to specific resources–such as printers–while blocking access to the server infrastructure. They can be removed just as quickly as they were created. To conserve bandwidth, these Wi-Fi networks can be broadcast only from specific access points.
Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Given the ongoing and rapidly growing proliferation of smartphones, tablets, phablets, and other device types, managing external devices independently becomes essential once a certain number of devices is reached. Separating corporate and personal data is possible, for instance through containerization technology. Given that increasingly sensitive data is stored on mobile devices, it is advisable to consider data security, contact security, and remote access controls from the outset–or at least to establish a system that allows for the subsequent deployment of appropriate policies to the devices. Such a system should enable modifications to the smartphone without requiring physical access to the device. In the event of total loss, this allows the smartphone’s data to be wiped and the device itself to be locked. Mobile Device Management (MDM) enables significant time savings; rather than manually installing corporate connectivity settings or certificates on every single device, these can be conveniently pushed to the devices from a central location. All of this can be implemented even after the smartphone has already been issued.
