The Modern NAC Alternative for Zero Trust Security

NAC (Network Access Control) controls who gets on your network by authenticating devices at the perimeter using 802.1X or RADIUS. Microsegmentation controls what devices can communicate with after they're on the network by enforcing identity-based policies at every connection point. While NAC provides perimeter security, microsegmentation prevents lateral movement—the attack vector used in 70% of successful breaches. Elisity's identity-based microsegmentation works alongside existing NAC solutions or replaces them entirely, deploying in 2 weeks versus 3-12 months for traditional NAC implementations. 

Traditional NAC deployments typically require 3-12 months involving hardware procurement, 802.1X configuration, VLAN redesigns, and multi-team coordination. Elisity's microsegmentation deploys in 2 weeks. We can turn switches, WLCs, Firewalls into enforcement points. Day 1 focuses on cloud provisioning and Virtual Edge software deployment. Day 2 enables visibility and first security least privilage access security policies. Within 1 week, you can achieve full policy enforcement across all sites—a 75% reduction in deployment time compared to legacy NAC approaches. 

NAC projects fail due to complexity, resource constraints, and scope creep. Enterprises struggle with 802.1X authentication issues, VLAN sprawl, ACL management at scale, and the need for 14+ FTEs across Security Ops, Network Engineering, and platform management teams. Integration challenges with heterogeneous infrastructure (mixing Cisco, Aruba, Juniper, Arista, Hirshmann) create deployment bottlenecks. Additionally, NAC only controls perimeter access—it doesn't prevent lateral movement once attackers authenticate, leaving organizations vulnerable despite the investment. 76% of enterprises using NAC report adoption has plateaued due to these operational challenges. 

Yes, Elisity's microsegmentation complements existing NAC deployments. NAC handles authentication and initial network access, while Elisity enforces continuous identity-based policies that prevent lateral movement after devices authenticate. This layered approach maximizes your NAC investment while addressing its fundamental limitation—lack of east-west traffic control. Organizations can deploy Elisity alongside NAC solutions without replacing infrastructure, or gradually transition from NAC to Elisity's identity-based approach as a complete network access control alternative. The integration requires no changes to your NAC configuration. 

Replace NAC when projects stall beyond 6 months, operational costs exceed 10+ FTEs, or lateral movement concerns outweigh perimeter control needs. Organizations should transition when facing NAC deployment complexity with 802.1X, VLAN limitations, or multi-vendor infrastructure incompatibility. If your network includes significant IoT/OT devices that can't support NAC agents or supplicants, microsegmentation provides better coverage. Consider replacement when pursuing Zero Trust architecture, as microsegmentation natively supports continuous verification versus NAC's point-in-time authentication model. Elisity can complement existing NAC initially, then replace it as your primary access control solution. 

Traditional NAC total cost of ownership includes software licenses, hardware appliances, 14+ FTE operational staff, and 3-12 month deployment professional services. Enterprises typically spend $500K-$2M+ annually depending on scale. Elisity's microsegmentation reduces operational overhead by 75%, requiring only 2 FTEs for management, and deploys in weeks versus months—significantly lowering professional services costs. Elisity is cloud-delivered with no hardware requirements, eliminating capital expenditure on appliances. Organizations typically see ROI within 6-9 months through reduced staffing needs, faster deployment, and prevention of costly breach-related lateral movement (average breach cost: $4.45M).