Abbreviated as NAP, Microsoft's
Network Access Protection is a
policy-enforcement platform built into the
Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows Server
Code Name "Longhorn"
operating systems, NAP allows you to better protect
network
assets by enforcing compliance with system health requirements. With Network
Access Protection, you can create customized health policies to validate
computer health before allowing access or
communication, automatically update
compliant computers to ensure ongoing compliance, and optionally confine
noncompliant computers to a restricted network until they become compliant.
In October 2006, Cisco and Microsoft formally announced interoperability
between the Cisco Network Admission Control (NAC) and Microsoft Network Access
Protection (NAP) solutions. Interoperability will be supported with the release
of NAP in the future version of Windows Server which is
scheduled to be available in the second half of 2007. The interoperability
architecture allows customers to deploy both NAC and NAP incrementally or
concurrently.
See also Cisco Network Admission Control (NAC).
Also see Webopedia's "Did You Know...
All About Network Access Controls".