ForeScout | Access Ability

Industry Comparison

ForeScout CounterACT is an automated security control platform that competes* in several different product categories, as shown below. It can be utilized in just one area at a time (e.g. just network access control) if you prefer.

Network Access Control

ForeScout CounterACT for Network Access Control is different than most network access control systems because it is so easy to deploy. Everything is included in one appliance that installs out-of-band at the core of your network. There is no software to install, no changes that need to be made to your network. CounterACT works with managed and unmanaged devices (smartphones, laptops). CounterACT has proven scalability in networks exceeding 250,000 endpoints.

CounterACT is the most superior NAC solution on the market. Don’t just take our word for it, get a 24-page, comprehensive comparative report on the leading NAC products produced by The Tolly Group.

Feature	ForeScout CounterACT	Infrastructure solutions (Cisco, Juniper, etc.)	Agent-based solutions (Symantec, etc.)
Number of components
Centralized management
Out-of-band deployment
Support for phased deployment
Security posture check of managed devices		varies
Security posture check of unmanaged devices
Real-time inventory of applications, services, users, devices		varies
Multiple network blocking actions
Role-based traffic control			varies
Quarantine
Guest registration

Mobile Security

ForeScout CounterACT for Mobile Security provides real-time visibility and network access control for smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices connecting to your network. With ForeScout CounterACT for Mobile Security, you can let users enjoy the productivity benefits of modern handheld devices while you protect your network against unauthorized access, data loss and malicious threats. CounterACT will control the level of access based on user and device type – Allow, Limit, or Block.

Feature	ForeScout CounterACT	Infrastructure solutions (Cisco, Juniper, etc.)	Agent-based solutions (Sybase, Good, etc.)
Visibility of mobile devices
Unified network access policies for smartphones and traditional computing devices		varies
Guest access management
Role-based traffic control		varies
Block malicious traffic from handheld devices

Endpoint Compliance

ForeScout CounterACT for Endpoint Compliance automatically enforces security policies for everyone and everything on your network. Because ForeScout CounterACT is agentless, it works with all type of endpoints–managed and unmanaged, known and unknown, physical and virtual. CounterACT for Endpoint Compliance can discover security weaknesses that your existing agent-based security systems are blind to.

Feature	ForeScout CounterACT	Agent-based solutions (Symantec, etc.)
Centralized management
Security posture check
Susceptibility to malware attack
Susceptibility to enduser subversion
Real-time inventory of applications, services, users, devices
Track changes of endpoint software or configuration		varies
Self-help for end-users
Update antivirus
Install / restart security agents
Kill process		varies
Disable unauthorized peripheral device		varies
Remove viruses on the endpoint

Threat Prevention

ForeScout’s patented ActiveResponse™ technology is included in every product that we sell. ActiveResponse blocks both known and unknown attacks with 100% accuracy. This unique technology does not require signature updates or other forms of maintenance, so it requires zero maintenance. And since it does not suffer from false positives, you can confidently deploy this technology inside your network in full blocking mode. ActiveResponse is often used as a complementary layer of security with other network security technologies such as firewall and signature-based IPS.

	CounterACT Edge	Signature IPS	Anomaly Detection IPS	Firewall
Zero Day Protection
Management Overhead
False Positives
Typical Deployment	Auto-blocking	Some auto blocking, some non-blocking	Typically set to non-blocking, due to false-positive issues	Auto-blocking

* The features compared on this page were obtained using publicly available sources from a variety of leading products. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.