Client Overview
A leading telecom infrastructure company (name confidential), operating across multiple regions with a wide range of network devices, aimed to enhance network security and streamline authentication processes. As part of this initiative, the company sought to migrate from Cisco ACS (Access Control Server) to Aruba ClearPass for centralized authentication and network access control.
The project scope included integrating the new authentication system with Cisco Meraki wireless and various multi-vendor network devices across operations in Pan India, ensuring seamless and secure user and device access using RADIUS.
Challenge
The client faced several key challenges during the migration process:
- Migrating from Cisco ACS to Aruba ClearPass without disrupting ongoing network operations across hundreds of sites in Pan India.
- Ensuring seamless integration with Cisco Meraki wireless networks and multi-vendor network devices, including switches, routers, and firewalls.
- Establishing a robust RADIUS-based authentication system that would work uniformly across diverse network environments.
- Ensuring a smooth user transition and maintaining security standards during the entire migration process.
- Handling the complexity of authenticating users and devices across a large, geographically distributed network infrastructure.
Solution
To address these challenges, we designed a comprehensive migration and integration strategy. Our solution involved a phased migration approach to ensure minimal disruption and the seamless implementation of Aruba ClearPass, integrating it with Cisco Meraki and other network devices using RADIUS.
- Migration from Cisco ACS to Aruba ClearPass
- Conducted a detailed assessment of the existing Cisco ACS setup, including user policies, configurations, and authentication methods.
- Planned a step-by-step migration strategy to Aruba ClearPass, ensuring the replication of existing security policies and access controls.
- Configured Aruba ClearPass to serve as the centralized authentication system, providing role-based access control, device profiling, and endpoint compliance checks.
- Integration with Cisco Meraki Wireless
- Integrated Aruba ClearPass with Cisco Meraki wireless infrastructure to enable secure network access through RADIUS authentication.
- Ensured consistent authentication policies for both corporate users and guest networks across the client’s Meraki wireless deployments.
- Established dynamic VLAN assignment based on user roles and device types, ensuring optimal access control for wireless users.
- Multi-Vendor Device Integration
- Integrated Aruba ClearPass with multi-vendor network devices, including switches, routers, and firewalls from various manufacturers.
- Implemented RADIUS-based authentication for these devices to ensure a standardized and secure method for managing user and device access across the entire network.
- Established centralized logging and reporting to monitor authentication events and network access activities.
- Role-Based Access Control and Network Segmentation
- Set up role-based access control to ensure that different user types (e.g., IT staff, employees, contractors) had appropriate network privileges.
- Leveraged Aruba ClearPass’s ability to create secure network segments, providing visibility and control over who accesses specific parts of the network.
- Phased Implementation Approach
- Implemented the migration and integration in phases to minimize the impact on business operations.
- Conducted pilot migrations at select locations to validate the configuration before full-scale rollout across all Pan India sites.
- Provided user training and support to ensure a smooth transition to the new authentication system.
Results
The migration and integration of Aruba ClearPass provided the client with several significant benefits:
- Improved Network Security: The centralized authentication and access control provided by Aruba ClearPass enhanced the security of the network, allowing for real-time monitoring of user and device access.
- Seamless Integration: The successful integration with Cisco Meraki and multi-vendor devices ensured that the new authentication system worked seamlessly across diverse network environments.
- Standardized Authentication Process: The RADIUS-based authentication provided uniform access control across the network, simplifying user and device management.
- Efficient Network Management: Aruba ClearPass’s role-based access control and dynamic VLAN assignment improved the efficiency of network management, ensuring users received appropriate access while maintaining security.
- Minimal Downtime: The phased approach ensured that the migration was carried out with minimal downtime and no impact on overall network operations.
Conclusion
Our migration of Cisco ACS to Aruba ClearPass for the confidential client across Pan India successfully delivered a secure, scalable, and efficient network access control solution. By integrating with Cisco Meraki wireless and multi-vendor devices, we ensured consistent, secure, and streamlined authentication across the entire network. This project empowered the client to manage user and device access more effectively, enhancing overall network security and performance.
