Users Guide

22 | About W-ClearPass Policy Manager Dell Networking W-ClearPass Policy Manager 6.6 | User Guide
l For a list of common configuration tasks and pointers to information about how to perform each task, refer
to Accessing Configuration Information on page 29.
l If you are planning a new W-ClearPass Policy Manager deployment, refer to the W-ClearPass Deployment
Guide. The W-ClearPass Deployment Guide is organized in a way that presents the recommended sequence
in which W-ClearPass deployment should take place, and makes the major deployment tasks easy to
implement.
W-ClearPass Access Management System Overview
The W-ClearPass Policy Manager™ Access Management System provides a window into your network and
covers all your access security requirements from a single platform. You get complete views of mobile devices
and users and have total control over what they can access.
With W-ClearPass, IT can centrally manage network policies, automatically configure devices and distribute
security certificates, admit guest users, assess device health, and even share information with third-party
solutions—through a single pane of glass, on any network and without changing the current infrastructure.
About Policies, Profiles, and Services
In W-ClearPass Policy Manager, a policy provides the rules that tells W-ClearPass when to execute profiles.
Profiles are actions that are taken by W-ClearPass; for example assigning a certain role to a user or enabling
command authorization for different types of users on a switch. The actions specified in a policy are the
profiles to be activated when specific conditions or rules are met.
Then a policy is associated with a service—a service ties all the elements together: authentication sources,
authorization sources, role-mapping, and enforcement policies.
Role-Based and Device-Based Access
The W-ClearPass Policy Manager platform provides role-based and device-based network access control for
employees, contractors, and guests across any wired, wireless, and VPN infrastructure.
W-ClearPass works with any multivendor network and can be extended to business and IT systems that are
already in place.
Self-Service Capabilities
W-ClearPass delivers a wide range of unique self-service capabilities. Users can securely onboard their own
devices for enterprise use or register AirPlay, AirPrint, Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), and Universal Plug
and Play (UPnP) devices that are enabled for sharing, sponsor guest Wi-Fi access, and even set up sharing for
Apple TV and Google Chromecast.
Leveraging Contextual Data
The power of W-ClearPass comes from integrating ultra-scalable AAA (authentication, authorization, and
accounting) with policy management, guest network access, device onboarding, and device health checks with
a complete understanding of context.
From this single W-ClearPass policy and AAA platform, contextual data is leveraged across the network to
ensure that users and devices are granted the appropriate access privileges.
W-ClearPass leverages a user’s role, device, location, application use, and time of day to execute custom
security policies, accelerate device deployments, and streamline network operations across wired networks,
wireless networks, and VPNs.