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Customer challenges with guest access
Guest users arrive in the enterprise environment with a wide variety of devices, such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Short-term contractors, vendors, partners, and other guest users expect quick and easy connectivity—and they need internet access to be productive during their time on site. Providing this access creates administrative overhead for IT teams because they must configure firewall policies to govern the level of access for guest users. Human error in defining these rules can expose sensitive data to guest users who should not have this level of access. Organizations also typically must provision and manage an anchor controller and separate DHCP server to support guest users. This imposes both additional costs and an ongoing administrative burden.
Nile Guest Service Summary
Nile Guest Service adds internet access for visitors for customers using Nile Access Service. As with Nile Access Service, an as-a-service delivery model makes it easy to scale up or scale down in response to business requirements. Along with Nile DHCP, it is the perfect complement to NaaS by Nile.
Key Features
- Isolation of guest traffic from internal IT resources.
- Local points of presence (PoPs) near customer site(s).
- Direct routing of guest user traffic to the internet.
- Self-service network onboarding via captive portal, with the option to require sponsor approval.
- Firewall passthrough–no firewall policies are needed for guest traffic.
Benefits
- Gives IT an effective way to deliver internet access for guest users.
- Increases network and data security by isolating guest traffic from internal traffic.
- Simplifies life for IT by removing the need to configure firewall rules for guest traffic.
- Reduces infrastructure costs by removing the need for an anchor controller and separate DHCP server to support guest users.
- Offers quick and easy deployment—in as little as one click.
Nile Guest Service isolates guest traffic
Nile Guest Service is a cloud-based network service that isolates guest traffic from internal network resources by tunneling it to the closest Nile point of presence (PoP). From there the traffic goes directly to the internet. IT teams no longer have to configure firewall rules for guest users–or worry about misconfiguration errors that could expose sensitive data. It is an extension of the zero trust security principles on which Nile Access Service is based.
The service uses Nile DHCP service to support guest users, which automates the assignment of IP addresses to devices. It eliminates the need to maintain separate infrastructure to provide internet access to guest users. It increases security, reduces the workload on IT, and lowers infrastructure costs.
Nile Guest Service isolates guest traffic from internal network resources by tunneling it to the nearest Nile point of presence. From there it goes directly to the internet.
Self-service internet access for visitors
Guest users can self-serve to get internet access by agreeing to terms and conditions on the service’s captive portal. Customers can customize the terms and conditions as they choose. Optionally, they can also require sponsor approval via email before guests gain access. The system provides internet access for 24 hours by default and provides the flexibility to define a different duration of access if required.
Nile Guest Service ensures that the source of guest internet activity is logged as a Nile IP address. That means customers no longer have to serve as the front line for inquiries from authorities that result from improper guest behavior on the web.
Easy deployment of guest Wi-Fi through the Nile Portal
Customers can access Nile Guest Service from the Nile Portal—the same management interface that they use for Nile Access Service. The service deploys quickly and easily—in as little as one click. Simply access the Nile Portal, enter a name for the guest SSID, and click save.
Deploy Nile Guest Service deploys quickly and easily, with as little as one click.
Nile Guest service is dramatically simpler than traditional methods of providing guest access. It also improves IT security compared to traditional methods.
