Hitachi Cable, Ltd. has confirmed the interoperability of its Apresia*1 authentication switches and Symantec Network Access Control products from Symantec Japan Inc. (President: Susumu Kagayama; hereinafter referred to as "Symantec"), enhancing Hitachi Cable's lineup of PC quarantine LAN solutions for enterprise intranets. Symantec announced it will participate in the EnSEC*2 security alliance program spearheaded by Hitachi Cable.

Awareness of security threats to enterprise information networks has grown in recent years. Such threats include not just attacks originating from outside the company's network, but from internal connections, previously regarded as secure. Examples of such connections include the spread of viruses after inadequately secured PCs or other devices are connected to a network, information leaks via users not authorized to connect to a network, and inappropriate network use.

In response, in addition to existing efforts to attain certification under the IEEE 802.1X*3 international standard, Hitachi Cable will provide PC quarantine LAN solutions based on Apresia's own AccessDefender*4 authentication functions.

In particular, AccessDefender authenticates multiple endpoints*5 connected under the same desktop switch, making full use of existing networks by adopting PC quarantine solutions. Clients have given high marks to this approach and to the lower adoption costs it makes possible.

To ensure access to Apresia's benefits for an even wider range of potential clients, Hitachi Cable is currently actively confirming the interoperability of Apresia with quarantine systems and devices from various other vendors. As part of these efforts, Hitachi Cable has added a new PC quarantine LAN solution to its product lineup by confirming the interoperability of the Apresia series and Symantec Network Access Control.

Symantec Network Access Control is a network access control product, which integrates the next-generation antivirus software, Symantec Endpoint Protection. Symantec Network Access Control performs automatic security checks to determine whether a PC conforms to the level specified in the IT security standards. If it determines that a PC is at risk, it will control network access using the client firewall provided by Symantec Endpoint Protection. The advantage of using Symantec Network Access Control is that there is no need to install client software or add a control server since it is integrated with the antivirus software.

Working closely with its partners, Hitachi Cable plans to further expand its share of the Ethernet switch market for enterprise and service providers by strengthening its lineup of various network solutions and leveraging the sales channels of its Apresia sales partners.

*1	Apresia is a registered trademark of Hitachi Cable, Ltd. in Japan.
*2	EnSEC (Enforcement for Secure Connectivity) is a registered trademark of Hitachi Cable, Ltd., used for a security alliance program promoted by Hitachi Cable. Promoting the linkage of the Apresia authentication switches to various devices, software, and services, such as RADIUS servers and quarantine software increases compatibility while meeting increasing diverse security needs. See the List of EnSEC Partners below.
*3	Compatible with the Windows 2000/XP operating systems standard, this standard was established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to standardize access control for individual ports, primarily through RADIUS authentication.
*4	AccessDefender is a registered trademark of Hitachi Cable, Ltd. in Japan.
*5	The term "endpoint" is a general term used to refer to devices such as PC terminals and mobile phones connected to a given network.

List of EnSEC Partners (as of November 19, 2008)

Product category Product Company Quarantine network Advance measures Symantec Network Access Control Symantec Japan Inc. NOSiDE Inventory Sub System NTT DATA INTELLILINK CORPORATION SecureCube / PC Check (LAN-Blocker) NRI SecureTechnologies, Ltd. NASCenter Net-ADM NURI Telecom Co., Ltd. iNetSec Inspection Center PFU LIMITED LANDesk Security Suite T.D.I. CO., LTD EQWAC Quarantine System for Apresia DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD Hitachi Cable Networks, Ltd. ManagementCore Sumitomo Electric System Solutions Co., Ltd. QuOLA@Adaptor Hitachi Cable Networks, Ltd. Juniper Networks UAC (Integrated access control solution) Juniper Networks, Inc. Criston Precision Criston K.K. Ex post facto measures OnePointWall Appliabce Server SWAT Brains Inc. SSO (linked to Windows domain authentication) User ID Single Sign On for Apresia Kyosai Create Co., Ltd. ASP Mobile phone authentication SecureCall THIRDNETWORKS. CO, LTD. Other Hardware authentication RegistGate NSI Co., Ltd. ROUD Oki Network Integration Co., Ltd. Matrix authentication WisePoint Authenticator Falcon System Consulting, Inc. RADIUS full flex EG Accense Technology, Inc. Enterpras Std Enterpras ARM Stellar Craft, Inc. Steel-Belted RADIUS Juniper Networks, Inc. Account@Adaptor Hitachi Cable Networks, Ltd. DHCP / RADIUS Infoblox Network Services Appliance Infoblox Inc. Log administration LOG@Adaptor Hitachi Cable Networks, Ltd.

*	NOSiDE is a registered trademark of NTT Data Corp.
*	Criston Precision is a registered trademark of Criston K.K.
*	SecureCube is a registered trademark of Nomura Research Institute, Ltd.
*	NASCenter Net-ADM is a registered trademark of NURI Telecom Co., Ltd.
*	iNetSec is a registered trademark of PFU LIMITED
*	LANDesk is a registered trademark of LANDesk Software, Ltd.
*	EQWAC is a registered trademark of DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
*	ManagementCore is a registered trademark of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
*	OnePointWall is a registered trademark of NetAgent Co., Ltd.
*	Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. of the United States in the U.S. and other countries.
*	SecureCall is a registered trademark of THIRDNETWORKS. CO, LTD.
*	RegistGate is a registered trademark of NSI Co., Ltd.
*	WisePoint is a registered trademark of Falcon System Consulting, Inc.
*	Enterpras is a registered trademark of Stellar Craft, Inc
*	Steel-Belted RADIUS is a registered trademark of Funk Software Inc. Co
*	Account@Adaptor and LOG@Adaptor are registered trademarks of Hitachi Cable Networks, Ltd.