Identity Based Networking Services (IBNS)
Introduction to IBNS

Cisco Identity Based Networking Services (IBNS) is an integrated solution combining several Cisco products that offer authentication, access control, and user policies to secure network connectivity and resources . The Cisco IBNS solution enables greater security while simultaneously offering cost-effective management of changes throughout the organization.

By offering a secure IBNS framework for enterprises to manage user mobility and reduce the overhead costs associated with granting and managing access to network resources, Cisco provides enterprises with the ability to increase user productivity and reduce operating costs.

Features and Benefits
The Cisco IBNS solution provides the following benefits :

  • Intelligent adaptability for offering greater flexibility and mobility to stratified users – Creating user or group profiles with policies that define trust relationships between users and network resources allows organizations to easily authenticate, authorize, and account for all users of wired or wireless networks.
  • A combination of authentication, access control, and user policies to secure network connectivity and resources – because policies are associated with users and not physical ports, users obtain more mobility and freedom, and IT administration is simplified. Greater scalability and ease of management is achieved through policy enforcement and dynamic provisioning.
  • User productivity gains and reduced operating costs – Providing security and greater flexibility for wired or wireless network access provides enterprises with the capability to have cross-functional or new project teams form more quickly, enables secure access for trusted partners and vendors, and facilitates secure conference-room connectivity. Enabling flexibility with secure network access through centralized policy-based administration decreases the time, complexity, and effort associated with port security techniques at the Media Access Control level.

IBNS is a solution for increasing the security of physical and logical access to an enterprise network that is built on the IEEE 802.1x standard. IBNS and 802.1x are supported on all Cisco Catalyst switches, including Catalyst 6500, 4500, 3550, and 2950 switches, Cisco ACS Server as well as Cisco Aironet Access Points.

Cisco IBNS allows the network administrator to implement true identity-based network access control and policy enforcement at the user and port levels. It provides user and device identification using secure and reliable strong authentication technologies. This solution associates identified entities with policies. The policies are created and administered by management and provide increased granularity of control.

Cisco IBNS is a standards-based implementation of port security that is centrally managed by a RADIUS server (Cisco Secure ACS). Additionally, Cisco IBNS offers greater flexibility and mobility to users by combining access control and user profiles to secure network connectivity, services, and applications. This allows enterprises to increase user productivity and reduce operating costs.

The Cisco IBNS solution will adapt to meet the changing requirements of the standards and of customers. This phase is an early one in a multiphase implementation.

Cisco Catalyst Switches Support Microsoft Windows XP, Linux and HP UNIX, with additional 802.1x client support anticipated in the future. Cisco Aironet products support all current versions of Microsoft Windows, Windows CE, MAC OS, Linux, and MS-DOS.

The Cisco IBNS solution is based on standard RADIUS and 802.1x implementations. It interoperates with all IETF authentication servers that comply with these two standards. Cisco has particularly enhanced its Secure ACS to provide a tight integration across all Cisco switches.


Interactive Media Activity

PhotoZoom: Cisco 2950 Switch

In this PhotoZoom, students will view a Cisco 2950 switch.

Interactive Media Activity

PhotoZoom: Cisco Aironet 1200 Series

In this PhotoZoom, students will view an Aironet 1200 series.

Interactive Media Activity

PhotoZoom: Cisco AP1100 Access Point

In this PhotoZoom, students will view an AP1100 access point.