Portal certified the applications in companies, hotels, malls, airports, and so on. The problem of whether or not to go to a wireless network is simple, but there are many factors that need to be taken into account when actually selecting one. Not all are worth it, nor do they have to come up better than none.
The first is the size of the user and mobility.——Maintenance of a Portal system requires costs, and it is more economical to use 802.1X for fixed staff or pre-shared keys. If the enterprise has large numbers of visitors, interns, outsourced personnel in and out, or if its workforce changes frequently, Portal's value is reflected.——No permanent accounts are required for each temporary staff member, the visitor certification check-out account is automatically invalid and security management is more manageable than issuance of a long-term account.
The second dimension is compliance."Who's connected to the network from what equipment at what time?"Portal certification naturally leaves a log of user identification and access times, which is easier to meet than pure network-level authentication. It should be noted that many enterprises have end IP addresses, user accounts, authentication time, but there is no final fingerprint information available after they have reached Portal.——Many audits cannot be closed when security incidents are traced and only one cell phone number is known, without identifying the specific equipment to which they correspond.
The third dimension is the capability to deliver a service. Portal certification system has much more complex daily transport dimensions than pure network authentication. Technical support needs to be maintained for authentication servers, page style updates, user accounts and when users cannot authenticate. Many SMEs do not have dedicated IT, using administrative and network models, and technical support needs increase markedly after Portal comes along.
The fourth dimension is the diversity of end-sites. If there are a lot of complex end types within the enterprise, there are a lot of devices that do not have standard browsers.——Industrial flats, handheld terminals, old printers, etc.——This equipment will be difficult to handle in the Portal certification site. 802.1X has limited support for this type of equipment, which is also unfriendly. If such equipment is high, other authentication options may need to be considered rather than simply one Portal.
The final judgement dimension is the network experience. Portal certification adds an interactive link, where users need to open a page point login every connection for two or three seconds, fast, slow and possibly ten seconds. If employees in the company have low tolerance for this interface, or often require rapid switching of networks at different locations, Portal’s experience friction is more obvious.
In summary, Portal certification is appropriate for firms with a certain size, high mobility of personnel, compliance needs, and capability to carry. For small-scale fixed teams, rather than investing in construction and maintenance costs at Portal, resources should be placed on the network infrastructure itself.