The Trusted Computing Group has released a new version of its Trusted Network Communications (TNC) Architecture specification. TNC enables intelligent policy decisions, dynamic security enforcement, and communication between security systems. These capabilities give administrators visibility into networks and endpoints to determine who and what is on the network and whether devices are compliant and secure. TNC also facilitates context-based access control – granting or blocking access based on authentication, device compliance, and user behavior – and security automation, for orchestration of network and security systems.

The purpose of the TNC Architecture specification is to illustrate the ways in which TNC can be used to solve challenges facing today’s network operators. The TNC Architecture specification describes broad, enterprise-centric activities and shows how individual TNC components (specified in other TCG standards) can be composed to support those activities. The new 2.0 version of the TNC Architecture specification clarifies the usage and application of TNC and better describes the flexible nature of the TNC architecture. The reorganized specification clearly articulates the major capabilities of TNC, describes usage scenarios for TNC, and shows how TNC’s functional building blocks can be combined to support these usage scenarios. The result is a clearer depiction of the many ways in which TNC components can be mixed and matched to solve a wide range of challenges. These changes give readers of the new TNC Architecture 2.0 a clearer vison of the many possible ways in which TNC can make network security more effective, efficient, and scalable in their enterprise.

For more information and resources regarding TNC and the TNC Architecture specification, please visit the Trusted Network Communications home page at https://trustedcomputinggroup.org/work-groups/trusted-network-communications/.