{"id":22266,"date":"2022-06-27T12:40:20","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T16:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/?p=22266"},"modified":"2024-01-29T13:20:05","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T18:20:05","slug":"best-radius-server","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/blog\/best-radius-server","title":{"rendered":"Best RADIUS Solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Technology requirements may seem very different today than during the 1990s, but delivering strong security remains a foundational activity. RADIUS<\/a>, which dates to that era, is a premier example of a forward-thinking concept for access control. It persists as an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) protocol that is widely used to manage access to network access servers (NAS) as well as Wi-Fi networks. How RADIUS is implemented and managed has evolved to meet stringent security mandates and to support newer deployment models. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several options for RADIUS services, depending on your requirements. They consist of open source suites such as FreeRADIUS or the NPS server role for Windows Server. RADIUS may also be deployed as a cloud service that IT admins don\u2019t have to maintain and support. For example, JumpCloud\u2019s Cloud RADIUS services deliver extended security controls and flexibility, without the need for servers. This article explores what RADIUS is, what it does, and how JumpCloud has integrated additional identity and access management (IAM) capabilities that make RADIUS authentication<\/a> even more dependable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RADIUS is a core part of the networking world that helps to manage remote access to resources, whether it be a NAS (such as a firewall or VPN) or to authenticate users into Wi-Fi networks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This functionality has become increasingly important with the proliferation of Wi-Fi in the modern era, because networks are no longer mainly accessed via wired connections. While RADIUS can enable access to wired networks, a side effect of a wired connection is security via proximity (aka physical security).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyone with a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop can attempt to access the network whether they\u2019re in a vehicle in a parking lot or the next room over. The case for access control to establish perimeter security for Wi-Fi networks is evident, because not every user has good intentions. Every RADIUS user leverages a unique set of credentials to gain access to the network. That means no more shared SSIDs and password combinations found on the whiteboard or word-of-mouth password exchanges. Let\u2019s face it: people talk, and new passwords don\u2019t remain confidential for long. Risks are reduced and visibility into network activities is enhanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IT admins gain more control and know who is and who isn\u2019t on the network, which is important for monitoring and auditing access to critical resources. This capability is essential for many IT compliance regimes. JumpCloud layers on additional access controls to help segregate networks using VLAN assignment<\/a> (virtual local area networks) to logically separate access to sensitive IT resources from basic internet access. A VPN may be similarly organized into VLANs that assign access rights to user groups. It\u2019s advisable to view this as a starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s now consensus that perimeter security and single-factor authentication (SFA) aren\u2019t sufficient to protect network resources. The threat environment has intensified and the most recognized cybersecurity consortiums are recommending<\/a> stronger authentication and following a Zero Trust strategy<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n RADIUS was intended to be easy to customize and has been maintained and improved upon<\/a> multiple times since its inception. It began under the auspices of Livingston Enterprises in the early 1990s and was later standardized by Lucent Technologies. The protocol then began to gain industry acceptance and vendors developed their own variant(s) using customizations called vendor specific attributes (VSAs) to better fit their use cases. There are several popular options today that can be run on a server or consumed as a cloud service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the computing world migrates toward the cloud, companies and their IT admins are searching for ways to implement the best RADIUS server via a software-as-a-service (SaaS)<\/a> delivery model. That\u2019s because admins realize just how much time savings come from leaving on-prem implementations behind and leveraging a service to provide the functionality they seek. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With JumpCloud, IT admins can bring their own user credentials from Microsoft Azure or Active Directory and pair them with JumpCloud\u2019s Cloud RADIUS services<\/a> for password-based authentication. JumpCloud introduced third party authentication to extend what\u2019s possible with other identity providers. The initial use case is Wi-Fi authentication.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Use RADIUS for Networking?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Secure Wi-Fi and VPN Access<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
RADIUS Deployments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
JumpCloud RADIUS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n