Know your gear
Cisco Secure Access Control Server (ACS) is a highly scalable, high-performance access control server that operates as a centralized RADIUS or TACACS+ server system and controls the authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) of users who access corporate resources through a network. Cisco Secure ACS allows you to control user access to the network, authorize different types of network services for users or groups of users, and keep a record of all network user actions. Cisco Secure ACS supports access control and accounting for dialup access servers; cable and DSL broadband solutions; firewalls; VPNs; voice-over-IP (VoIP) solutions; storage; and switched and wireless LANs. In addition, network managers can use the same AAA framework to manage (through TACACS+) administrative roles and groups and control how they change, access, and configure the network internally.