Nodegrid Service Delivery Platform Family<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n <\/p>\n
Why is Intel NUC so popular in IT infrastructure?<\/h2>\n
Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) often use Intel NUC jump boxes to remotely access the control plane of critical client infrastructure. These mini PCs typically run bare bones software to reduce licensing costs, which means they are unpatched, unmonitored, and unsecured. This lack of oversight and management makes Intel NUCs popular access points for hackers to breach client networks.<\/p>\n
Why consider Intel NUC alternatives?<\/h2>\n
Service providers like to use Intel NUC boxes because they\u2019re cheaper, faster to install, and take up less space than a full PC or server. NUCs are often deployed without antivirus, monitoring agents, or other security software installed, which excludes them from the service provider\u2019s security coverage. Plus, clients are frequently unaware that these devices are in their racks accessing their infrastructure, so they don\u2019t access them in security and compliance audits. Other Intel NUC challenges include:<\/b><\/p>\n\n- Lack of centralized management – <\/b>Each Intel NUC is an island that\u2019s managed and accessed individually, which makes it impossible to efficiently deploy updates, install new tools, or monitor for problems.<\/li>\n
- Insecure, unpatched OS – <\/b>Operating systems and software contain thousands of potential vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit, so a lack of monitoring and patch management creates a huge security risk.<\/li>\n
- No hardware security – <\/b>Intel NUC boxes lack any hardware security, which means someone could steal the device and use it to deploy malware or access client resources – or even just pawn the hardware.<\/li>\n
- Regulatory issues – <\/b>When providers use unmanaged jump boxes to access client infrastructure, they expose their customers to potential noncompliance with privacy laws like HIPAA that require strict data access controls.<\/li>\n
- Affects insurance eligibility – <\/b>Using an unsecured Intel NUC may also disqualify customers from receiving cybersecurity insurance benefits in the event of a successful breach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
While Intel NUCs are a quick and inexpensive way for MSPs, MSSPs, and other service providers to remotely access client infrastructure, they also make it easier for cybercriminals to breach enterprise networks. To reduce the attack surface without increasing the cost, hassle, or footprint of deploying jump boxes, you need an enterprise-grade solution that combines networking functions, security, and remote out-of-band access<\/a> to the control plane to eliminate the need for a separate device.<\/p>\nIntel NUC alternatives from ZPE Systems<\/h2>\n
The Nodegrid product line<\/a> from ZPE Systems simplifies the tech stack in data centers and network closets with all-in-one infrastructure management solutions. Nodegrid devices roll up gateway routing, switching, Wi-Fi, and 5G\/4G\/LTE out-of-band management<\/a> to cut down on the number of boxes in the rack. They\u2019re also enterprise solutions, which means they can be onboarded with your security team and covered by your monitoring, intrusion detection, antivirus, and other security controls.<\/p>\nIn addition, all Nodegrid boxes are protected by hardware security features such as BIOS protection, self-encrypted disk (SED), UEFI Secure Boot, and Signed OS. Plus, Nodegrid\u2019s hardware and software are completely vendor-neutral, allowing easy integrations with third-party security solutions and SAML 2.0 authentication. Nodegrid can even directly host other vendors\u2019 security software to further reduce your tech stack.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Table” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Key Nodegrid features<\/h4>\n
\n\n\n| \u00a0<\/td>\n | \n All Nodegrid Devices Include:<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| \n Key features<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n Strong Out-of-band management integration<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nExtensible applications with virtualization and containers<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nZero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) over the WAN<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nVendor-neutral, unified management via ZPE Cloud\/Nodegrid Manager<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nModern x86-64bit Linux Kernel<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nExtended automation based on actionable data<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nFailover to 4G\/5G\/LTE & Wi-Fi<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nPower control and monitoring<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nOrchestration support via Puppet, Chef, Ansible, RESTful<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| \n Security<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n BIOS protection<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nTPM 2.0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nUEFI Secure Boot<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nSigned OS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nSelf-Encrypted Disk (SED)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nGeofencing<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nX.509 SSH certificate support, 4096-bit encryption keys<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nSelectable cryptographic protocols for SSH and HTTPS (TLSv1.3)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nSelectable cypher suite levels: high, medium, low, custom<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nSSL VPN (Client and Server)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nIPSec, Wireguard, and Strongswan with support for multi-sites<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nLocal, AD\/LDAP, RADIUS, TACACS+, Kerberos, authentication<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nSAML support via DUO, OKTA, Ping Identity<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nLocal, backup-user authentication support<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nUser-access lists per port<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nGroup\/role-based authorization: AD\/LDAP, RADIUS, TACACS+<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nFine grain and role-based access control<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nFirewall – IP packet and security filtering, IP forwarding support<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nMD5 \/ SHA System Configuration Checksum\u2122<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nSystem event syslog<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nCustom security settings<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nStrong password enforcement<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nTwo-Factor Authentication with RSA and DUO<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| \n Networking<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n IPv4 \/ IPv6 Support<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nEmbedded Layer 2 switching<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nVLAN<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nLayer 3 Routing<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nBGP<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nOSFP<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nRIP<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nQoS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nDHCP (Client and Server)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nRIPv1, RIPv2<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nVXLAN<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nDDNS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nNTP<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nTo learn more about the benefits of Nodegrid\u2019s Intel NUC alternatives, <\/b>contact ZPE Systems<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Table” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Nodegrid product comparison<\/h3>\nThe Nodegrid family of network edge routers<\/a> delivers secure, Gen 3 OOB management<\/a> for reliable remote access to distributed customer sites like branch offices or manufacturing centers.<\/p>\nNodegrid Service Delivery Platform Family<\/h4>\n \n\n\n| \u00a0<\/td>\n | \n Link SR<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n Bold SR<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n Hive SR<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n Gate SR<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n Net SR<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n Mini SR<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| \n CPU<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n X86-64bit Intel\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n X86-64bit Intel<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n X86-64bit Intel\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n X86-64bit Intel\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n X86-64bit Intel\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n X86-64bit Intel\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| \n Cores<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |