Arbiter vs Auconet BICS

Arbiter is a cloud-hosted network access control product that determines which devices can connect and what they can access. It identifies and catalogs devices by type and vendor without endpoint agents. Access controls include certificate-based EAP-TLS and 802.1X, plus MAC authentication bypass for headless devices. Its on-premises Edge appliance connects over RadSec and can continue authenticating locally during a WAN outage using cached decisions. A live Microsoft Intune integration reads device compliance and can quarantine non-compliant devices to a remediation VLAN. SIEM event forwarding supports Microsoft Sentinel, Elastic, TLS syslog, Splunk HEC, and generic HTTPS webhooks. The service supports wired and wireless access control in a hybrid deployment. The Asset Discovery tier profiles and inventories devices but does not enforce access; the access-control plans include the full feature set and vary by endpoint count. Asset Discovery costs €29 a month after a 60-day free trial. Essential costs €149 a month for 100 endpoints, Professional costs €399 a month for 500 endpoints, and Enterprise costs €999 a month for 1,500 endpoints. Arbiter is designed for SMEs and the MSPs or MSSPs that support them.

Auconet BICS is an IT operations, systems management, network access control, and service management platform for large and multi-tenant networks. It provides real-time discovery, monitoring, management, and control for mixed device environments, including servers, desktops, ATMs, kiosks, retail POS systems, mobile devices, cameras, pumps, and sensors. BICS consolidates device and endpoint information into a real-time configuration management database and supports shared commands and workflows across vendors. One central console can manage hundreds of thousands of network elements. Access security includes MAC Layer-2 authentication and IEEE 802.1X, separately or together, with policies for wired and wireless endpoints. BICS can discover and monitor SCADA infrastructure, while Data Centers and Security variants add data-center automation and IT or industrial access controls. Deployment options include cloud, on-premises appliance, virtual on-premises, and multi-tenant implementations. Agentless discovery is available through Auconet ESF, and open APIs can connect visibility data with security systems such as SIEMs, vulnerability tools, and firewalls. Auconet says implementation can take hours, with discovery and visualization beginning immediately.