Local Area Network (Switching, Wi-Fi, Identity, and Zero-Trust—Built for Evidence)
A LAN (Local Area Network) is the foundation of your campus, branch, plant, and data-center access.
SolveForce designs LANs that are secure-by-default, identity-aware, and observable—from wired switching and PoE to Wi-Fi 6/6E/7, with 802.1X, microsegmentation, and NAC—so users, devices, and workloads connect fast, safely, and with audit-grade proof.
Where LAN sits in the stack:
🖧 Fabric → Networks & Data Centers • 🌐 Underlay → Connectivity
🛡️ Security → Cybersecurity • 🚪 Access → NAC • 🔐 Per-App → ZTNA / SASE
👤 Identity/Device → IAM / SSO / MFA • MDM / UEM • 🧩 East-West → Microsegmentation
🧰 Cabling/Power → Structured Cabling • Racks & PDUs
📊 Evidence/Automation → SIEM / SOAR
🎯 Outcomes (Why SolveForce LAN)
- Fast & reliable access — deterministic switching, right PoE budgets, high-density Wi-Fi that actually holds up.
- Identity-first — 802.1X EAP-TLS with NAC; device posture gates before access.
- Zero-Trust ready — per-user/device policy with microsegmentation and per-app paths via ZTNA/SASE.
- Operational clarity — standardized VLAN/IP plans, DHCP/DNS/IPAM hygiene, automated configs.
- Audit-grade — auth/port/wireless events, changes, and SLOs exported to SIEM.
🧭 Scope (What We Build & Operate)
- Wired Switching — access/distribution or leaf/spine in campus/DC; 1/2.5/5/10G access, 25/40/100/400G uplinks; PoE/PoE+/UPOE budgets.
- Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 — RF design, capacity planning, roaming/handoff tuning, high-density venues.
- Access Control — 802.1X (EAP-TLS), NAC for posture, guest/contractor portals, MACsec where required. → NAC
- Segmentation — VLANs/VRFs, group tags, and microsegmentation policies for least-privilege. → Microsegmentation
- Services — DHCP, DNS, NTP, AAA (RADIUS/TACACS+), IPAM; logging & retention.
- Power & Plant — PoE design, UPS runtimes, IDF/MDF layout, cabling standards. → Structured Cabling • Racks & PDUs
🧱 Building Blocks (Spelled Out)
- Identity & Posture
- 802.1X EAP-TLS (cert-based) for corp devices; posture via MDM/UEM + EDR before access.
- Guest/contractor: captive portal + time-boxed creds; internet-only VLAN/ACLs.
→ IAM / SSO / MFA • MDM / UEM • EDR / MDR / XDR - Segmentation & Policy
- Default-deny at L2/L3; role- or tag-based policies; microsegmentation for crown-jewel workloads.
- Voice/IoT/OT in function-specific segments; deny east-west by default.
- Wi-Fi RF & Capacity
- Site surveys, heatmaps, channel/Tx power plans, 6 GHz for high density; fast roaming (802.11r/k/v) where appropriate; IoT SSIDs isolated.
- Cabling & Power
- Cat6A for multigig/PoE++; fiber uplinks; patch panel and labeling standards; UPS & generator interface for closets.
- Services & DNS
- Redundant DHCP/DNS; split-horizon; secure DHCP (snooping), ARP inspection; IPAM with lifecycle.
🛠️ Design Patterns (Choose Your Fit)
A) Identity-First Campus
Wired ports + Wi-Fi with 802.1X EAP-TLS, NAC posture, device certificates, dynamic VLAN/ACL/SGT.
→ NAC • IAM / SSO / MFA
B) Zero-Trust LAN + Per-App Access
LAN enforces least-privilege; users hit apps via ZTNA/SASE (no flat VPN).
→ ZTNA • SASE
C) High-Density Wi-Fi
6/6E for capacity, careful channel reuse, PPS/airtime fairness, scheduled scan/roam tuning; separate IoT/guest SSIDs.
D) OT/IoT & Life-Safety
Profile devices, isolate by function, allow minimal flows; wired 802.1X where feasible; fallback lists tightly controlled; NDR watches anomalies.
→ NDR
E) VoIP & Collaboration
Voice VLANs, LLDP-MED, PoE budgets, QoS EF for voice; SBC/SIP at edge; E911/NG911 compliance.
→ SIP Trunking
🔐 Security (Zero-Trust at the Edge)
- 802.1X everywhere (wired/wireless); RA Guard/DHCP Snooping/DAI on access.
- MACsec on sensitive uplinks; IPsec to hub for remote enclaves. → Encryption
- Per-app: route users via ZTNA/SASE; block lateral movement; validate device posture each session.
- Secrets/Keys: certs & keys from vault; short-lived tokens; no plaintext in configs.
→ Secrets Management • Key Management / HSM
📐 SLO Guardrails (Targets You Can Measure)
| KPI / SLO | Target (Recommended) |
|---|---|
| Access port auth (802.1X p95) | ≤ 2–5 s |
| Wi-Fi association & DHCP (p95) | ≤ 2–4 s |
| Roam time (p95, same SSID) | ≤ 50–150 ms (voice-safe) |
| One-way LAN latency (p95) | ≤ 1–3 ms campus, ≤ 0.5–1 ms DC |
| Packet loss (sustained) | < 0.1% |
| PoE headroom | ≥ 20% per switch at peak |
| Change success rate | ≥ 99% (with staged rings) |
| Evidence completeness | 100% (auth, posture, changes) |
SLO breaches open tickets and trigger SOAR actions (quarantine, rate-limit, rollback). → SIEM / SOAR
📊 Observability & NOC
- Wired: interface errors, utilization, STP events, auth fails, PoE draw, EAP states.
- Wi-Fi: SNR/RSRP, retries, airtime utilization, client load, roam metrics, DHCP/DNS timing.
- Security: NAC decisions, RA/DHCP guard hits, segmentation denies.
Dashboards + monthly reports; carrier/vendor escalation trees. → NOC Services • Circuit Monitoring
💵 Commercials (What Drives Cost)
- Switch port counts/speeds, multigig needs, PoE class, Wi-Fi density, controller/AP licensing, NAC/AAA, cabling & UPS.
- Managed services vs co-managed support, software subscriptions, and maintenance windows.
🛠️ Implementation Blueprint (No-Surprise Rollout)
1) Inventory & goals — users/devices, density, voice/IoT, compliance needs.
2) Address & VLAN plan — per-site/per-zone scheme; IPAM updates.
3) Identity & posture — 802.1X EAP-TLS, device certs, NAC policy; guest/contractor flows.
4) RF & switching design — Wi-Fi heatmaps, AP placements, uplinks, PoE budgets, L2/L3 topology.
5) Segmentation — VLAN/VRF/SGT map; microseg intent; default-deny.
6) Services — DHCP/DNS/NTP/AAA; logging exports; SIEM parsers.
7) Pilot & rings — one floor/SSID → one building → campus; staged changes with rollback.
8) SLO dashboards — auth/assoc times, roam, PoE headroom, denies; alert routes.
9) Operate & drill — quarterly failovers, RF tune-ups, NAC policy reviews; publish RCAs.
✅ Pre-Engagement Checklist
- 👥 Headcount/devices; density & concurrency by space type.
- 🗺️ Floor plans/IDFs/MDFs; cabling condition; PoE requirements.
- 🔐 Identity model (SSO/MFA), certificate plan, NAC posture gates.
- 🧩 VLAN/VRF map; voice/IoT/OT needs; microseg intents.
- 📶 RF constraints (walls, DFS, 6 GHz eligibility); roaming goals.
- 📡 Uplinks (fiber types), MTU, QoS classes, MACsec/IPsec requirements.
- 📊 SIEM/NOC destinations; SLO targets; escalation contacts; change windows.
🔄 Where LAN Fits (Recursive View)
1) Grammar — the access fabric in Networks & Data Centers and Connectivity.
2) Syntax — feeds Cloud paths and on-ramps via routed cores.
3) Semantics — Cybersecurity enforces truth (identity, posture, segmentation).
4) Pragmatics — SolveForce AI predicts congestion/coverage and auto-tunes policy.
5) Foundation — consistent terms via Primacy of Language.
6) Map — indexed in the SolveForce Codex & Knowledge Hub.
📞 Build a LAN That’s Fast, Secure & Auditable
Related pages:
Networks & Data Centers • Connectivity • NAC • Microsegmentation • SASE • ZTNA • IAM / SSO / MFA • MDM / UEM • SIEM / SOAR • Structured Cabling • Racks & PDUs • Knowledge Hub