Cisco ACS is reaching end of life - Radiator has got you covered

As announced already some time ago, Cisco will no longer support either the hardware or the software of their Access Control System (Cisco ACS) product line. If your network administration still runs Cisco ACS, it’s time to take action and upgrade it into a product with a clear future for updates and support. Radiator AAA Server software, often referred to as the Swiss Army Knife of AAA Servers, can pick up from there.

As mentioned in a previous Radiator Cookbook post in 2018, Radiator AAA Server Software offers TACACS+ support and can be integrated with existing hardware to replace current solution’s TACACS+ and RADIUS functionalities. This means that Radiator can replace the authentication functions Cisco ACS did in your previous system. All that is required is an external database for user credentials that Radiator integrates to.

Radiator is actively developed, with multiple updates per year, so continuous support for your solution is given. And most importantly, Radiator’s support team consists of experienced professionals who have developed and actively develop Radiator AAA, so your support requests are always handled by capable RADIUS and TACACS+ experts.

These same professionals will be handling the transition work from ACS to Radiator AAA, if you so wish. Our technical team consists of experienced seniors with vast experience in enterprise, ISP, CSP and other AAA solution integrations and have done these transition projects even before the EOL was announced.

Radiator, being a flexible AAA Server with TACACS+ support, can replace ACS’s TACACS+ and RADIUS functions. Radiator does not have the built-in database, but rather integrates to a customer’s existing database. If need be, we are happy this database solution through our partner. The flexibility of Radiator also includes multi-vendor support for NAS devices. This means that changing NAS devices will not be troubled by vendor lock-in.

Want to know more?

If you want to know more about Radiator AAA Server software as the flexible and supported replacement for Cisco ACS, do not hesitate to contact our sales team sales(at)radiatorsoftware.com.

Radiator as a Cisco ACS replacement

Since Cisco announced the end of sale of their Secure Access Control System (Cisco ACS), customers have contacted Radiator Software looking for a replacement solution, and they have found Radiator AAA Server Software to be just the alternative they need. Radiator is a cost-effective, flexible solution that is known in the market as the “Swiss Army of AAA Servers”.

Radiator AAA Server Software is actively developed and it runs with a variety of platforms, including Linux, Windows, and others. You can be sure that you will have a supported, continuously developed AAA solution that is always kept up to date for years to come. Radiator has at least two releases per year, with interim patches made for security and other urgent needs.

Making it a flexible solution with multi-vendor support, key features of Radiator include:

• Supports authentication by over 60 different types of methods
• Interoperates with a huge range of devices, databases, billing packages, and tokens
• Includes RadSec - secure, reliable RADIUS proxying
• Includes Diameter - the RADIUS successor protocol used already by mobile operators
• Includes TACACS+ - for infrastructure management
• Integration with AD, LDAP, SQL databases among others
• Accounting logs in variety of formats to be integrated with external systems
• See also full feature list 
  

How migration to Radiator works?

When doing the migration to Radiator, you do not need to have new appliances; Radiator can be cost-efficiently fitted into your current infrastructure.

All you need is to install Radiator into your preferred platform, implement the initial configuration, and integrate Radiator to your preferred database. The use of a separate database enables your organization a secure way to store user credentials and data. Additionally, it is possible to include management and logging systems, which you may already have in use. When doing the migration, our team can provide you with assistance and experience from a wide range of use cases.

Typical Radiator set-up in a Wi-Fi authentication use case using RADIUS and TACACS+.

You do not need to worry about complicated licensing; all you need is a Radiator AAA Server Software license pack, available from one server license, two server license for high-availability, and unlimited server count license for large scale deployments. If you need an additional AAA server for a different use case within your organization, you can use a remaining available license, or upgrade your existing pack.

Would you like to know more?

With Radiator, you get direct professional technical support for configuration, deployment, and custom development. Our support packages range from basic email support to 24x7 telephone support.

Our consulting services are available to assist with migration projects. As we have had a wide range of customers with different needs migrating to Radiator, we can easily tailor a cost-effective consulting package for your needs. Thanks to our experience with similar projects, Radiator configuration can be adjusted to new environments without any extra hassle. Our customers include ISPs, enterprises, carriers, universities, public organizations, and utility companies.

If you would like to know more about Radiator, licensing options, and support, please contact our team at sales@radiatorsoftware.com

Blog post revised Feb 2nd 2022.