Napera, the company that bases its NAC products on Microsoft software, is expanding the capabilities of its box. New software for the appliance enables a gateway firewall, support for a remote-access VPN and a DHCP server. The firewall is a basic, packet-filtering product along the lines of what is offered in a small office-home office appliance. The VPN relies on the point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP) support in Windows XP and Vista client software as well as Apple’s OSX. With PPTP, remote users will connect over the Internet to the Napera appliance, establish a VPN tunnel and submit to a NAC test. If they pass, the tunnel remains in place and users are granted access. The DHCP server establishes a means for enforcing NAC policies but also is a way for small businesses that need DHCP to set it up economically.