Does anyone use 802.1X?

I'm working on my CCNA Security exam and I came across the subject of 802.1X port level authentication. It may just be me, but does anyone think that this type of security may be a little overkill? Does anyone in the field know of any organizations or companies that actually have this type of security implemented in their network?

Just wondering..

Yea I implemented it once for a company. It's not overkill imo. You can also configure in which VLAN the users will be put based on their login information/certificate.

You can also use it in wireless access points that supports it. They use WPA which can use 802.1X to overcome the security issues found in WEP.

I've done it too; more common than you might think

If you want to mess around with 802.1X, check out AuthenticateMyWiFi from NoWiresSecurity: www.nowiressecurity.com . They offer free and paid subscriptions to their outsourced RADIUS servers.

I've also implemented 802.1x at a couple of customer and I recon its an awesome service to provide. I actually used it with a Microsoft IAS (Internet Access Server) which played the role of a radius server and integrated the user authentication with Active Directory. Worked like a charm on both physical switches and access points.