A network in which remediation is provided to keep protective software in network clients up-to-date. As network clients connect to an access control server, the clients provide status information concerning their protective software. The access server determines whether the clients comply with a quarantine enforcement policy. Clients that comply with the policy are granted access to the network. Those that do not comply with the quarantine enforcement policy are either denied access or given limited access to the network for purposes of remediation. When the access control server denies access to a client, it determines remediation steps required to bring the client into compliance with the quarantine enforcement policy. This remediation information is communicated to the client to facilitate remediation of the client on either an automated or a manual basis. The remediation information may be communicated in the form of an address from which the client may obtain software updates, executable software, human-usable information or both remediation information.