1. A method for optimizing network access control, comprising: in a server comprising one or more processors communicatively coupled to a network: receiving, from a policy manager, a timestamp for each of one or more current critical updates and one or more current non-critical updates; maintaining a list of current critical updates and current non-critical updates for one or more devices communicatively coupled to the network, wherein said list comprises said timestamp for each of said one or more current critical updates and said one or more current non-critical updates; and for all access requests to the network from a device of the one or more devices communicatively coupled to the network: receiving, in the server, an access request to the network from said device; determining if each one of said one or more critical updates of said device is current; determining if each one of said one or more non-critical updates of said device is current; granting to the device said access request to said network if each one of said one or more critical updates of said device is current, even if at least one non-critical update of said one or more non-critical updates of said device is not current; and if at least one critical update of said one or more critical updates of said device is not current: denying said access request to said network; and providing to said device at least one current critical update; wherein said determining steps comprise: receiving a critical update timestamp and a non-critical update timestamp from said device; and comparing said critical update timestamp from said device with said timestamp for each of said current critical updates and comparing said non-critical update timestamp from said device with said timestamp for each of said current non-critical updates in said list.