WatchGuard Introduces New Next-Generation Firewall for Enterprises

LAS VEGAS, May 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- (Interop) WatchGuard® Technologies, a global leader of business security solutions, today unveiled its most powerful security appliance, the WatchGuard XTM 2050, a next-generation firewall (NGFW) that provides enterprise-class security for large enterprises and data centers that require high-performance firewall, application control and intrusion prevention system (IPS) to protect against data theft, malware and security breaches. WatchGuard is showcasing the XTM 2050 during Interop at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center May 10-12, 2011, in Las Vegas, Booth #751.

"Leveraging more than 15 years of firewall and network security expertise, WatchGuard specifically designed the XTM 2050 next-generation firewall to meet the ever changing needs and demanding requirements unique to enterprise environments," said Eric Aarrestad, VP of Marketing at WatchGuard Technologies. "With this next-generation firewall, businesses can define, enforce and audit strong security and acceptable use policies, which results in increased employee productivity and optimized protection of critical network resources, applications and data."

The WatchGuard XTM 2050 provides true line-speed security inspection on all traffic, supports multi-gigabit packet filtering throughput and provides application control; it connects offices via unique Drag and Drop VPN; connects people via SSL and IPSec VPN; and gives the enterprise unparalleled visibility into real-time and historical user, network and security activities.

Key Next-Generation Firewall Features and Specifications:

• 20 Gbps firewall, and up to 10Gbps full content inspection
• High port density with 16 1GB copper ports and 2 10 GB SFP+ Fiber ports
• Port Independence: any port can be External, Trusted, or DMZ
• Redundant hot-swap power supplies, fans, storage, and NICs
• High Availability (active/passive and active/active)
• WAN and VPN failover
• Application Control for over 1,800 applications
• Integration with Active Directory, LDAP, RADIUS, others for user-based firewalling
• WatchGuard System Manager full management, reporting, monitoring, logging package included
• IPSec site to site and remote user VPN
• SSL remote user VPN
• Advanced VOIP and HTTPS security
• Extensive traffic shaping, QoS and bandwidth control

WatchGuard XTM 2050 – Integrated Fine-Grained Application Control

The web is the primary source of security threats to organizations today, and web applications are often the main focus of attackers. Hackers find it convenient and effective to use social networks as a launch pad for social engineering attacks against employees in an organization. Given that web traffic and web applications are the source of so many security risks, IT administrators can cut down the potential threat vectors by limiting their users to only those applications that are necessary for business purposes.

WatchGuard Application Control capabilities empower administrators to exercise fine-grained control over 1,800 applications, and understand which applications are being used and by whom. Administrators can enforce acceptable use policies for users and groups by category, application, and application sub-functions.

Integrated Intrusion Prevention

Malicious activity can run amok on corporate networks if both network traffic and/or systems activities are not monitored. IPS works in tandem with the application layer content inspection to provide real-time protection against network threats, including spyware, SQL injections, cross-site scripting, and buffer overflows. IPS scans traffic on all major protocols, using continually updated signatures to detect and block all types of threats.

LiveSecurity – Service for Enterprise Needs

All WatchGuard NGFW bundles include LiveSecurity Plus, which provides 24x7 web and telephone support. Customers can upgrade to LiveSecurity Gold or LiveSecurity Platinum for extended protection. LiveSecurity Gold provides 24x7 support, with a target 1-hour response time for support incidents.  

Recommended for businesses with complex IT environments and that demand maximum uptime, LiveSecurity Platinum brings support to an enterprise class. Not only does this include all the benefits included in LiveSecurity Gold, but with Platinum, each customer is assigned a Technical Account Manager (TAM) who is specialized in supporting WatchGuard solutions for enterprise IT systems.

Premium 4-Hour Hardware Replacement

Businesses today cannot afford to have downtime as a result of network equipment failures. Replacements are needed without delay when parts fail, even if they are redundant backups.  All WatchGuard LiveSecurity support subscriptions provide an Advanced Hardware Replacement (RMA) program where WatchGuard will ship a replacement via pre-paid, next-day airfreight in advance of receiving the returned appliance.

For customers with mission-critical requirements, WatchGuard is also introducing a premium 4-hour RMA program with 24x7 coverage as a subscription option. Within 4 hours of approval by WatchGuard support, replacement appliances are delivered on site. Premium 4-hour RMA is available on WatchGuard XTM and XCS hardware.

Pricing & Availability

The WatchGuard XTM 2050 next-generation firewall starts at $39,995 and will be available from WatchGuard certified Expert and Professional partners this June.

About WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.

Since 1996, WatchGuard® Technologies, Inc. has been the advanced technology leader of business security solutions, providing mission-critical protection to hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide.  The WatchGuard family of wired and wireless unified threat management appliances, messaging, content security and SSL VPN remote access solutions provide extensible network, application and data protection, as well as unparalleled network visibility, management and control.  WatchGuard products are backed by WatchGuard LiveSecurity® Service, an innovative support, maintenance, and education program.  WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle and has offices serving North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. To learn more, visit http://www.watchguard.com/.

WatchGuard is a registered trademark of WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.  All other marks are property of their respective owners.

SOURCE WatchGuard Technologies