WatchGuard Named a 'Leader' in Magic Quadrant Report for Unified Threat Management

SEATTLE, Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- WatchGuard® Technologies, a global leader of business security solutions, today announced that Gartner, Inc. positioned WatchGuard in the Leaders Quadrant in the most recent "Magic Quadrant for Unified Threat Management" report.*

"WatchGuard is pleased to be recognized by Gartner for having industry-leading unified threat management solutions," said Eric Aarrestad, Vice President of Marketing at WatchGuard Technologies.  "For thousands of businesses around the world, WatchGuard multifunction firewalls are the trusted appliances to stop hackers, malware, spyware, viruses and all sorts of Web threats from reaching mission critical applications, networks and data."

WatchGuard – Redefining Network Security

Innovation is nothing new to WatchGuard.  This year alone, the company introduced Application Control – a revolutionary firewall service that allows administrators to restrict, manage and control thousands of applications; Reputation Enabled Defense – a cloud-based security service that eliminates web-based threats before they ever hit the network perimeter, and a host of advanced security, networking and management features.  All of these contributed to the multitude of awards bestowed to WatchGuard by trade press and industry analysts, and factored into why so many businesses turn to WatchGuard in protecting their networks, applications and data.

Since 1996, WatchGuard has been at the forefront of firewall technology.  Unlike other vendors that rely solely on stateful packet inspection, WatchGuard employs a "defense-in-depth" approach that utilizes deep packet inspection, stateful packet inspection and cutting edge proxy firewall technologies to provide unparalleled protection against next generation threats.

Adding to this, WatchGuard was the first vendor to introduce comprehensive VoIP proxy capabilities (both SIP and H.323 proxies) to defend against Internet voice threats, as well as HTTPS inspection, which tackles a myriad of web-related threats, and simultaneously gives administrators greater control and insight over encrypted web traffic that otherwise would be impossible to inspect.

This year, WatchGuard was the first vendor to bring web/URL reputation services to its XTM family of firewall appliances.  This additional layer of protection leverages WatchGuard's innovative cloud-based security service, Reputation Enabled Defense, to thwart a multitude of online threats before they ever get to the network perimeter, thus improving network bandwidth while reducing exposure.

Most recently, WatchGuard unveiled its next line of defense with its Application Control technology.  With WatchGuard Application Control, administrators gain new abilities in managing the most popular web applications throughout their networks, which further reduces risks while increasing productivity and network efficiencies.

"The reality is businesses can choose from a giant networking vendor to protect their assets, or utilize a security leader, like WatchGuard," concludes Aarrestad.  "While other security vendors struggle with take-over distractions and privatization issues, WatchGuard stands solid in offering the best, most reliable and affordable security solutions bar none."

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/.

About the Gartner Magic Quadrant

The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted 2010 by Gartner, Inc., and is reused with permission.  The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period.  It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner.  Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant.  The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action.  Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.  

*Source: Gartner, Inc., "Magic Quadrant for Unified Threat Management" by John Pescatore and Bob Walder, Oct. 22, 2010.

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

SOURCE WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.