All-in-one Ethernet switch, firewall and VPN

Innominate launches combined security appliance and switch for interface between back-office and production environments

Innominate Security Technologies has added mGuard delta to its range of device attached security appliances.

Combining intelligent, high-performance security functions, including stateful inspection firewall, Kaspersky virus protection and VPN access control, mGuard delta also offers all the advantages of a standard Ethernet/Fast Ethernet switch.

By bringing the two functionalities together in a single device, mGuard delta offers IT managers a switch that safeguards critical systems or system groups in a secure targeted and customised way.

It is the increased use of Ethernet in automated production that has driven the need for Ethernet switches to allow the seamless exchange of information between back-office management systems and industrial control processes.

But it is this interface between internal networks that poses the greatest security risks.

Perimeter firewalls only safeguard against outside attacks, while 70-80% of all machine failures are caused by unauthorised or negligent internal access to systems.

The new mGuard delta Ethernet switch with integral device attached security now means that this security gap can be bridged and production managers can maintain high system availability.

"The mGuard delta is a practical solution, which has been developed in response to increasing customer demand," says Olaf Siemens, Innominate CEO: "The mGuard delta can serve up to four LAN segments with individually customised security functions, offering enormous additional value over conventional switches".

The Innominate Multi Stealth Mode means that the mGuard device operates 'transparently' to the systems themselves and does not require any system configuration.

The Multi Stealth Mode secures individual machines all the way up to complete network segments, and two mGuard delta devices can be operated redundantly in High Availability Mode.

The active mGuard delta transmits firewall status to the standby unit and in the event of a failure, uninterrupted protection and high availability is always guaranteed.

Housed in a metal case, the robust mGuard delta is suitable for desktops or for use in wiring rooms.

mGuard functions are controlled via the Innominate Security Configuration Manager (ISCM), which allows security policies for all mGuard systems to be predefined.

With an intuitive graphical user interface, the ISCM features drag and drop operation for all security settings, in addition to easily configurable VPN connections between individual mGuard devices or other gateways.

Particularly when utilised in networks containing more than 100 protected systems, the ISCM can facilitate the administration of security policies enormously.

Availability and prices.

The mGuard delta is now available in three versions: mGuard delta, mGuard delta enterprise and mGuard delta enterprise XL.

The basic version offers a processor with 266 MHz, 64 Mbytes RAM memory and a Stateful Inspection Firewall at a list price of GBP225 plus VAT.

The enterprise version additionally offers VPN functionality for 10 VPNs and encryption of 35 Mbps, SNMP and remote logging.

This version is available for GBP345 plus VAT.

The Innominate mGuard delta enterprise XL offers clock speeds of 533 MHz and supports up to 250 VPNs.

mGuard delta enterprise XL appliances can be operated in High Availability Mode and the list price is GBP480 plus VAT.

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