WatchGuard to safeguard DSL, cable modem links

SEATTLE - Digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable modem services have been high-speed blessings for telecommuters and workers in small offices. But there also exists a danger - because these services are always "on," they give hackers a better chance of probing and breaking into computers, and perhaps even gaining access to corporate networks.

To counter this threat to DSL and cable, WatchGuard Technologies next month will begin offering a first line of defense in the form of two new network firewalls/encrypting virtual private network (VPN) devices. Firebox Telecommuter is for home use, and Firebox SOHO is for small offices.

Firebox Telecommuter, which is priced at $650, has four ports that DSL or cable-modem users can plug their computers in to to gain secure access to the Internet. Family members can surf the Web for fun while the telecommuter in the house gets an encrypted VPN link to the company intranet.

"Firebox Telecommuter allows the spouse or children to go to the Internet, but only you to go to the corporate network," says Vincent Salas, WatchGuard's director of product marketing.

The net device "points" toward WatchGuard's Firebox 2, an enterprise network firewall supporting up to 5,000 users. Firebox 2 plays a role in managing the at-home device.

WatchGuard's other new DSL/cable modem firewall, Firebox SOHO, is designed for small to midsize business offices. It supports up to 50 cable modem or DSL users. Five of them can use an encrypted VPN tunnel simultaneously. Pricing starts at $450 for 10 users.

Firebox Telecommuter and Firebox SOHO are managed through the browser-based Firebox management console.

JDASoftware in Scottsdale, Ariz., is currently beta-testing Firebox Telecommuter. The company has 500 employees involved in designing the code for managing retail sales. Larry Leonhardt, director of IT, says his firm already uses Firebox 2 at its corporate site, but JDA Software wants to be sure its employees with high-speed DSL or cable access can securely access the corporate intranet from home.

Leonhardt says he is concerned about hackers, having seen his own home computer scanned by outsiders over a cable modem network. He monitored this activity while testing the Deerfield WinGate desktop firewall product, which worked fine. But he says he's leaning toward using Firebox Telecommuter because his IT staff is familiar with the WatchGuard technology and the device can be managed remotely.

"I didn't want my IT staff spending an inordinate amount of time having to learn new firewall software in order to deal with home computers," Leonhardt says. "With WatchGuard, it's a plug-and-play device, extremely easy to set up."

WatchGuard: www.watchguard.com