* WatchGuard rolls out Firebox X Peak, new operating system
WatchGuard this week is introducing a hardware platform called Firebox X Peak as well as a new operating system for all its X family of IPSec VPN/firewall appliances.
In addition to being a 1G-bit/sec firewall, the box has other features that make it suitable for a corporate data center such as high-availability capabilities to load-share and failover, and support for designating any of its 10 switch ports as internal or trusted, external or a separate LAN segment such as a DMZ.
The new box can also hook up to as many as four different WAN links to split traffic load and can switch traffic to other links if one fails.
The new hardware platform is sold as one of three models, X5000, X6000 and X8000, the difference among them being the firewall and encryption speeds that range from 400M bit/sec to 1G bit/sec for the firewall and from 190M bit/sec to 400M bit/sec for the encryption. The prices range from $6,000 to $10,000.
The new operating system upgrades WatchGuard’s intelligent layered security that can detect attacks based on behavior as opposed to checking for a signature of a particular attack. Specifically, the upgrade addresses viruses and spyware detection.
The company is offering as an add-on a new service called Gateway Antivirus/Intrusion Protection that does search for signatures of known malicious exploits. Customers buy a subscription to the service and WatchGuard provides updates of signature files as new threats are identified. The service can also identify applications a business might want to block such as instant messaging or music sharing and block it.
For exploits the service discovers, customers have the option of blocking the IP address of the attacker via the firewall, or receiving notification of a suspected attack so they can assess it themselves and decide on a response. The service also allows whitelisting trusted IP addresses.
The box should be interesting to customers who are uncertain how much their VPN traffic will grow and want the option to upgrade to a larger capacity box by buying a license rather than swapping out hardware.
