Nortel Networks Ltd. is converging dynamic routing and virtual private networking technology into a single device as it rolls out a new line of its Contivity VPN gateways.
Nortel announced five new Contivity Secure IP Services Gateways at NetWorld+Interop this week that allow enterprises to deliver secure IP services, such as quality of service, firewalls and bandwidth management, while lowering total cost of ownership.
While the Contivity line already allowed for the combining of IP services, the latest additions allow for dynamic routing support within the gateway, said John Doyle, director of product marketing for the Intelligent Internet group at Nortel. Previously, routing capabilities were limited because IPSec, a core part of security in VPNs, does not support dynamic routing, forcing manual configuration by network administrators, he said.
With dynamic routing merged with IPSec, customers can deploy the new devices initially as secure routers. They then can add additional VPN capabilities beyond the five tunnels that come standard or other IP services by turning on, through software, what Nortel calls “license keys,” Doyle said.
Three of the new Contivity Secure IP Services Gateways target small branch offices, home offices and small businesses needing site-to-site or remote-access VPNs or simply wanting Internet connectivity. They are the Contivity 1010, which starts at $999; the Contivity 1050, which starts at $1,299; and the Contivity 1100, starting at $1,495, Doyle said.
The two others, the Contivity 1700 and 2700, target midsize to large branch offices and are upgrades of the 1600 and 2600, respectively. The upgrades provide twice the performance at the same price, officials said. All five gateways are due to ship in June.