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Trend Micro announced the latest iterations of its VirusWall network security appliances, promising increased ability for administrators to locate and address potential systems vulnerabilities using the devices.
Due to arrive in June, the new machines represent the second generation of Trend Micros entry into the NAC (network admission control) hardware space and aim to improve customers capacity to scan PCs, workstations and other computers for unpatched programs and other potential security lapses.
The devices also contend to help scan for malware activity on the networks they are attached to, specifically the presence or spread of any worm viruses.
First piloted by networking giant Cisco, NAC aims to use network infrastructure to enforce security policies on individual devices and prevent attacks from spreading from computer to computer via a shared network.
Dubbed as the Network VirusWall Enforcer family, the devices are specifically built to scour for any holes discovered in popular anti-virus applications, any reported problems in Microsoft products, and any evidence on a network of activity that does not comply with administrator policies.
Once an issue is discovered by the appliance, the system automatically quarantines the problem, informs administrators of the vulnerability, and allows the IT workers to address the situation either manually or via automated updates.
The ability to address problems via automatic update is one of the new features being touted heavily by Trend Micro.
The devices include the firms Trend Micro Control Manager, which is aimed at helping customers create a centralized console for managing all of their network security applications.
While earlier Trend Micro devices have promised similar abilities for finding and isolating network security issues, the ability to automate the remediation process represents a significant step forward, company officials said.
“Companies are looking for more integrated solutions with centralized controls, and many customers we speak with eventually want to evolve toward NAC, but theyre not ready to adopt wholeheartedly today make the investment in a wholesale network upgrade,” said Malav Patel, global product marketing manager at Trend Micro.
“These appliances can help bootstrap the whole process; companies may know that their environments are clean, but they are looking to NAC to help keep them that way by checking every machine that comes onto their networks.”
Patel said that Trend Micro has already sold some 4,000 NAC appliances.
Trend Micro said that it will first ship the VirusWall Enforcer 2500, which is aimed at managing security for up to 4,000 people, while a version for small and midsize businesses, the VirusWall Enforcer 1200, will support up to 250 users and reach the market sometime in September.
Pricing for the Enforcer 2500 will start at just under $15,000 and increase based on the number of seats a company chooses to support with the appliance.
A 1,000-user license for the Enforcer 2500 appliance is priced at $24,995 in North America.