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WatchGuard Technologies, a provider of business security solutions, unveiled its latest security operating system for the XTM line of unified threat management appliances. With this release, businesses gain advanced networking capabilities for mobile workers, as well as enhanced management and reporting functions that provide insight into applications, bandwidth usage, user behavior and more. The release of the XTM appliance software is available free to customers with current WatchGuard LiveSecurity subscriptions.
One of the new features provided by this latest WatchGuard release includes the ability to create secure connectivity for mobile devices. By supporting the IPSec functionality already present on Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, WatchGuard provides users of such devices with a way to securely access corporate resources from any place. Designed for operation by administrators and end users alike, the functionality embraces the growing business adoption of these popular devices.
The release also delivers a new logging interface for log searching, while an interactive reporting dashboard provides a high-level view of network activity, combined with the ability to drill down to find out more about specific users, applications, URLs and more.
“The ultimate firewall is a result of continuous innovation and product improvement,” said Tim Helming, director of product management at WatchGuard. “This release is another step in the ongoing march to provide unbeatable network security, data protection and advanced reporting intelligence.”
The upgrade enhances email security by providing options to require Transport Layer Security (TLS), which encrypts sensitive email communications to prevent electronic eavesdropping. With TLS support, companies can enforce email security policies that require encryption for some or all emails. Administrators can also set up rules to block unencrypted mails sent to specified address/domains, or enforce the use of TLS when the remote server supports it.
WatchGuard appliances also give administrators the option to create firewall rules based user and group names, rather than just IP addresses. Single Sign-On with Active Directory is used to map end-user computers to their user names, with the added ability of not requiring users to first visit a firewall log-in screen to begin their browsing sessions. With the new release, the SSO Agent has been enhanced to better detect user log-on and log-off activities, making it easier to define, enforce and audit user and group-based policies without having to install SSO software on each client computer.
The company also continues to add IPv6 functionality. The IPv6ready Gold logo for routing validates this phase, confirming that the basic “plumbing,” the packet routing building blocks of IPv6, works correctly. The latest release includes support for static network routing through the firewall, and WatchGuard XTM appliances running this latest release have achieved the Gold logo certification for routing.
In addition, the company announced the launch of a small business security appliance, the XTM 330. Aimed at businesses with 30 to 50 users, the XTM 330 appliance provides advanced network protection in a rackmount gateway security appliance. List pricing for the XTM 330 begins at $1,165 and varies depending on security services selected. In addition to firewall and intrusion prevention capabilities, customers can choose to add Application Control, Gateway Anti-virus, WebBlocker, spamBlocker and WatchGuard’s cloud-based security service, Reputation Enabled Defense.