Appliance Deployment Featured Article

To help enterprises deliver network optimization and enable IT to transition to an advanced security platform, network security provider SonicWall has deployed its WAN Acceleration appliance in the company’s SonicOS 5.8.1 solution.

The network security provider claims the solution further enhances the capabilities of the current SonicWall Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) series and introduces an integrated support for the SonicWall WAN Acceleration Appliance (WXA) series.

“As the data that businesses transmit on their networks grows exponentially, so does the need to increase the efficiency of firewall protection. The introduction of SonicOS 5.8.1 further enhances SonicWALL's (News - Alert) NGFW offering and improves bandwidth capability, while protecting against instrusions and malware attacks," stated Patrick Sweeney, vice president of Product Management and Corporate Marketing at SonicWALL, in a statement.

According to the supplier, SonicOS 5.8.1 integrates features such as application intelligence, control and visualization and deep packet inspection scanning with the WXA series to provide protection against the constantly evolving landscape of threats and application-related issues. In addition, it offers enhanced application intelligence and security.

SonicWall said that the new product enables businesses to use IP reputation data in blocking communication with suspected botnet command and control centers, and allows administrators to reduce risks of having potentially compromised hosts on their network participate in spam or DDoS attacks.

Furthermore, by controlling traffic access geographically or blocking traffic from unknown locations, administrators can further reduce the risk. Other benefits include application flow visualization enhancements for quick creation of network management policies based on real-time application, increased appliance deployment flexibility with wire mode and greater security and application control with deep packet inspection.

In another company statement, commented Michael E. Crean, president of Solutions Granted, “A key requirement for the ongoing success of our business is a secure and efficient network that we can manage in a smart way.". He added, "With the combined power of SonicOS 5.8.1 and the WXA series appliance, we drive business and employee productivity in two ways. Firstly, we leverage application intelligence and control features to optimize the applications on the network for our business needs. In addition, we can now transmit business-critical data faster and effectively increase our bandwidth - this saves us time, money and helps us drive profitability."