New line of network security by Symantec

Posted by: Nikola Strahija on September 2, 2005

Symantec has published its third-generation integrated security line, the Gateway Security 5600 Series, building in anti-virus and firewall capabilities as well as VPN, spam protection and other features. Such security applications are designed to cut costs and simplify management by integrating various functions into a single unit, but can be limited by their throughput. Symantec says the 5600-series devices can scale to campus-sized networks with a throughput of more than 3.0Gbit/s, although industry observers say speed depends on the number of features enabled. ž The new line is specifically designed to fight against complex threats that combine a number of different attack vectors. To that end it tightly integrates anti-spam, anti-virus, VPN, full-inspection firewall, intrusion detection and prevention, and content filtering, Symantec said. The VPN technology uses both SSL and IPSec-based approaches, allowing users to put a mixture in place under one licence. The VPNs are clientless, eliminating the need for remote users to installsoftware, and administrators can require users to go through a security check before they connect, ensuring they've got up-to-date antivirus software installed. Filtering, designed to keep employees from viewing the wrong sort of material, is based on both URL lists and a technology called Dynamic Document Review (DDR), which lets administrators define blacklists of words and word relationships. Users of existing 5400-series and 4400-series models can get the new features with an upgrade to Gateway Security v3.0 software, and users with active maintenance contracts get the upgrade for free. For More