Vendors Debut Security Gear and Gigabit And WLAN Switches

Networking vendors are getting a jump on next week's NetWorld + Interop conference by launching new wireless, networking and security wares this week that are scheduled to be demoed at the Las Vegas show.

Enterasys is injecting new life into its stagnant wireless strategy by jumping into the WLAN switch market with its new RoamAbout 8000 series WLAN switches and accompanying access points. The products will give the company a centrally managed wireless portfolio to complement its existing line of stand-alone access points, said Prabhu Kavi, director of wireless product management and marketing at Enterasys.

"We haven't had any new [wireless] announcements in the last year," Kavi said. "We're coming back to wireless in a big way."

The new wireless products tie more directly into the extensive security features available through Enterasys' wired networking portfolio, said Don Helmstetter, CEO and president of CompuNET International, a solution provider in Brooklyn Park, Minn. "Now if something happens that's not allowable by policy, the first place that traffic goes is the wireless switch, and it says, 'No, that's not acceptable,' " Helmstetter said.

Enterasys also plans next week to introduce a new stackable edge switch family dubbed SecureStack that includes a new B2 Layer 2 switch as well as the Layer 3 switch previously known as the Matrix C2. The B2 is available in 24-port and 48-port versions at both Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet speeds.Scheduled to ship in volume this summer, the RoamAbout 8000 series is priced starting at $6,495. The SecureStack B2 ranges from $1,995 to $4,795 and is slated to ship in May.

Extreme Networks is also flaunting a strong security message with the rollout of Sentriant Virtual Security Resource, an appliance that protects enterprise networks from zero-day attacks at up to 10 Gigabit speeds. The appliance connects to Extreme's BlackDiamond 10K switch, providing Layer 4-7 traffic analysis at the network core.

When threats are detected, the appliance works through Extreme's Clear-Flow analysis engine—a standard feature on the core switch—to take action.

The appliance can catch threats that get through inline security appliances closer to the edge, which are susceptible themselves to denial-of-service attacks, said Suresh Gopalakrishnan, vice president of marketing and business development at Extreme, Santa Clara, Calif.

Sentriant, scheduled for availability this summer, is priced at $41,995.N+I event coordinators this week plan to change the name of the show to Interop.