Symantec Introduces New Multi-Gigabit Performance Firewall Appliances with Integrated Security

Symantec Introduces New Multi-Gigabit Performance Firewall Appliances with Integrated Security

Symantec Gateway Security Integrates Seven Essential Security Functions with Centralised Management to Save Customers' Money and Protect Networks from Complex Internet Threats

Hong Kong -- 16 September 2003 - Symantec, the world leader in Internet security, today announced the Symantec Gateway Security 5400 Series, a new line of firewall appliances with a ready-to-deploy, complete network security solution designed to protect against various types of malicious threats, including today's blended Internet threats such as Blaster, Slammer and Sobig. The solutions reduce network security costs and provide customers comprehensive gateway level protection by integrating full inspection firewall, intrusion prevention, intrusion detection, antivirus, content filtering, virtual private networking (VPN), and anti-spam technology in a single device. The Symantec Gateway Security 5400 Series is scheduled to be available in mid-October.

The Symantec Gateway Security 5400 Series offers centralised policy configuration management through the Advanced Manager plug-in for Symantec Enterprise Security Architecture. Symantec's Advanced Manager plug-in provides secure, centralised, web-based management of hundreds or thousands of appliances. The centralised logging, alerting and reporting features are available with Advanced Manager or separately with an Event Manager plug-in to Symantec Enterprise Security Architecture. These appliances can also be managed individually with the built-in Web-based Symantec Gateway Management Interface.

"As the number of blended Internet threats and discovered vulnerabilities continues to rise, customers require cost-effective advanced network security solutions to defend their networks from attack," said David Sykes, Director, Enterprise Sales, Symantec Asia Pacific. "Symantec Gateway Security provides customers with the comprehensive, integrated protection they need while reducing total cost of ownership by eliminating the need to deploy and manage multiple security products from different vendors."

Key Product Features
Symantec Gateway Security 5400 series is a security solution that provides comprehensive protection by combining essential network security functions:

Intrusion Prevention - Intrusion prevention provided through the integration of multiple gated security technologies that have been shown to stop both known and many unknown types of attacks without interrupting legitimate traffic.
Intrusion Detection - Intrusion detection based on Symantec's Manhunt engine identifies new and unknown attacks by analysing network flows using a technique known as protocol anomaly detection.
Full Inspection Firewall - The integrated firewall component is based on the Symantec Enterprise Firewall. This full inspection firewall provides deep packet inspection, application proxy technology and automated system hardening to protect corporate networks from Internet attacks.
Symantec's Award-winning Antivirus Technology - The Symantec antivirus engine filters mail, FTP and HTTP traffic for viruses with Symantec's world-class antivirus technology before they enter the protected network.
Internet Content Filtering - Includes WebNot content filtering that restricts access to Web sites deemed not applicable to the organisation's use of the Internet.
IPSec Compliant VPN - The integrated gateway-to-gateway and remote client-to-gateway VPN components enable flexible remote access while providing additional security through its integrated proxy secured VPN technology that ensures administrators can monitor traffic at the application level, not just at the network level.
Anti-spam Protection -- Includes anti-spam technology to help reduce the overhead associated with unsolicited email and similarly prevents your gateway from being used as a spam relay point against others.
Centralized Management and Reporting - Advanced Manager and Event Manager plug-ins for the SESA console are available to provide centralised policy configuration management, logging, reporting and alerting.
Automated Updates - Symantec's patented LiveUpdate technology automatically downloads the latest virus definitions, IDS updates, URL lists and VPN client updates, improving security while easing the administrative workload.

Performance and Scalability
The three models of the Symantec Gateway Security 5400 Series vary in performance and scalability. The addition of high availability and load balancing with state sharing, clusters of appliances can be configured to support the needs of sites ranging from small office environments to campus size networks. Performance and throughput can scale from 200 Mbps up to 1.8 Gbps. In addition, multi-gigabit speeds can be achieved with load balancing. A number of high availability options are available including: hot standby, where a second system follows the transactions of the primary system and takes over when the primary fails; and active high availability, where a cluster of systems operate and share the load. The appliances are also flexible enough to operate within current network environments as part of an overall multi-tier, multi-platform security plan.

Symantec Security Response
Symantec Gateway Security customers benefit from Symantec Security Response - receiving the latest security updates and information available. Symantec Security Response is a team of dedicated intrusion experts, security engineers, virus hunters, threat analysts, and global technical support teams that work in tandem to provide extensive coverage for enterprise businesses and consumers. Symantec Security Response also leverages sophisticated threat and early warning systems to help provide customers with comprehensive, global, 24x7 Internet security expertise to proactively guard against today's blended Internet threats.

Licensing and Availability
In order to accommodate varying performance needs, the Symantec Gateway Security Appliance 5400 Series will be offered in three different models (5420, 5440 and 5460), starting at an estimated retail price of HK$30,381. The flexible licensing enables customers to get the license size and complement of security functions that best meet their corporate needs. Customers will receive up to one year of telephone support, advanced replacement, upgrade insurance and content updates included with the licenses.

Symantec Gateway Security 5400 Series is scheduled to be available in mid-October through Symantec's worldwide network of value-added resellers, distributors and systems integrators. For further enquiries, please call 2528 6206 or visit www.symantec.com.hk.

About Symantec
Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC), the world leader in Internet security technology, provides a broad range of content and network security software and appliance solutions to individuals, enterprises and service providers. The company is a leading provider of client, gateway and server security solutions for virus protection, firewall and virtual private network, vulnerability management, intrusion detection, Internet content and e-mail filtering, remote management technologies and security services to enterprises and service providers around the world. Symantec's Norton brand of consumer security products is a leader in worldwide retail sales and industry awards. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Symantec has worldwide operations in 36 countries. For more information, please visit www.symantec.com.

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