McAfee updates firewall hardware for enterprises
The new Firewall Enterprise 8 appliance is intended to help security admins better lock down applications and filter out internal and external threats.
McAfee announced Tuesday the release of its new Firewall Enterprise 8 appliance, touting it as the next generation in firewall devices. The company is targeting the new firewall at security administrators trying to protect their networks from the growing threats of malware and hackers.
IT administrators will be able to set up and enforce policies to filter out thousands of different applications that can sometimes sneak past traditional firewalls, according to McAfee. By tapping into
McAfee Firewall Enterprise is also designed to integrate with existing corporate security policies, the company said, which would help IT admins better deal with compliance issues.
As part of its "next generation" features, the new firewall appliance will use global reputation-based technology, which collects data from customers in an attempt to identify threats before they hit other companies. A new geolocation feature also can help businesses limit their network access to sources from locations known and trusted to be secure.
McAfee's new Firewall Profiler, meanwhile, can monitor how firewall rules and policy changes affect the availability and use of applications within an organization. Admins can use this information to adjust their policies to respond to the changing needs of the business, said the company. McAfee's Firewall Enterprise Control Center can help admins manage multiple firewalls using a single interface.
"The release of our next generation firewall is intended to disrupt a stagnant firewall market that has failed to keep pace with the threat landscape," Dan Ryan, executive vice president and general manager of the Network Security business unit at McAfee, said in a statement. "Last generation firewalls don't effectively enforce relevant business policies and are simply too hard and expensive to manage. With this release, we're delivering next generation firewall capabilities that improve network security while lowering compliance and operational costs."
McAfee said that its Firewall Enterprise hardware appliances will be available this quarter, starting at $1,500, with exact pricing dependent on customer needs and configuration. The McAfee Firewall Profiler appliance will retail for a starting price of $9,750, while the Firewall Enterprise Control Center will start at $2,400.
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