Top Layer enhances its intrusion prevention solution 25 April, 2007 By Vanessa Ho

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The enhancements consist of three parts, said Mike Paquette, chief strategy officer with Top Layer Networks. The first is the introduction of three new IPS appliance models that join the company's IPS 5500 E-series lineup.

The 150, 500 and 1000 models differ by network capacity that they are targeted at. The 150 model is targeted at networks of up to 350Mbps of traffic, the 500 is targeted at networks of up to one gigabyte per second of network traffic and the 1000 model is targeted at two gigabytes per second of network traffic.

Paquette said that Top Layer introduced the three new models into the IPS 5500 E-series after the company began to notice the change in the types of vulnerabilities being discovered in commercially deployed software over the past year.

"What we are seeing is security patches having to do with software that is processing files and less frequently for the vulnerabilities that are in network layer protocols that network IPS traditionally looks at," said Paquette.

Within the models are Protocol Validation Modules (PVMs) that inspect the network protocols that are used to initiate communication and carry payload data from one computer to another and Data Validation Modules (DVMs) that inspect the actual files that are carried as payloads by the network protocols.

The new models were designed to enable enterprises to provide protection against file-based remote exploits, improved protection against spyware and viruses, P2P protection and VoIP security.

In addition, Top Layer also made changes to its IPS Controller software solution that configures and manages multiple IPS 5500 units throughout the network.

The new version of IPS Controller contains a new "One-Click Aggregation" model that allows security administrators access to real-time aggregated information from any selection of IPS units under management, facilitating enterprise-wide real-time incident response. The enhancements to the IPS Controller were made to support the three new E-series models, said Paquette.

Also, enhancements were made to Top Layer's Network Security Analyzer, which is a way for security events to be catalogued, saved and reported so that IT administrators within a company can be aware of the benefits they are getting from their IPS solution. What is new, Paquette added, is a significant number of new reports that will meet the needs of a wider variety of enterprise customers' IT infrastructures.

"These new reports can help these customers either with day-to-day management or with compliance with security regulations," he said.

The benefits of these enhancements to end users, noted Paquette, is it reduces the risk of customers having comprised computers, which means reducing the risk of identity and intellectual property theft and denial of service attacks.

As for channel partners, the new models and software enhancements means a stronger offering for them to go to their customers with and an opportunity for partners to provide deployment and tuning services around network IPS, said Paquette.

The E-series models are available either directly through Top Layer or its global reseller channel. Pricing starts from $35,000 (U.S.) for the 150 model and goes to $85,000 for the 1000 model. The enhanced Network Security Analyzer is included in the price of the IPS unit. While the IPS Controller software offers a permanent license at a cost of $5000 and can manage up 64 IPS units.