Dell sets sights on Cisco

Dell has announced the new SonicWALL Network Security Appliance (NSA) Series Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW), that enable mid-sized organisations, branch offices, school campuses and government agencies to have multi-layered protection from sophisticated attacks and control over applications while also assuring optimal network performance and total of cost of ownership. The new Dell SonicWALL NSA Series renders competitors’ traditional firewalls obsolete and provides a host of enhancements typically reserved for large enterprises and 10 GbE connectivity to this industry segment for the first time.

The NSA Series utilises a scalable multi-core hardware architecture and patented single-pass low latency Reassembly-Free Deep Packet Inspection® (RFDPI) engine. Ranging from 6 to 24 cores, these NGFWs pack enough security processing power to inspect all network traffic -- regardless of port or protocol to detect and block threats before they enter the network without introducing bottlenecks. Unlike competitive firewalls requiring two box solutions, Dell’s RFDPI engine combines the power of an integrated firewall and intrusion prevention system (IPS). Advanced features such as 10GbE SFP+ interfaces, full stateful high availability failover, and high performance SSL decryption provide medium-sized organisations with functionality usually reserved for enterprise grade network security appliances.

“We used the architecture found in our flagship SuperMassive Next-Gen Firewall line developed for the most demanding carriers and enterprises,” said Patrick Sweeney, Dell executive director, product management. “This new NSA Series provides medium-sized business customers with the same high level of security, control, and performance available to the enterprise, in a solution that also offers our acclaimed ease of use and high value. We think these products are game-changers as we take on Cisco in the critical mid-market.”

This new offering is a break-through for medium-sized organisations because even as demands on IT departments increase and budgets stagnate, the number and sophistication of threats across the Internet continues to escalate. Compounding these issues is the fact that many mid-size businesses or branch offices lack staff with the training or degree of specialisation more common in larger companies with dedicated IT personnel, all of which imposes an additional risk to the security of their networks. With the new NSA Series, IT can help enhance productivity, security, and network performance.

For those organisations seeking to secure a distributed enterprise, Dell SonicWALL’s Global Management System (GMS) provides security administrators with a consolidated single view for management of widely-dispersed locations with the ability to manage thousands of Dell SonicWALL security appliances, easing administration and reducing overall total cost of ownership.