Hewlett-Packard Co."s (HP"s) ProCurve Networking unit on Tuesday introduced a line of branch-office routers designed to provide secure communications with a headquarters site and unveiled "virus-throttling" technology aimed at stopping the spread of malicious code over a network. It also rolled out the ProCurve Switch xl Access Controller Module, designed to provide secure access to mobile users seeking to connect to a ProCurve switch at the edge of a network.
"We continue to build breakthrough solutions with advanced features at affordable prices. With this announcement, ProCurve Networking by HP is meeting our customers" current and future security needs for the WAN (wide area network), LAN and WLAN (wireless LAN). Companies can now turn to ProCurve for a complete, end-to-end networking infrastructure that can easily grow and evolve with their business needs," said John McHugh, vice president and general manager at HP"s ProCurve Networking.
The ProCurve Secure Router 7000dl series connects enterprise branch offices to a headquarters site at the WAN edge and provides edge-to-edge connectivity. The platform adds security to restrict unauthorized access and offers wire-speed performance at an affordable price with integrated convergence features. Using the 7000dl series, small to midsize businesses can provide secure and reliable connections to the Internet and remote VPN (virtual private network) access to their employees.
The ProCurve Secure Router 7000dl Series includes a stateful firewall to prevent denial of service attacks, offers ACL (access control list) and VLAN support to restrict traffic flow. To support an increasingly mobile workforce, the 7000dl series provides optional IPSec VPN termination to allow remote users connection to their corporate office over the Internet.
The first two products to be introduced as part of ProCurve"s WAN portfolio include the 7102dl and 7203dl routers. The 7102dl router includes two slots to support modular WAN interface cards and is designed to support as many as four T1/E1 connections. The 7203dl router includes two slots and one wide slot to support modular WAN interface cards and is designed to support as many as 12 T1/E1 connections.
The Access Controller Module for the ProCurve Switch 5300xl enables a wireless network edge to provide secure, mobile, and appropriate access to multiple services over a single network. This functionality removes the need to have authentication software on a user"s client, moving the functionality to the edge of the network and providing easy access along with security.
For medium to large enterprise customers concerned about the security risks of deploying a wireless LAN, the ProCurve Switch xl Access Controller Module enables secure, mobile user access to appropriate network services on any ProCurve 5300xl switch at the edge of the network. Key features include a personalized view of the network based on business needs, seamless Layer 3 roaming, and wireless data privacy. In addition, the Access Controller Module provides Web-based authentication, bandwidth control, and misconfigured service management and proxy redirection.
Earlier this month, HP enhanced its 5300 switches and ProCurve Manager with HP Virus Throttle technology, providing detection, prevention, and response to virus threats. Based on technology developed at HP Labs, the technology detects worm activity as traffic enters the LAN and passes through the network switch. The infection is then "throttled" back to allow the network manager to react and take action before the virus spreads.
The ProCurve Secure Router 7000dl series will be available in April, starting at US$1,499. The Switch xl Access Controller Module for the ProCurve 5300xl switch also will be available in April with a price of $5,499. The Virus Throttle solution is available now and is offered as a free software download for customers who currently own the ProCurve Switch 5300xl and ProCurve Manager Plus.