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Barracuda Networks Introduces the Barracuda NG Firewall

February 04, 2010

Enterprise Firewall Platform Integrates Next Generation Firewall Protection, Industry-leading Centralized Management Capabilities and Optimization of Network Traffic Across WAN Link Barracuda Networks has launched the Barracuda NG Firewall (not available in all regions), a line of virtual and hardware appliances designed to protect enterprise network infrastructure, improve site-to-site connectivity and simplify administration of network operations. This product launch is the first since Barracuda Networks’ successful acquisition of phion AG, a leading firewall provider based in Austria in September 2009.

“The Barracuda NG Firewall platform was built from the ground up as a project to manage more than 650 firewalls for a large Austrian banking data center,” said Stephen Pao, vice president of product management for Barracuda Networks. “With early development roots not only in centralized configuration, policy and reporting, but also in site-to-site WAN traffic management capabilities, the Barracuda NG Firewall is designed to optimize both the availability and performance of the WAN, with lower administrative overhead than incumbent solutions.”

The Barracuda NG Firewall intelligently combines Web and email filtering, intrusion prevention, Layer 7 application profiling, and network access control into a platform that can be centrally managed, across all enterprise network locations, including remote, home and branch offices, as well as regional headquarters and datacenters.

Centralized security management and content policy provides a number of benefits including:

• Consistent security posture and policy enforcement across the enterprise
• Real-time accounting and reporting across multiple gateways
• Comprehensive history and rollback of configuration and policy changes across the network

IDC research has shown that a majority of enterprises feel it is important to consolidate existing point products such as firewall, intrusion prevention and anti-malware into a single solution.*

“Barracuda Networks comprehensive product portfolio satisfies the Web and messaging security needs of numerous enterprise and SMB customers, worldwide,” said Charles Kolodgy, IDC research director, Security Products. “To improve management, reduce costs, and consolidate security, customers have been turning to comprehensive products that integrate numerous security features into an integrated platform. Barracuda Networks is meeting this demand with the Barracuda NG Firewall, which implements phion's proven and advanced technology. This network security product will open up new opportunities for their worldwide channel and help Barracuda Networks to penetrate and win more enterprise business.”

Intelligent Traffic Management
With the Barracuda NG Firewall, administrators can control application-level routing and prioritization of traffic across multiple links, tunnels and traffic conditions. To back up WAN connections, Barracuda NG Firewall appliances support a variety of links via most including T1/T3, DSL, ISDN, and 3G wireless mobile data standards. In the event of a WAN link loss VPN traffic is automatically reprioritized over the remaining WAN links. Barracuda NG Firewall appliances support the traditional IPSec protocol for cross vendor compatibility.

Flexible Remote Access Options
Barracuda NG Firewall appliances support multiple remote access options, including a light VPN client, a fully managed VPN client and a fully integrated SSL VPN. Network access controls enforce client security policies, including operating system patch level, desktop malware protection and personal firewall configuration.

Heritage Customers Place Confidence in Barracuda Networks
Although primarily known in EMEA, phion has a customer base of more than 1,000 customers and over 100,000 licensed VPN users at locations worldwide. One such customer, Austria-based RHI AG, which specializes in the field of refractory products and services for customers in the steel, cement, lime, glass, nonferrous metals, environment, energy and chemicals industries, is a large enterprise customer with more than 130 phion netfence appliances deployed across 84 locations worldwide. The primary product selection criteria for the company was driven by both technical and budgetary factors, including a means to decrease IT operating costs as well as to obtain secure, centralized management across the entire network.

“Within the first two months of deployment we had already realized dramatic cost savings per location as well as increased network traffic bandwidth,” said Gottfried Hofreither, CIO of RHI. “In addition we have secured a solution that allows for traffic prioritization and routing in case of a connectivity loss.”

With the acquisition of phion by Barracuda Networks, Hofreither is confident that the high levels of service and support he has experienced with the phion team will be further enhanced by Barracuda Networks’ wide international presence and strong track record for technical excellence. RHI’s operations in the Americas include 25 locations across South America, Mexico, the United States and Canada, supported by 40 appliances.

“Barracuda Networks is a highly reputable company throughout the world, known for its security expertise,” said Hofreither. “We are convinced that with Barracuda Networks as the new company behind our firewall infrastructure, we will be well-served and supported for many years to come.”

For more information, please visit www.barracuda.com/ng.