WatchGuard unveils network security 'X-factor'

HTTPS inspection and VoIP security are key features of WatchGuard's XTM 1050

Network security vendor WatchGuard has announced the first of what it calls eXtensible Threat Management (XTM) appliances.

The firm sees XTM as the successor to the popular multi-vendor Unified Threat Management appliances.

WatchGuard's XTM 1050 is aimed at data centres and enterprises with high-performance network environments. The company claims 10Gbit/s of firewall throughput, along with 2Gbit/s IPSec virtual private network throughput.

The XTM 1050 uses Intel quad-core processors and dedicated encryption hardware, and has 12 gigabit Ethernet ports, with four available to be upgraded to optical fibre connectivity. Two XTM 1050s can be clustered together to nearly double the performance and can also be set up for WAN load balancing as an active-active high availability pair.

WatchGuard is touting the onboard HTTPS inspection and VoIP security as the XTM 1050's headline security features, although extra network security features are subscription-based. Customers can choose spamBlocker with virus outbreak detection, WebBlocker for URL and content filtering, WatchGuard Gateway Anti-Virus and intrusion prevention and detection.

WatchGuard's LiveSecurity Service punts software updates and breaking security alerts at the appliance.

The XTM 1050 will be available in the fourth quarter.