New SR25 Security Appliance from Corrent Offers WiFi Protection

By LAURA STOTLER

TMCnet IP Communications Columnist     

 

Corrent Corp. has announced the release of its Corrent SR25 security appliance with integrated WiFi for small businesses and branch offices. The firewall/VPN appliance is based on Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004, and offers protection for small business networks in an easy to use package.

 

The SR25 desktop unit offers protection for wired and wireless networks with up to 100 users. An 802.11g router and access point are integral parts of the firewall, enabling protection for the wireless portion of a network through its own set of access rules. The Corrent SR25 also features a choice of WPA, WEP and IPsec-over-wireless encryption, while offers four 10/100 Ethernet ports for wired networks.

 

Using ISA Server 2004, the SR25 provides a stateful inspection and application-layer firewall. It offers intrusion detection and prevention, VPN and web caching, and may be managed remotely through a browser interface or remote desktop connection. The appliance features wizards and templates as well as a host of management tools to help users avoid common security configuration errors. Additional features include a one-touch recovery function that automatically restores the appliance and software to factory defaults in the event of problems.

 

The SR25 will be available for shipment in the beginning of March, and offers a three-year hardware warranty and a year of software support in the purchase price. Uplifted and multi-year support contracts are also available. The product is distributed through Ingram Micro and is sold through a network of VARs worldwide.

 

"Very few small businesses can afford to have an IT manager on staff, and as a result, it often falls to the owner or other manager to do double duty maintaining the network," said Richard Takahashi, president and CEO of Corrent. "As a result, many small business networks have less protection than they need and are unknowingly left open to attack. The advantage of the SR25, thanks to its incorporation of Microsoft security technology, is that it provides everything needed to protect a small network in a single box, and it's easy for almost anyone to set up and configure."

 

"Small-business owners are focused on their customers and building their bottom line. They shouldn't need to worry if their networks are protected," said Marcus Schmidt, senior product manager of the Security, Access & Solutions Division at Microsoft Corp. "OEM appliance partners like Corrent offer small-business owners peace of mind by providing integrated solutions that are quick to install and easy to use."

 

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