New Snapgear Security Appliances Deliver Secure, High Availability Internet Connections to SMEs

SME570/575 models support simultaneous broadband connections through single firewall appliance with session load balancing, link fail over, and a DMZ connection

SAN FRANCISCO – LinuxWorld Conference & Expo – Aug. 5, 2003 -SnapGear, the leader in embedded Linux security, today announced general availability of the SME570 and SME575 multifunction security appliances. The new devices boost performance by 50 percent over previous models and support up to 500 simultaneous IPSEC VPN connections. By including an additional Ethernet port, the new appliances can provide broadband link fail over, session load balancing and the ability to create a DMZ for public access to specific in-house servers.

“We’re bringing high-end networking features and enterprise-class security for companies at affordable prices,” said Rick Stevenson, CEO of SnapGear. “By building on our technology leadership in embedded Linux and security software, we can offer companies easy-to-use and secure networking equipment well within the budget of most businesses.”

The new SME575 offers unmatched flexibility with increased memory capacity and advanced bandwidth management. Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can easily integrate future SnapGear security enhancements over their networks without replacing the firmware. It is designed for businesses that require a single appliance to provide central site VPN, firewall and session load-balancing capabilities with the capacity to securely connect hundreds or thousands of mobile and remote employees.

Both the SME570 and SME575 offer increased Internet and VPN uptime across their network and boost performance by supporting two broadband links on a single affordable VPN firewall appliance. The two broadband links can terminate at different providers and are virtualized by the VPN firewall to appear as a single high performance connection. A network outage on either link will automatically switch traffic to the operational link due to the built-in link fail over feature. This halves the number of security appliances that businesses must acquire in order to protect their networks and guarantee improved uptime. The traffic load-balancing feature also boosts the performance of Web transfers and the stability of a company network connected by DSL to the Internet.

An additional Ethernet port enables SMEs to improve the productivity of onsite and remote workers without compromising security by creating so-called Demilitarized Zones (DMZs) within a company. With a DMZ, an SME network administrator can set up different security zones on a network. The private network will often enforce the strictest security while the DMZ may be opened to certain traffic types allowing access to in house e-mail servers, web servers, etc.

Both products provide secure connectivity for remote access, intranet and extranet-based VPNs, using industry standard IPSEC and PPTP. A hardware-accelerated ASIC boosts VPN throughput to over 15Mbps supporting the latest cryptographic algorithms. Each model is rated at up to 500 simultaneous IPSEC tunnels.

Pricing and Availability
List price for the SME570 is US$599 and for the SME575 is US$949. Both products are available immediately on the Web and through leading systems integrators and value added resellers around the world.

About SnapGear, Inc.
SnapGear, a leader in embedded Linux security, provides design, engineering and fulfillment services for network appliances that ensure secure Internet communications for business. SnapGear partners with OEM customers including Vivendi to deliver custom security solutions worldwide. It also distributes VPN/firewall security products through systems integrators in more than 40 countries. SnapGear’s engineering team has been instrumental in the development of uClinux, which has been ported to more than 100 chip architectures, as well as the pioneering implementation of Microsoft’s PPTP VPN standard on Linux. SnapGear’s embedded Linux distribution, uClinux, runs in more than 20 million devices globally. For more information, visit www.snapgear.com

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