Device attached security delivers higher system availability in Industrial Ethernet
9 November 2005 – Innominate Security Technologies has launched its new range of mGuard “device attached security’ products designed to protect critical manufacturing equipment and computer systems on industrial Ethernet networks. mGuard industrial is the first professional DIN-mounted hardware firewall device de-signed specifically for production environments that also offers comprehensive virus protection, VPN and hardware encryption along with audit and centralised SNMP-based management.
A different version is the mGuard bladePack, which provides up to 12 mGuard appli-ances that can be mounted into a standard 19″ rack. This modular approach delivers the highest levels of individual protection for multiple systems and servers to protect the integration between production and office networks.
With Innominate’s innovative “device attached security’, each system or logically con-solidated group is individually safeguarded with its own firewall. This new approach to security ensures high-availability as the increased use of TCP/IP and Ethernet in automated production has made industrial networks vulnerable to internal or external attack from viruses, worms, hackers and other destructive pro-grams.
Innominate’s Multi Stealth Mode means that the mGuard device remains “invisible’ to the systems themselves and undetectable by would-be attackers from in or outside the network. The Multi Stealth Mode secures individual units all the way up to complete network segments.
Brand-new mGuard provides firewall redundancy, fail-over with hot swap and auto-configuration so that both security settings and the protection itself are never lost. If a redundant firewall takes over during operation, all predefined configurations are instantly transferred to the stand-by device. A further new function is the Autolearning Mode, which records all the data links during setup so that it is able to suggest security rules to the administrator. Over one or several cycles, the security policies can be transferred from the running network flow. Further functions included in the mGuard are VLAN support according to 802.1Q, MAC filtering, LLDP autodiscovery, a syslog function and SNMP Trap support.
While the merger of office and production networks present great potential for increasing efficiency, the security risks involved in using industrial Ethernet networks are not yet being taken seriously by many companies,” says Olaf Siemens, CEO of Innominate. “Our configurable mGuard industrial firewall individually protects automation networks and industrial computers against unauthorized access and all types of threats, regardless of the operating system.”
mGuard functions are controlled via the Innominate Security Configuration Manager (ISCM), which allows the security policies for all mGuard systems to be pre-defined. The ISCM features drag and drop functionality for all security settings, in addition to easily configurable VPN connections between individual mGuard devices or other gateways. The entire administration process is conducted via an intuitive graphical user interface. Particularly when utilized in networks containing more than 100 protected systems, the ISCM can facilitate the administration of security policies enormously.
Availability and prices
The new mGuard versions are available immediately from Innominate system and distribution partners at the following list prices (prices do not include VAT). The com-plete Innominate mGuard bladePack, consisting of up to twelve Innominate mGuard blade appliances, is available at a list price from £5,450.00, with a list price from £336.00 per mGuard blade. The mGuard industrial is available at a list price from £470.00; the mGuard PCI, a PCI card for use in industrial PCs, is available at a list price from £178.00.
About Innominate Security Technologies AG
Innominate Security Technologies AG is a specialist for security appliances used in industrial communication environments (M2M) and for safeguarding individual IT sys-tems. With its mGuard product line, the company, founded in 2001, offers firewall, VPN and virus protection functionality. mGuard appliances are sold in a range of types, from dongle to PCI card, blade server or DIN rail devices. Further information can be found at www.innominate.com. Product photos are available for downloading at www.innominate.com/inno_presse_down.html.