AirMagnet Rolls Out New Enterprise Wireless Intrusion Prevention System

PRESS RELEASE

EVERETT, Washington – February 7, 2011 – Fluke Networks today announced the availability of AirMagnet Enterprise, Version 9.0, the industry’s premier wireless intrusion prevention system for managing and securing corporate WLAN deployments. The latest release introduces dynamic threat protection technology for WLAN security and performance management that eliminates Wi-Fi downtime and disruption by allowing organizations to dynamically update and defend the corporate network when new threats emerge.

This type of automated technology, referred to as dynamic threat updates (DTU) in AirMagnet Enterprise 9.0, is not available in any other WLAN security product. Until today, this type of protection has only been available in wired security products. Current wireless security offerings require that users schedule downtime to upgrade the firmware of the entire WLAN network in order to get protection updates. Not only is this process disruptive, but typically delays the update process for months, leaving organizations unprotected from the latest threats.

“AirMagnet Enterprise 9.0 takes WLAN threat protection to a whole new level with the introduction of DTU and represents a significant breakthrough for our market. No other independent or integrated WIPS platform supports such an automated process with immediate deployment and threat database update capabilities,” said Chia-Chee Kuan, VP of engineering for AirMagnet products at Fluke Networks. “This innovation makes it possible to instantly create and seamlessly disseminate threat updates to the global AirMagnet Enterprise customer base – a first for wireless security.”

AirMagnet Enterprise 9.0 now offers the only comprehensive, real-time approach to threat analysis and updating. It delivers a simple, scalable WLAN security monitoring solution that enables any organization to proactively mitigate all types of wireless security threats, enforce enterprise policies, prevent wireless performance problems and audit the regulatory compliance of all their Wi-Fi assets and users worldwide. AirMagnet Enterprise provides complete visibility and control over the wireless airspace, enabling any enterprise to reliably deliver the same standards of security performance and compliance for their wireless networks as they expect from their wired networks.

Similar to mature network IDS and AV products, AirMagnet Enterprise 9.0 supports automated on-demand updating of the threat signatures that define the security and performance detection mechanisms on a WLAN, guaranteeing the highest protection against newly discovered vulnerabilities. This rapid threat response brings a new level of protection to the WIPS marketplace and helps AirMagnet further alleviate the management burden placed on IT staff and resources.

This innovation is made possible by a completely new, extensible security event detection definition engine that enables rapid development and modification of new threat detection signatures. These can be instantly created and made available to the global AirMagnet Enterprise customer base. Furthermore, AirMagnet Enterprise’s policy signature database is now separately loadable and no longer embedded in the server software. This new internal architecture also enables the future support for tools that will allow users to create their own signatures in real-time and share them with the community. Furthermore, DTU allows zero-day protection from new threats via immediate and automatic installation of new signatures when available.

“Customers feel unprotected from new vulnerabilities when waiting months for software updates to their WIDS or AP system. Security teams need quick and simple methods to update threat databases when new vulnerabilities are discovered and signatures developed. The new DTU capabilities in AirMagnet Enterprise 9.0 make this a reality,” said Kuan.

Other Enhancements in AirMagnet Enterprise 9.0

- Enhanced Rogue-on-wire detection (ERoW): ERoW increases the speed and accuracy for the detection of rogue access points that are attached to an enterprise network. In addition, in many cases ERoW will enable simpler system configuration for very large networks.

- Device location with Cisco AP data assist (Cisco locate): AirMagnet Enterprise 9.0 can access signal level information from Cisco controller-based AP infrastructures. This feature makes accurate floor plan mapping possible using only one AirMagnet sensor for device detection.

- Device location ruler (Device ruler): In cases where the device in question is only detected by a single sensor, the Device ruler will give a simple-to-use visual indicator of the most likely distance from the sensor where the device can be found.

- PostgreSQL open source database support: AirMagnet Enterprise now supports PostgreSQL, one of the most robust and widely used open source databases, which runs on a variety of platforms, and yields very high performance for security monitoring applications.

- Expanded MS server / database version support: AirMagnet Enterprise 9.0 now runs on almost every combination of MS server and database deployed in the enterprise environment, further extending the deployment flexibility of the system.

Pricing & Availability

The new version of AirMagnet Enterprise comprised of sensors, server and console software can be sized to any environment, with installations starting at $10,000 (USD). The software, a free upgrade for existing customers with an active support agreement, is available immediately.

About AirMagnet Products

The AirMagnet line of products include AirMagnet Enterprise, the leading 24x7 WLAN security and performance management solution, and the industry's "de facto mobile tool set" including AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer, AirMagnet Survey/Planner and AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer. AirMagnet products are used by more than 9,500 customers worldwide, including 75 of the Fortune 100. For more information, please visit www.AirMagnet.com

About Fluke Networks Fluke Networks provides innovative solutions for the installation and certification, testing, performance management, monitoring and analysis of copper, fiber and wireless networks used by enterprises and telecommunications carriers. The company's comprehensive line of Network SuperVision™ Solutions provide network installers, managers, owners, and maintainers with superior vision, combining speed, accuracy and ease of use to optimize network performance. Headquartered in Everett, Washington, the company distributes its products in more than 50 countries. More information can be found by visiting Fluke Networks’ Web site at www.flukenetworks.com or by calling (800) 28-FLUKE.