Zyxel Communications has introduced a new unified threat management appliance
to round out its portfolio, giving solution providers the opportunity to reach
larger midmarket customers with increased throughput for better network
performance, according to Zyxel.
"When all security services are enabled, the UTM throughput can be a bottleneck," says Shawn Rogers, product marketing manager at Zyxel. "The USG2000 uses SecuASIC technology - a dedicated hardware accelerator for security services like IDP and AntiVirus to provide best in class throughput with all the services turned on."
In essence, Zyxel's USG2000 appliance uses
two processors—one chip to handle the firewall, and another to handle the
anti-virus and IDP functionality, Rogers
says. This offers the highest throughput of any device in its class, he says,
with up to 400M-bps speed. "We've taken this bottleneck out," he
says.
The solution also includes an IP Security VPN and an SSL
(Secure Sockets Layer) VPN. The USG2000 is the latest addition to Zyxel's USG
line of UTM appliances, following the 100, 200, 300 and 1000. The company says
the line can give solution providers the flexibility to serve customers of all
sizes.
"We have a complete product line for UTM," Rogers says. "The USG
100, 200, 300 and 1000 can offer scale for as few as 10 users all the way up to 200." With the USG2000, Zyxel solution providers can reach customers
with up to 500 users on the network, opening up greater opportunities with
larger business customers.
Since the interface and feature set is identical across all USG
models, it's simple for solution providers to upgrade customers to a higher-end
product without needing additional training, says Rogers. Although the interface and features are the same,
the "horsepower" and the number of VPN tunnels supported increase
with each larger model number, Rogers says.
Rogers says Zyxel's solution providers have incredible
advantages even in a difficult economy. Solution providers can offer Zyxel's security services such as IDP, antivirus and content filtering for customers to use risk-free for 30 days, placing them in a much stronger
position to sell the products after customers experience the performance and
security of the products.
In addition, a five-year warranty and free firmware upgrades for the life of
the appliance product ensure that customers' deployments will be supported if problems
occur, he says. Customers can also choose between two free anti-virus options:
either an option from Kaspersky Lab or a Zyxel-branded, ICSA Labs-certified
solution.
"There are no per-user or per-node fees, and no per-IPSec VPN fees, which
makes it easier for solution providers to price and quote solutions," Rogers says. "This simplifies the sales process and
shortens the sales cycle, as well as making us much more affordable than
competitors."
There are also opportunities for solution providers to use Zyxel's UTM line to
deliver managed security services to customers, says Rogers. The inclusion of Vantage reporting software allows
MSPs (managed service providers) to remotely monitor and manage deployments,
and offers the option to customize and self-brand reports.
SEMs (Security Enhancement Modules) allow MSPs to add features and
functionality as their customer bases grow, and Vantage CSM software can allow
MSPs visibility into large firewall deployments by grouping them into a single,
integrated view, Rogers says.
"All these features make it very easy for MSPs who haven't done much in
the security space or for solution providers that want to offer managed
services to quickly offer them for their customers," he says.
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