WatchGuard Technologies Launches Industry’s First Enterprise-Level Unified Threat Management Security Solution Designed for Home and Small Offices

WatchGuard Firebox T10 extends enterprises’ ability to protect the ‘new’ network perimeter

Kuala Lumpur – March 14, 2014 – WatchGuard® Technologies, a leader in integrated security platforms, today announced the WatchGuard Firebox® T10 Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution, a network security appliance that allows enterprises to extend powerful network security to small office home office (SOHO) environments.  With 70 percent of high-value employees working at home at least once a week , the new solution allows network administrators to ensure robust protection of employees who are often managing the companies’ most critical intellectual property.  The Firebox T10 features WatchGuard’s cloud-based RapidDeploy capability, which instantly self-configures and begins reporting back to the administrator’s central console by simply plugging in the appliance.

“It’s no secret that attackers go for the weakest link when trying to get into a corporate network, and this is often a home office or small office user. Yet, many organisations continue to rely on little or no security,” said Mike Jude, senior analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “The ability to leverage the power of a UTM solution, like the Firebox T10, in remote locations and manage them from a single, central console, gives IT a powerful tool for administering and enforcing policy. And, it gives them a clear understanding of what’s happening across their network – sum total.”

According to a recent global WatchGuard survey of IT professionals , more than 82 percent allow employees to access the corporate network from a small office or home office location. However, nearly 30 percent do not require a gateway security device. For those that do, only 23 percent require users to use security products similar to those used in the corporate headquarters, with features such as Intrusion Prevention, AntiVirus, Data Loss Prevention, Application Control, AntiSPAM, and more.

In the same study, WatchGuard also found that 56 percent feel basic VPN access provides the needed protection against today’s SOHO threat landscape. WatchGuard’s Vice President of Asia Pacific, Mr. Scott Robertson, says that VPN access is not complete security.  “VPN access has long been the standard for protecting communications for home-based employees in Malaysia,” said Robertson.  “However, if your endpoint device is not protected at the same level as your enterprise network, the VPN tunnel simply provides an open window into your business.  You need to protect both, and the Firebox T10 is designed to make that easy and cost effective.”

Designed for organisations of all sizes, Robertson emphasised the FireboxT10’s relevance for the Malaysian market, of which small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) made up 97.3 percent out of 662,939 establishments on record, and contributing some 32.5 percent to the country’s GDP.  

“Organisations now face a loophole whereby the new network perimeter now sits at the home office and becomes the target for cyber-crimes. As such, more and more SMBs are now being targeted as a means to penetrate larger network ecosystems. To cyber criminals, size does not matter. Hence, the FireboxT10 will help companies of all sizes achieve better defenses without leaving large dents in their budgets nor complicated systems to handle,” added Robertson.

As the Firebox T10 rolls out to the market, WatchGuard anticipates the small, cost-effective solution will also appeal to customers seeking full UTM protection for mobile kiosks and carts, such as those used in retail and health care environments, that regularly handle credit cards and personal information – and must meet the same stringent PCI and HIPAA compliance standards as larger offices and businesses.  

Enhanced Visibility, Capability, Speed
The Firebox T10 delivers not only the same powerful UTM capabilities as the company’s larger models, including the rapid deploy functionality, but it also features the company’s new visibility solution, WatchGuard Dimension. This zero-install, cloud ready tool provides real-time security intelligence, and allows administrators to have big-data-style views of key threats and top site usage across an entire user base.  Plus, WatchGuard UTM solutions feature full versions of the industry’s best-of-breed technologies including: AntiSPAM, AntiVirus, and URL filtering.

The Firebox T10 is the industry’s only enterprise-level UTM solution with comprehensive services for the home office at a reasonable price.  Lastly, with the Firebox T10 and the full UTM suite on site, users will not experience the latency normally caused by backhauling traffic thorough the corporate servers to ensure protection.

The WatchGuard Firebox T10 is now available in Malaysia; interested resellers and users are requested to check with their nearest WatchGuard office for availability.