Foundry Networks®, Inc. (NASDAQ: FDRY), a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing, and Q1 Labs today announced enhanced LAN security capabilities through Foundry’s™ IronPowered Technology Alliance Program. The relationship centers on the integration of Q1 Lab’s QRadar™ network security management solution with Foundry Networks’ family of switches and routers. Leveraging Foundry’s embedded sFlow® standard for network flow collection, this collaboration extends the power of Foundry switching and routing solutions to give companies intelligent enterprise-wide security monitoring for their converged network infrastructures.
sFlow traffic monitoring is an industry standard technology for monitoring networks and it is a fundamental part of Foundry’s IronShield™ 360 Security solution. This powerful traffic monitoring tool, embedded in Foundry switches and routers, delivers highly scalable security and threat mitigation capabilities, without the added cost or performance degradation of auxiliary security sensors. QRadar makes use of Foundry sFlow in three significant ways. First, QRadar integrates Foundry sFlow into its monitoring platform to detect anomalous behavior in network traffic that would otherwise be missed by traditional security products. Second, QRadar correlates Foundry sFlow with events and alerts from a variety of different security products, such as firewalls, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), virtual private networks (VPN), using real-time network information to prioritize the credibility, relevance and severity of threats to an enterprise. Finally, QRadar leverages embedded sFlow capabilities to identify traffic at Layer 7 and capture traffic content. This is useful for performing forensic investigations on security incidents or satisfying compliance audit requirements.
“The combination of Foundry sFlow and QRadar monitoring really allows us to get the necessary visibility into all parts of our network, which we never had before,” said Stephen Putman, assistant director of computer and telecommunications services, University of North Alabama. “We have a commitment to place best-of-breed products within our network, so this sort of interoperability is critical in meeting our surveillance needs.”
“Our customers are demanding the ability to link their Foundry networking solutions with their existing security products,” said Benjamin Taft, vice president of corporate marketing for Foundry Networks. “Q1 Labs’ vision for converged infrastructures, commitment to multi-vendor support, and proven success with existing Foundry Networks customers makes them a logical choice for enhancing the intelligent edge and the IronPowered Technology Alliance Program.”
As convergence between networking and security accelerates, customers seek solutions that enhance security in support of both operational demands and expanded compliance requirements. Products that combine network behavioral data and security event data into a single platform for analysis and reporting are essential features for convergence. These products must interact with a variety of network and security infrastructure vendors to provide direct remediation in order to block or contain unwanted behavior. Unlike single-vendor network and security architectures, the joint solution provided by Q1 Labs and Foundry Networks is a key example of providing customers with a truly interoperable solution.
“QRadar goes beyond standalone network behavior analysis and SIM products to create a converged threat management, log management and compliance management solution for multi-vendor network infrastructures,” said Tom Turner, vice president of marketing for Q1 Labs. “The addition of Foundry Networks infrastructure switches and content-rich sFlow to QRadar ensures complete enterprise visibility for our joint customers.”
To support the needs of varying organizations, Foundry's IronPowered Technology Alliance Program delivers best-in-class network and application integration solutions with industry-leading security, Voice over IP (VoIP) and application companies. This collaborative program delivers joint customers a simplified integrated networking and application solution, co-market and branding benefits, qualified lead generation program, strategic joint solution sales opportunities, complementary solutions validated through interoperability testing, and worldwide best-in-class technology training/support infrastructure. In addition, Foundry Networks’ IronShield 360 Security provides multiple levels of network security at the perimeter, inside the LAN, and in the data center. The foundation of IronShield 360 is its reliable, robust, high-performance architecture, with wire-speed switching, security, and advanced sFlow sensor support. The IronShield 360 Network Security model provides secure device, network, and service protection to ensure network integrity and to protect against network attacks.
Please visit Foundry and Q1 Labs at booth 1319 at Interop Las Vegas 2008.
