Dell eyes enterprise market

Dell has come up with the new SonicWALL Network Security Appliance (NSA) series that renders competitors' traditional firewalls obsolete and provides a host of enhancements typically reserved for large enterprises and 10GbE connectivity.

The series utilizes a scalable multi-core hardware architecture and patented single-pass low latency Reassembly-Free Deep Packet Inspection (RFDPI) engine. Ranging from 6 to 24 cores, these NGFWs pack enough security processing power to inspect all network traffic - regardless of port or protocol to detect and block threats before they enter the network without introducing bottlenecks.

Unlike competitive firewalls requiring two box solutions, Dell's RFDPI engine combines the power of an integrated firewall and intrusion prevention system(IPS). Advanced features such as 10GbE SFP+ interfaces, full stateful high availability fail over, and high performance SSL decryption provide medium-sized organizations with functionality usually reserved for enterprise grade network security appliances.

"We used the architecture found in our flagship SuperMassive Next-Gen Firewall line developed for the most demanding carriers and enterprises," said Patrick Sweeney, executive director, Dell product management. "This new NSA Series provides medium-sized business customers with the same high level of security, control, and performance available to the enterprise, in a solution that also offers our acclaimed ease of use and high value. We think these products are game-changers as we take on the critical mid-market."

The new offering is a break-through for medium-sized organizations because even as demands on IT departments increase and budgets stagnate, the number and sophistication of threats across the internet continues to escalate. Compounding these issues is the fact that many mid-size businesses or branch offices lack staff with the training or degree of specialization more common in larger companies with dedicated IT personnel, all of which imposes an additional risk to the security of their networks.