WatchGuard releases two new firewall appliances

WatchGuard Technologies is releasing the new Firebox M4800 and M5800 appliances, firewalls that provide the performance, security services and flexibility for distributed business needs.

"Organisations of all types and sizes have undergone a profound transformation over the past year, and many are grappling with how best to maintain security from the core network to remote employees and endpoints. The industry-leading speed and performance of our new M Series appliances, paired with their simplicity, modularity and affordability give our partners and customers a Unified Security Platform that can adapt to remote work deployments and evolve along with the business," says WatchGuard product management vice president Brendan Patterson.

Recent WatchGuard threat intelligence shows that organisations that cannot effectively analyse encrypted traffic will miss 54% of incoming attacks, emphasising the need for HTTPS inspection in today's threat landscape.

The Firebox M4800 and M5800 achieve a throughput of 5.2 Gbps and 11.3 Gbps respectively with UTM services enabled.

The M5800 has achieved certified performance results through open, standardised testing developed by NetSecOPEN and adopted by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

In the NetSecOPEN testing, is certified for speeds up to 4.9 Gbps with all security scanning and HTTPS content inspection enabled.

As WatchGuard's highest performing Firebox appliances to date, these new models ensure that users don't have to choose between throughput and security.

Both new M Series appliances provide flexibility through two available slots for network modules with additional fibre and copper port options (two 40 Gb fibre, four 10Gb fibre, eight 1Gb fibre or eight 1Gb copper).

The M4800 and M5800 expansion modules match those of WatchGuard's mid-range Firebox appliances, further enabling users with the flexibility they need to quickly and simply adjust and reinforce their network security posture over time.

Features include:

• Secure Remote Access – Usage of Access Portal, WatchGuard's clientless VPN service for secure remote access, has grown by over 85% over the past year. With the M4800 or M5800, users can use web browsers to securely connect to third-party web applications, internal applications, and Microsoft Exchange services, as well as create RDP and SSH sessions to local resources.
   
• Cloud-Based Visibility and Management – The WatchGuard Cloud platform allows users to quickly and simply manage these appliances and provides deep network visibility. WatchGuard Cloud offers over 100 dashboards and reports, displaying both high-level and in-depth insights on trends and anomalies. M4800 and M5800 appliances with the Total Security option come with one month of log and report retention included.
   
• Automation – WatchGuard's automated capabilities make it possible to deploy new appliances from the cloud, block threats, update signatures, detect and kill malware, and streamline management processes.