NETGEAR Announces First Gigabit Firewall With DMZ For Small Businesses

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NETGEAR , Inc. (NASDAQ:NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, today announced the availability of the NETGEAR ProSafe 8-Port VPN Firewall (FVS318G), a compact, affordable VPN firewall that provides reliable, business-class network security, remote access and Internet access for small businesses with as many as 10 users. Providing IPsec VPN for secure remote connections and firewall functions to protect small business networks from hackers, the FVS318G offers peace of mind and security while also enabling fast networking by offering eight gigabit ports, one gigabit WAN port, and up to 25 megabit per second broadband throughput. Unique for its price point, the FVS318G also features a software-configurable hardware DMZ port to provide for server and other externally facing connections.

"With this VPN firewall, NETGEAR continues to provide solutions that are affordable to the small business but offer the same sophisticated security functionality enjoyed by larger businesses," said Jason Leung, senior product line manager for security at NETGEAR. "We're proud to deliver secure platforms that push the boundary of what's considered 'standard' security fare for small businesses. With the FVS318G, we're offering features never seen before at a small business price point."

Featuring a software-configurable DMZ port often found only on higher-end firewalls, the FVS318G is ideal for small businesses that need externally facing network resources like a Web server but have strict internal LAN security requirements. The DMZ port can be activated or deactivated using the user-friendly GUI and adds an additional layer of security to an organization's Local Area Network (LAN); an external attacker only has access to the external-facing equipment in the DMZ, rather than the whole of the network.

"Our experience with the FVS318G on the network has been very positive," said Johnny Chin, president and chief executive officer at Onesimus Enterprises, whose company participated in the beta test program. "For the price, we were impressed with the level of features offered along with enhanced security measures against outside attackers. Best of all, it's fast enough to keep up with our high-speed broadband Internet connection, so we're both protected and running at top speed."

Designed for the small business, the FVS318G is a perfect solution for organizations that need more advanced protection than that offered by consumer-focused firewalls, but that also require tools available at a lower price point than units designed for the medium-sized business. This high-quality, highly stable unit features eight gigabit LAN ports and one gigabit WAN port to allow for speedy and secure connections at a rate of up to 25 megabits, meaning that security comes at no cost to end-user connection speed. RFC compliant IPSec VPN tunnels enable as many as five client-based remote access VPN tunnels to connect branch offices securely. Based on Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI), the 8-Port VPN Firewall delivers fast, reliable security controls to small businesses and their remote offices.