Thales Unveils FC Encryptor

WESTON, Fla. -- Thales, a leading supplier of IT security products and solutions for critical infrastructures, announced today the launch of its new Datacryptor Fibre Channel encryptor for Storage Area Networks (SANs).

The Datacryptor Fibre Channel encryptor enables secure high-speed/low-latency point-to-point data transfers across Fibre Channel circuits, protecting distributed applications such as SANs, data mirroring, and data replication for disaster recovery and business continuity applications. Simplified key management and the use of a single management application offer secure configuration, control, and monitor of all cryptographic devices on the network.

The Thales Datacryptor Fibre Channel encryptor prevents and protects against this vulnerability effectively by providing transparent encryption of the storage data transmitted over the WAN (Wide Area Network) or MAN (Metro Area Network). The ease of installation and integration of the Thales Datacryptor Fibre Channel encryptors between the local storage network and the WAN (Inter Switch Link or Trunk) does not require any change of network infrastructure. The transparent operation preserves the compatibility of the Fibre Channel equipment deployed and works with 1 Gbps and 2 Gbps Fibre Channel links. The Thales Datacryptor Fibre Channel allows the SAN data to be encrypted at full-link speeds adding virtually no latency. The new product employs AES (256 bit key lengths) and the Thales Element Manager, which ensures a simple and secure key management approach to configure, control, and monitor the devices on the network.

With the exponential growth in the amount of data used and stored within the enterprise, the storage requirements of this data is becoming increasing vital and its storage increasingly vulnerable. In high-availability storage networking scenarios, where Fibre Channel storage and backup systems are linked between sites; the actual data in transit is usually not protected against eavesdropping and manipulation. This makes critical data vulnerable to an attack that could gain control over the core IT infrastructure of the enterprise.

Data privacy policies and regulations such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and the Data Protection Directives in the European Union, require enterprises to employ robust data security. Following these security regulations and corporate governance policies, secure storage is rapidly becoming a necessity that is driving many enterprises to invest heavily in security programs that add incremental layers of protection to storage networks. The Datacryptor Fibre Channel encryptor allows enterprise customers to meet both performance and security requirements.“Thales’s main market focus is to enable its customers to fully utilize available networking technologies in the most cost-effective, reliable, and secure manner. By leveraging over 40 years experience in encryption expertise to support the growing demand for secure data storage services, Thales is able to bring to market innovative and robust security solutions that meet its customers’ needs,” said James Kilazoglou, Vice President and Managing Director of the e-Security activities of Thales.

Thales SA