Colubris Adds Airtight Security To Wireless LAN Lineup

WLAN security vendor Colubris Networks Tuesday unveiled hardware it claims will streamline the process of securing and managing wireless networks.

Colubris' InCharge RF Manager and InCharge RF Planner work with the company's Intelligent MultiService System, which consists of WLAN controllers, access points and system management software. The new products incorporate intrusion detection, location and RF visualization technology from Airtight Networks, a Mountain View, Calif.-based security vendor.

The InCharge RF Manager can identify WLAN security threats and block attacks without disrupting network traffic, Colubris said. The product, designed to complement wired security systems, also provides real time RF visualization, configurable enforcement and regulatory compliance, according to Carl Blume, director of product marketing at Colubris, Waltham, Mass.

The InCharge RF Plannner is WLAN modeling software designed to be used in the pre-deployment stage. It takes into account the physical layout of the office environment to determine placement of access points in order to yield maximum network performance, and it generates reports for end-users, Blume said.

The new products give solution providers the ability to sell services in the planning stage of a wireless network, said Claudio Ricci, a product manager for distributor Wav, Aurora, Ill. "This is a way for them to differentiate themselves and provide customers with a high level of security and management capability," Ricci said.Embedding network intelligence into the access points is an effective way to build large, scalable networks with a high level of security, Blume said. "We're bullish on this approach for both scalability and security reasons," Blume said.

InCharge RF Manager comes in two models, entry, priced at $9,999, and enterprise, priced at $17,999. The InCharge RF Planner is priced at $7,499. All three are available immediately.