SonicWALL Expands Smart Wireless Access SonicPoint Series For Distributed Wireless Networks

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 25. SonicWALL, Inc., a leading provider of intelligent network security and data protection solutions, today announced the addition of two new secure wireless access points to its SonicPoint Series - the SonicPoint-Ni and SonicPoint-Ne. Designed for enterprises, SMBs and distributed wireless networks, the new devices are 802.11n compliant dual-band single radio wireless secure access points that integrate seamlessly into the existing SonicWALL TZ, Network Security Appliance (NSA) and E-Class NSA product lines.

These new devices provide Clean Wireless connections through integrated Gateway Anti-Virus, Intrusion Prevention, Anti-Spyware and Content Filtering, scanning all traffic for malware and inappropriate Web sites requests. The solution supports wireless encryption standards, wireless intrusion prevention services and rogue access point detection. Moreover, the new SonicPoint Series extends Next-Generation Firewall capabilities such as Application Intelligence and Control to the distributed wireless network.

Using SonicPoints with the SonicWALL Next-Generation Firewall feature set enables organizations to control and prioritize wireless access to business applications while de-prioritizing other bandwidth-hogging applications and sites (e.g. gaming applications or video streaming Web sites), that are not business-critical. IT managers are now able to allocate rights on a granular basis to specific users and groups who need to access key sets of applications while restricting access to other users and groups where appropriate.

Combining Next-Generation Firewall features with the SonicWALL SonicPoint distributed wireless network solution gives users greater security by scanning for viruses, intrusions, and spyware. It increases network productivity through appropriate allocation of bandwidth to the right groups for the important applications even when roaming from one wireless access point to another.

Thanks to the integrated wireless switch and controller present in all SonicWALL firewalls, customers can now easily manage both their wireless and wired network from one firewall device. Businesses, governmental and educational institutions can rapidly and inexpensively deploy the smart access points to create local and distributed wireless networks. Retailers with concerns about the Payment Card Initiative (PCI) are able to deploy SonicWALL wireless networks with enhanced security and scan either the 2.4 or 5.0 MHz spectrums to satisfy PCI security requirements.SonicPoint-Ni and SonicPoint-Ne are designed to easily and seamlessly extend existing SonicWALL deployments. They auto-discover and auto-provision via the integrated wireless switch and controller built into all SonicWALL firewalls. Users can roam from point to point in a network, maintaining their connectivity and authentication. Administrators access a single, consolidated policy interface to manage traffic on the wired and wireless LAN. This capability simplifies initial setup and ongoing policy management of all network segments.

"Because SonicWALL's new 802.11n compliant SonicPoints are completely integrated with our Next-Generation Firewall feature set, we've changed the landscape for small and large wireless deployments. For the first time ever, an IT manager can easily set complete policy on exactly how the wireless network will work, what applications should have priority access and which users should be granted the most rights and the least," said Patrick Sweeney, vice president of product management. "And since all that policy is part of the firewall, organizations can manage their wired and wireless network intelligently, and inexpensively."

The devices are available immediately. The suggested MSRP for SonicPoint-Ni is US$365 and the MSRP for SonicPoint-Ne is US$525. For more information on SonicWALL and its comprehensive portfolio of security solutions, please visit: http://www.sonicwall.com/.