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New WatchGuard Firebox M440 UTM/NGFW appliance makes it easy to apply the right policies to the correct network segment – without complex configurations

WatchGuard® Technologies, a leader in multi-function firewalls, continues its streak of innovations designed to simplify network security with the launch of the WatchGuard Firebox ® M440 UTM/NGFW appliance. The Firebox M440 is the first appliance rich in truly independent ports, removing the need for complex configurations such as VLANs and instantly simplifying the critical process of applying traffic-appropriate policies across multiple network segments – a process that to date, has often been beyond the technical reach of many IT organizations. Plus, WatchGuard's visibility solution, Dimension™, provides the industry's only real-time, single-pane-of-glass view of the effect each policy is having on that segment's traffic.

"Network security solutions are only good if they're not too difficult for IT pros to use," said Dave R. Taylor, vice president of corporate strategy and product management for WatchGuard. "The Firebox M440 makes it drop-dead easy to create segments, map the traffic, create custom policies based on what traffic is in each segment, and instantly see how it affects traffic. Applying the appropriate security policies to the correct traffic flows is what truly defines the success of your segmentation strategy and the Firebox M440 takes the configuration complexity out of the process."

John Stengel, President of J Stengel Consulting, a network security, management and training firm, stresses that effective segmentation has never been more critical, stating, "The common misconception that strategies such as role-based authentication, or basic VLAN switching and routing constitutes effective network segmentation delivers a false sense of security. With the increased expectation for anytime employee access and advances around embedded Internet devices (IoT) and recent breaches like Target tied to a lack of proper segmentation, it has never been a better time for organizations to reevaluate how they segment the network and ensure they have the right policies applied."

The WatchGuard Firebox M440 delivers 25 1Gb Ethernet ports, eight that deliver Power over Ethernet (PoE), plus two 10 Gb SFP+ (fiber) ports. For more information, click here.