WatchGuard Secure Cloud Wi-Fi

Today I attend a WatchGuard wireless training session.  I like to think of myself as a bit of wireless geek, as I have seen a few wireless solutions in my time.  Over three years ago, I created this blog post around Planning a Wireless Network.

I have seen high density wireless solutions, secure wireless solutions, retail solutions, education solutions, hospitality solutions, bean flexing solutions, controller based solutions, cloud controller solutions, cloud managed solutions, etc.

When I'm told that I'll be looking at a cloud-based secure wireless solution from WatchGuard, my mind wondered off the some of market leaders in this area, and I started to analyse what I was being told.

I was told that this solution had a military grade WIPS (Wireless Intrusion Prevention System) which sounded too familiar to me.  You see around 4 years ago I was introduced to a solution which was sold to me in the same way, which was the solutions offering from AirTight Networks, which recently rebranded to Mojo Networks.  It turns out WatchGuard is partnering with Mojo Networks, which assured me that we were looking at one of the most secure wireless solutions available in the market.

The solution is able to detect rouge access points on your network.  A rouge access point is an unauthorised access point plugged into your network, giving wireless access to your network, where you haven't deployed one.  Using patented technology, the wired network will send a packet out of the authorised access points, which can then be detected by the wireless network.  By connecting and analysing both the wired and wireless networks, it is able to detect the access points you have authorised, and disable the ones which are not.

When I attend the AirTight training around 4 years ago, I pulled in a USB access point into the network, and hid it in the wiring.  Look at the picture above and see if you can find the access point.  A physical search of the server room wouldn't have uncovered the rogue access point, but the solution was able to detect and disable the access point in less than a minute.

The WatchGuard wireless solution will give wireless access, wireless security, marketing portals and user analytics.  A very rounded solution already, but combined with the WatchGuard UTM, you have the preferred solution to meet the Friendly WiFi criteria.

Are all UTM appliances the same? - Cyberoam

I'm a little bias, but I think the Cyberoam CR series UTM (Unified Threat Management) offering is head and shoulders above other UTM appliances on the market.

Some people will consider all UTMs the same, rather than looking at the components that make up the whole, or they consider it a point solution where only one or two features are used, rather than making the most of the whole solution.

Why do I consider the Cyberoam CR series a better solution, well here are some of my findings:

• Identity based UTM, to allow rules to be applied to users, rather than IPs
• A stateful firewall, that supports high availability and IP v6
• Gateway anti-virus and anti-spyware solution provided by Kaspersky
• Real time anti-spam solution provided by Commtouch
• IPSEC VPN that supports PPTP and L2TP, as well as a VPN client provided by GreenBow
• SSL-VPN functionality on the appliance
• Web content and application filtering, including IM filtering
• IPS, including the ability to create your own signatures
• Multi-link/Multiple WAN links supported on all the appliances, including USB 3G dongle support

The Cyberoam CR series solution is very cost effective and can go head-to-head with all the major UTM appliances, and in my opinion out shine them as well!

To help compliment this solution, there is also the Cyberoam Centralised Console (CCC), which can manage multiple Cyberoam UTM appliances, as well as software based solution to offer Data Protection & Encryption, Device Management, Application Control and Asset Management.


Don't just take my word for it, organise an evaluation of one from e92plus