ZyXEL Unveils ZyWALL 1050 Internet Security Appliance, A Professional VPN Concentrator and UTM Appliance for SMB/Mid-Large Organization

 Hsinchu, March 9, 2006 -- ZyXEL Communications (TSE:2391), world's leading broadband access solution provider, toady announced it will unveil its new ZyWALL 1050 Internet Security Appliance at CeBIT 2006 (Hall 15 C05). Incorporating robust security features strongly demanded by SMBs and mid-large organizations, the new ZyWALL 1050 integrates high performance VPN, User-Aware policy engine, Proactive network protection, VoIP security, and High Availability in a box, providing the best security protection and defense mechanism for today’s businesses.

High performance VPN concentrator
ZyWALL 1050 allows organizations to establish Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections among multiple locations. Data is encrypted in a VPN to secure communication channels and prevent confidential information from being eavesdropped over the Internet. Communication through VPN tunnels is protected from session hijack attacks and information theft. These security features are integrated in the ZyWALL 1050 to provide seamless data protection before transmission to a trusted network over the VPN.  The Hub and Spoke VPN feature dramatically reduces management overhead and complexity in a complex, multi-site corporate network infrastructure.

User-Aware policy engine enables access granularity
In addition to basic access control capabilities, the intelligent user-aware policy engine on the ZyWALL 1050 is designed to make packet-forwarding decisions based on multiple criteria (such as user ID, user group, time of access and network quota, etc.). In addition, IT administrators can apply access policies to other security features such as VPN, content filtering and application patrol. In conjunction with network partitioning, corporate security policies can be effectively enforced to prevent unauthorized access to network or network resources.

Proactive network protection mitigates security breaches
With the embedded signature-based IDP (Intrusion Detection and Prevention) engine, the ZyWALL 1050 performs L7 packet inspection for protocol anomaly or matched patterns. Thus, the ZyWALL 1050 provides comprehensive Intrusion Detection and Prevention capability to proactively detect and block potential worms, viruses, Trojans, VoIP threats, etc. ZSRT (ZyXEL Security Response Team), ZyXEL’s dedicated security experts, releases up-to-date IDP signatures/patterns in response to ever-evolving vulnerabilities/exploits. New updates are automatically downloaded and installed through ZSDN to your ZyWALL 1050.

Customizable security zones deliver flexible policy management
The ZyWALL 1050 supports L3 virtualization techniques (VLAN and virtual/alias interface). IT administrators can set VLAN or virtual interface to different physical ports as needed. In addition, administrators can group the VLANs and virtual interfaces in a zone to which consistent security policies are applied. With the virtualization and zone concepts, the ZyWALL 1050 offers flexible deployment and easy security policy management in large/complex networking environments.

Bandwidth management ensures quality of service
ZyWALL 1050 provides the bandwidth management feature for traffic prioritization to guarantee or restrict the bandwidth usage per connection. IT administrators can allocate bandwidth to traffic types or computer hosts in the corporate network. For example, give higher priority and bigger bandwidth to time-critical applications for quality transmission service. In addition, ZyWALL 1050 allows you to keep track of bandwidth usage with comprehensive centralized logs.

VoIP security: protecting the converged network
Attracted to its many benefits, more and more businesses are deploying VoIP applications in their networks. With the transition to VoIP also comes with security risks. As a VoIP-friendly firewall, the ZyWALL 1050 offers the SIP/H.323 ALG feature to dynamically open only the ports needed for the duration of the VoIP call. Once the call is complete, the ports automatically close, preventing malicious port sniffing and attacks commonly associated VoIP deployment. Besides allowing basic VoIP functionality, the ZyWALL 1050 takes a step further to allow VoIP over VPN and provide IDP against VoIP threats for maximum security.

Employee Internet Management increases productivity
The content filtering feature allows schools or mid-large organizations to create and enforce Internet access policies. IT administrators can set the ZyWALL 1050 to monitor or block access based on web site categories (such as pornography or racial intolerance) from a pre-defined list. For up-to-date web site ratings, administrators can activate the content filtering subscription that allows the ZyWALL 1050 to query the dynamic URL database. Thus access restrictions to web sites are properly enforced and corporate policy compliance could be assured.

High Availability features guarantee non-stop operation for mission-critical applications
The ZyWALL 1050 supports multiple WAN ports with WAN connection backup and load balancing. In addition to WAN redundancy, the ZyWALL 1050 also supports device HA (High Availability). With these features, the ZyWALL 1050 helps organizations easily set up a highly reliable and secure network for their business.

Availability

The ZyWALL 1050 is scheduled to be available in the second quarter and can be ordered via ZyXEL’s global sales network of system integrators and value-added resellers. To find a ZyXEL distributor nearest your location, please consult: http://www.zyxel.com/wherebuy/index.php.

About ZyXEL Communications
ZyXEL Communications Co. (TSE: 2391), located in Hsinchu, Taiwan, is world’s largest DSL router provider (Gartner, August 2005). ZyXEL's broad line of Internet Protocol-based (IP) networking solutions includes access multiplexors, customer premise equipment, Internet security and Wireless LAN equipment, enabling high-performance network services for SOHO, small to mid-sized businesses and service providers. ZyXEL works closely with worldwide network equipment vendors, telecommunications companies, ISPs, and other major businesses. For more information, visit the company's Website at http://www.zyxel.com.