Enterasys Networks Introduces the Matrix X-Series Next Generation of Secure Core Routers
Announcement posted by Enterasys Networks 12 Nov 2004
Enterasys Networks (NYSE: ETS), the Secure Networks CompanyTM, today introduced the Matrix X-Series, a powerful family of core routers that combines high-performance networking with the highest level of core security available today to support the most demanding enterprise applications and business-critical communications.
The Matrix X-Series--an integral part of Enterasys' complete edge-to-core Secure Networks product line--delivers unmatched enterprise security, risk mitigation and the next-generation continuity demanded by today's always-on networked enterprises, especially those supporting real-time applications such as voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), video to the desktop, high-performance imaging, and grid computing for massive data-intensive environments.
"Enterasys leads the industry in delivering infrastructure security solutions for the network edge and the data center. Now, once again, we are raising the bar as the first company to deliver Secure Networks solutions for the network core," said Mark Aslett, president and chief operating officer of Enterasys Networks. "The Matrix X-Series of secure core routers completes our Secure Networks product line and provides enterprises with the industry's first and most complete edge-to-core network security solution."
Today, enterprises need to deploy next-generation high-performance business applications quickly, efficiently and--most importantly--securely. Network infrastructure must align with the key business drivers of all types of enterprises. These include responsive customer service, critical partner communications and increased employee productivity. As enterprises increasingly rely on their networks for critical communications, operations and customer-service activities, they become increasingly vulnerable to opportunistic worms, viruses, highly distributed denial-of-service attacks, fragmented attacks and internal threats to the network and to the business itself.
"New technologies, such as VoIP, make enterprises even more dependent on their networks, because an attack not only disrupts data traffic but also can bring down the entire phone system, as well," said Aslett. "We built the Matrix X-Series to protect the core from unique, targeted attacks and ensure business continuity. It delivers all of the advantages of next-generation, high-performance applications and services while decreasing enterprise security vulnerabilities and proactively responding to threats and attacks."
Why Secure the Core?
The core is the focal point of every data packet and user on an enterprise network. It is highly vulnerable to new and emerging threats and is the target for sophisticated distributed denial-of-service attacks that seek to disrupt the engine of the network and compromise critical data. Attacks that can overwhelm the edge of a network will head for the core and cause untold damage. Therefore, the core must be an active participant in enterprise security.
The Matrix X-Series is the latest Secure Networks innovation from Enterasys. At the edge of the network, the challenge is to control the attack. At the data center, enterprises need to protect their business-critical applications servers, data warehouses and information repositories. At the core--the heart of the infrastructure--the X-Series router uses the power of Secure Networks to mitigate attacks and ensure business continuity, under the same, single network management application and policy management model.
Enterasys designed the Matrix X-Series to meet the demands of enterprises seeking to bring the full capabilities of Secure Networks technology to their entire network--from the edge to the core. The Matrix X-Series also is powerful enough to meet the unique needs of such demanding next-generation applications as grid computing. Grid computers that interconnect many high-performance CPUs to form a virtual supercomputer require multiple robust 10 Gigabit and 1 Gigabit connections. The Matrix X-Series provides the non-blocking performance and high-availability architecture needed to implement this model. Due to the scale and sensitivity of grid computing environments, it is critical that the solution provides the highest levels of information security. Enterasys Matrix X-Series delivers the performance throughput, traffic classification and core security features to implement this infrastructure. The Matrix X-Series has been beta tested at one of the world's largest grid computing projects by CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. CERN is the world's largest particle physics center and the birthplace of the World Wide Web.
"CERN received the first two Matrix X-Series core routers in August and we immediately began testing the products within our CERN Openlab for DataGrid applications," said Wolfgang von Rueden, head of CERN's IT department. "I am pleased to report that the routers were just what we expected: a clean design with powerful performance perfectly suited for core networks and massive grid projects such as Openlab. We are now working with Enterasys to deploy the full Secure Networks capabilities of the X-Series in our grid environments to enable us to significantly improve the security of our network without compromising our high-performance needs."
Matrix X-Series Capabilities The Matrix X-Series delivers industry-leading performance and port density:
Two chassis--8-slot and 16-slot chassis with support for modular Gigabit Ethernet and 10-Gigabet Ethernet I/O modules
Supports more than 2.5 Terabits of switching capacity
Supports up to 128 10-Gigabit Ethernet and 1536 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces in a single rack
High availability designed for no single point of failure and Enterasys unique software recovery mechanisms
Virtual output queuing architecture supports more than 8,000 queues in the system, providing an unequalled level of quality-of-service support--even when the network is hit with security threats and attacks
Future I/O module and switch fabric upgrades deliver unrivaled investment protection
"Over the past year, Enterasys has grown its portfolio of edge and distribution switches under the Secure Networks initiative," said Max Flisi, research analyst at IDC. "With the launch of the Matrix X-Series, the company is extending its security capabilities to the core of the network while addressing enterprise requirements for business continuity and performance."
The Enterasys Secure Networks Advantage
Enterasys' industry-leading Secure Networks technology and solutions provide the highest level of infrastructure security available today. Secure Networks delivers the most granular level of security, providing visibility and control down to the network device, individual user and application level. This enables enterprises to quickly and easily detect, assess, locate and protect against attacks. This unmatched security comes from the integrated policy-based management software architecture that works with the embedded security capabilities Enterasys designs into its entire product line. This unique approach offers significant operational and business benefits, unmatched by vendor offerings that add hardware or software to multiple network access points in an attempt to increase security. In fact, Secure Networks technology can even make networks with competitors' equipment more secure.
About Enterasys Networks
Enterasys Networks (NYSE: ETS) is a global provider of Secure NetworksTM for enterprise customers. Enterasys' innovative network infrastructure offerings deliver the security, productivity and adaptability benefits required by Global 2000 organizations, coupled with the industry's strongest service and support. For more information on Enterasys and its products, including multilayer switches, core routers, WAN routers, wireless LANs, network management, and intrusion defense systems (IDS), visit enterasys.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events, activities and financial performance, such as management's expectations regarding future revenue and cash flow; strategic relationships and market opportunities; product development; and other business strategies and objectives. These statements may be identified with such words as "we expect", "we believe", "we anticipate", or similar indications of future expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and actual future financial performance, events and activities may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We expressly disclaim any obligation to publicly update such statements to reflect changes in the expectations, assumptions, events or circumstances on which such statements may be based or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ materially.
Some risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: worldwide and regional economic uncertainty may continue to negatively affect our business and revenue; we have a history of losses in recent years and may not operate profitably in the future; our quarterly operating results may fluctuate, which could cause us to fail to meet quarterly operating targets and result in a decline in our stock price; we earn a substantial portion of our revenue for each quarter in the last month of each quarter, which reduces our ability to accurately forecast our quarterly results and increases the risk that we will be unable to achieve our goals and our financial condition could be harmed previously forecasted results; we continue to introduce new products, and if our customers delay product purchases or choose alternative solutions, our revenue could decline, we may incur excess and obsolete inventory charges, and our financial condition could be harmed; there is intense competitition in the market for enterprise network equipment, which could prevent us from increasing our revenue and achieving profitability; our competitors may have greater resources than us, which could harm our comptetitive position and reduce our market share; we may be unable to effectively manage and increase the productivity of our indirect distribution channels, which may hinder our ability to grow our customer base and increase our revenue; we have experienced significant changes in senior management and our current management team has been together for only a limited time, which could harm our business and operations; a portion of the enterprises we sell to rely in whole or in part on public funding and often face significant budgetary pressure, and if these customers must delay, reduce or forego purchasing from us, our revenues could be harmed; we depend upon a limited number of contract manufacturers for substantially all of our manufacturing requirements, and the loss of any of our primary contract manufacturers would impair our ability to meet the demands of our customers; and those additional risks and uncertainties discussed in our most recent 10-Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2004.
The Matrix X-Series--an integral part of Enterasys' complete edge-to-core Secure Networks product line--delivers unmatched enterprise security, risk mitigation and the next-generation continuity demanded by today's always-on networked enterprises, especially those supporting real-time applications such as voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), video to the desktop, high-performance imaging, and grid computing for massive data-intensive environments.
"Enterasys leads the industry in delivering infrastructure security solutions for the network edge and the data center. Now, once again, we are raising the bar as the first company to deliver Secure Networks solutions for the network core," said Mark Aslett, president and chief operating officer of Enterasys Networks. "The Matrix X-Series of secure core routers completes our Secure Networks product line and provides enterprises with the industry's first and most complete edge-to-core network security solution."
Today, enterprises need to deploy next-generation high-performance business applications quickly, efficiently and--most importantly--securely. Network infrastructure must align with the key business drivers of all types of enterprises. These include responsive customer service, critical partner communications and increased employee productivity. As enterprises increasingly rely on their networks for critical communications, operations and customer-service activities, they become increasingly vulnerable to opportunistic worms, viruses, highly distributed denial-of-service attacks, fragmented attacks and internal threats to the network and to the business itself.
"New technologies, such as VoIP, make enterprises even more dependent on their networks, because an attack not only disrupts data traffic but also can bring down the entire phone system, as well," said Aslett. "We built the Matrix X-Series to protect the core from unique, targeted attacks and ensure business continuity. It delivers all of the advantages of next-generation, high-performance applications and services while decreasing enterprise security vulnerabilities and proactively responding to threats and attacks."
Why Secure the Core?
The core is the focal point of every data packet and user on an enterprise network. It is highly vulnerable to new and emerging threats and is the target for sophisticated distributed denial-of-service attacks that seek to disrupt the engine of the network and compromise critical data. Attacks that can overwhelm the edge of a network will head for the core and cause untold damage. Therefore, the core must be an active participant in enterprise security.
The Matrix X-Series is the latest Secure Networks innovation from Enterasys. At the edge of the network, the challenge is to control the attack. At the data center, enterprises need to protect their business-critical applications servers, data warehouses and information repositories. At the core--the heart of the infrastructure--the X-Series router uses the power of Secure Networks to mitigate attacks and ensure business continuity, under the same, single network management application and policy management model.
Enterasys designed the Matrix X-Series to meet the demands of enterprises seeking to bring the full capabilities of Secure Networks technology to their entire network--from the edge to the core. The Matrix X-Series also is powerful enough to meet the unique needs of such demanding next-generation applications as grid computing. Grid computers that interconnect many high-performance CPUs to form a virtual supercomputer require multiple robust 10 Gigabit and 1 Gigabit connections. The Matrix X-Series provides the non-blocking performance and high-availability architecture needed to implement this model. Due to the scale and sensitivity of grid computing environments, it is critical that the solution provides the highest levels of information security. Enterasys Matrix X-Series delivers the performance throughput, traffic classification and core security features to implement this infrastructure. The Matrix X-Series has been beta tested at one of the world's largest grid computing projects by CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. CERN is the world's largest particle physics center and the birthplace of the World Wide Web.
"CERN received the first two Matrix X-Series core routers in August and we immediately began testing the products within our CERN Openlab for DataGrid applications," said Wolfgang von Rueden, head of CERN's IT department. "I am pleased to report that the routers were just what we expected: a clean design with powerful performance perfectly suited for core networks and massive grid projects such as Openlab. We are now working with Enterasys to deploy the full Secure Networks capabilities of the X-Series in our grid environments to enable us to significantly improve the security of our network without compromising our high-performance needs."
Matrix X-Series Capabilities The Matrix X-Series delivers industry-leading performance and port density:
Two chassis--8-slot and 16-slot chassis with support for modular Gigabit Ethernet and 10-Gigabet Ethernet I/O modules
Supports more than 2.5 Terabits of switching capacity
Supports up to 128 10-Gigabit Ethernet and 1536 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces in a single rack
High availability designed for no single point of failure and Enterasys unique software recovery mechanisms
Virtual output queuing architecture supports more than 8,000 queues in the system, providing an unequalled level of quality-of-service support--even when the network is hit with security threats and attacks
Future I/O module and switch fabric upgrades deliver unrivaled investment protection
"Over the past year, Enterasys has grown its portfolio of edge and distribution switches under the Secure Networks initiative," said Max Flisi, research analyst at IDC. "With the launch of the Matrix X-Series, the company is extending its security capabilities to the core of the network while addressing enterprise requirements for business continuity and performance."
The Enterasys Secure Networks Advantage
Enterasys' industry-leading Secure Networks technology and solutions provide the highest level of infrastructure security available today. Secure Networks delivers the most granular level of security, providing visibility and control down to the network device, individual user and application level. This enables enterprises to quickly and easily detect, assess, locate and protect against attacks. This unmatched security comes from the integrated policy-based management software architecture that works with the embedded security capabilities Enterasys designs into its entire product line. This unique approach offers significant operational and business benefits, unmatched by vendor offerings that add hardware or software to multiple network access points in an attempt to increase security. In fact, Secure Networks technology can even make networks with competitors' equipment more secure.
About Enterasys Networks
Enterasys Networks (NYSE: ETS) is a global provider of Secure NetworksTM for enterprise customers. Enterasys' innovative network infrastructure offerings deliver the security, productivity and adaptability benefits required by Global 2000 organizations, coupled with the industry's strongest service and support. For more information on Enterasys and its products, including multilayer switches, core routers, WAN routers, wireless LANs, network management, and intrusion defense systems (IDS), visit enterasys.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events, activities and financial performance, such as management's expectations regarding future revenue and cash flow; strategic relationships and market opportunities; product development; and other business strategies and objectives. These statements may be identified with such words as "we expect", "we believe", "we anticipate", or similar indications of future expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and actual future financial performance, events and activities may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We expressly disclaim any obligation to publicly update such statements to reflect changes in the expectations, assumptions, events or circumstances on which such statements may be based or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ materially.
Some risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: worldwide and regional economic uncertainty may continue to negatively affect our business and revenue; we have a history of losses in recent years and may not operate profitably in the future; our quarterly operating results may fluctuate, which could cause us to fail to meet quarterly operating targets and result in a decline in our stock price; we earn a substantial portion of our revenue for each quarter in the last month of each quarter, which reduces our ability to accurately forecast our quarterly results and increases the risk that we will be unable to achieve our goals and our financial condition could be harmed previously forecasted results; we continue to introduce new products, and if our customers delay product purchases or choose alternative solutions, our revenue could decline, we may incur excess and obsolete inventory charges, and our financial condition could be harmed; there is intense competitition in the market for enterprise network equipment, which could prevent us from increasing our revenue and achieving profitability; our competitors may have greater resources than us, which could harm our comptetitive position and reduce our market share; we may be unable to effectively manage and increase the productivity of our indirect distribution channels, which may hinder our ability to grow our customer base and increase our revenue; we have experienced significant changes in senior management and our current management team has been together for only a limited time, which could harm our business and operations; a portion of the enterprises we sell to rely in whole or in part on public funding and often face significant budgetary pressure, and if these customers must delay, reduce or forego purchasing from us, our revenues could be harmed; we depend upon a limited number of contract manufacturers for substantially all of our manufacturing requirements, and the loss of any of our primary contract manufacturers would impair our ability to meet the demands of our customers; and those additional risks and uncertainties discussed in our most recent 10-Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2004.