Astaro Security Gateway voted WindowSecurity.com Reader’s Choice

Astaro Corporation , a leading network security vendor, today announced that it was selected as the first runner-up in the Software-based Firewall category of the WindowSecurity.com Readers’ Choice Awards. WindowSecurity.com is the leading Windows Security resource site and bases its award solely on visitor’s votes.

"Our Readers’ Choice Awards give visitors to our site the opportunity to vote for the products they view as the very best in their respective category," said Sean Buttigieg, WindowSecurity.com manager. "WindowSecurity.com users are specialists in their field who encounter various network security solutions at the workplace. The award serves as a mark of excellence, providing the ultimate recognition from peers within the industry."

WindowSecurity.com conducts monthly polls to discover which product is preferred by Network Security administrators in a particular category of third party network security solutions. The awards draw a huge response per category and are based entirely on the visitors’ votes. WindowSecurity.com visitors can submit their votes for the current Readers' Award poll in the site’s left-hand bar.

"We are excited to be recognized by the readers of WindowSecurity.com", says Jan Hichert, CEO at Astaro. "Since we started in 2000, it has been our goal to offer our users exactly what they need – that is why we do extensive beta testing and why we started our Feature Request Site. We are proud that our users voted us to receive this award."

The Astaro Security Gateway integrates complete Network, Web and Mail Security under an intuitive browser-based user interface and is the most easy-to-use and cost-effective "all-in-one" solution on the market. It is available as hardware, software and virtual appliance and can easily be adapted to changes in environment and requirements by adding different security subscriptions – therefore it brings maximum flexibility.
All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

To Purchase Astaro Products visit http://www.astaroguard.com

Mid-America Overseas Reduces IT Administration Time by 75%

Astaro Corporation, a leading network security vendor, today announced that the Astaro Security Gateway has decreased Mid-America Overseas Inc.’s manual intervention of content filtering by 75%. The Global Transportation and Logistics provider also used the increased visibility into Internet usage trends to improve employee productivity, and manages the security for each location with the Astaro Command Center.

Mid-America Overseas Inc. deployed an Astaro Security Gateway at each of their locations and the Astaro Command Center at their headquarters to solve their content filtering and network security issues while managing their security platform at each remote location. Using the Astaro Security Gateway’s ability to block websites by content type meant administrators no longer had to spend time blocking or allowing individual sites on their network, reducing their administration time by 75%.

Using The Astaro Security Gateway the company created Internet usage reports which provide insight into how employees are using the Internet. With this information the company was able to improve employee productivity by blocking non-productive web sites and granting access to sites that allow employees to perform their duties more efficiently.

Mid-America Overseas selected the Astaro security solutions because they were easier-to-use than similar products, yet offer a more robust feature set.

"We selected the Astaro products because they are an integrated solution for all our network security and web filtering. The built in reporting capabilities means there is no need for separate server of software solutions to analyze log files for reporting," said Michael Mierwinski, Chief Information Officer, Mid-America Overseas. "We also liked the Astaro products because of its intuitive browser based graphical user interface (GUI). The GUIs of all other products pale in comparison to Astaro’s."

The Astaro Security Gateway and the Astaro Command Center also provided Mid-America Overseas with an added bonus, an improved disaster recovery program. Because the organization operates in multiple locations worldwide, the company has to be wary of potential weather related or other disasters that can disrupt their business.

Mierwinski continued: "The Astaro Security Gateways and the Astaro Command Center cut down on the time required to re-route network traffic from specific offices to another in the event of a weather related or telecom emergency. Because we operate all over the world and weather patterns can be unpredictable, being able to re-route our traffic is an essential part of our disaster recovery plan."

"Many of our customers select the Astaro Security Gateway because it is easier to use than other security products, yet offers an extremely robust feature set," said David Rogers, Vice President, Americas, Astaro. "We ensure our products are easy to manage so that customers can take full advantage of all the Astaro Security Gateway has to offer."

To Purchase Astaro Products visit http://www.astaroguard.com

Astaro Security Gateway 7.5 Provides Improved IPS Performance and Enhanced Usability

Astaro, a leading network security vendor, has announced today the release of the Astaro Security Gateway version 7.5, which includes an improved Intrusion Protection Engine, Multicast support, and real-time bandwidth monitoring capability. Using the recently released Feature Request Site, Astaro was able to focus on user feedback and suggestions to add features and improvements to the latest release of their Unified Threat Management product.

Version 7.5 of the Astaro Security Gateway includes over 50 new features and improvements. Among these improvements is an upgraded Intrusion Protection Engine which increases performance up to 400% by efficiently utilizing multi-core CPUs. The enhanced IPS Engine now integrates detection capabilities for Microsoft vulnerabilities released under the Microsoft Active Protection Program (MAPP). This ensures a quicker and more accurate protection against new, not yet publicly released Microsoft vulnerabilities.

The latest version of the Astaro Security Gateway adds a real-time bandwidth monitor to instantly provide a detailed breakdown which can show who is currently using up all the Internet bandwidth. Additionally, Astaro extended its Web Security engine with a “captive portal” to allow authentication of guest users across facilities such as hotels, stadiums and convention centers without the need to change browser settings.
The Astaro Security Gateway version 7.5 now supports multicast routing based on PIM-SM, extending the use cases of the product into real-time data networking environments like financial services, audio/video streaming, IPTV and more.

Tuning-in to their customers, this release added more than 70% of the most requested usability changes from users into this release. These small improvements, like import/exporting of lists, clone objects, scheduled updates, flush DNS cache, customizable shortcuts, deletion confirmations and dozens more will save network administrators valuable time within WebAdmin.

Astaro integrated customers and partners into the development process, with many of the innovative new features scoring highly in the points system provided through the Astaro Feature Request Site. Customers and partners posted, discussed and evaluated suggestions for product improvements, and popular ideas are given stronger consideration when designing new versions of Astaro’s products. Another source for customer feedback was the beta testing community; the beta discussion section on www.astaro.org saw more than 7000 posts placed across 1100 constructive articles.

"The Astaro has won many accolades for its power and ease-of-use, but if you’ve ever touched one in the past, you will be amazed at the flexibility and ‘finishing’ of this newest version," said Robert H. Alfson, MediaSoft, Inc, who took part in the beta testing for Astaro Security Gateway V7.5. "One example of that is the new button to test the timeserver settings, a feature requested on the new Astaro Feature Request Site."

"The latest release of the Astaro Security Gateway was designed to improve performance and streamline the daily use of the product," said Gert Hansen, co-founder and Chief Software Architect at Astaro Corporation. "In addition to the improvements included in the 7.5 release, what makes this new version so valuable is the validation of our roadmap by including customer and partner feedback into the development process. With their assistance we were able quickly evolve the usability of the product by including many small things that make their job easier."
Customers with valid maintenance agreements will receive the V7.5 upgrade at no cost. The update function can be applied automatically via their Astaro Security Gateway.

To Purchase Astaro Products visit http://www.astaroguard.com

Astaro Strengthens Management Team With Former Cisco Executive

Astaro Corporation, a leading network security vendor, today announced that Astaro has strengthened its management team with Günter Junk, a well-known specialist for IT. Once responsible for the European operations at Cisco, Günter Junk now takes over the position of Senior Vice President for Worldwide Sales and Marketing at Astaro.

Günter Junk, Senior Vice President Worldwide Sales and Marketing, is responsible for Astaro’s worldwide sales and marketing strategy as a globally operating vendor for UTM solutions. Before joining Astaro, Günter Junk was CEO at Swyx Solutions AG, a German vendor of software based IP telephony solutions. During his leadership, Swyx was able to become a market leader for IP telephony in Europe. Prior to his tenure at Swyx, Günter Junk built-up the German sales organization at Cisco Systems and was ultimately responsible for all European operations as the Vice President of the region.

"I have observed Astaro’s development since 2005 and Astaro has built a solid base for future success. I am excited to be joining Astaro and to contribute to further steps – or more appropriately leaps", says Günter Junk. "Astaro’s products have gained a high level of acceptance with users and partners, which is the best foundation for further growth. In my eyes, Astaro’s technology and the people who are part of this company have the capability to strongly influence the UTM market."

"We are very pleased having won a specialist like Günter Junk for our team", says Jan Hichert, CEO at Astaro. "I am confident he will bring our global sales and marketing strategy forward so that we will be able to expand the successes we have achieved thus far."

To Purchase Astaro Products visit http://www.astaroguard.com

Astaro Security Gateway Saves NeuroScience Consultants

Reprioritizing web traffic provides doctors with critical information faster and increases productivity
Astaro Corporation , a leading network security vendor, today announced that NeuroScience Consultants saved $100,000 a year by creating VPN overlay connections with the Astaro Security Gateway and assistance from Astaro partner RemoteWorks. The physician group also reprioritized network traffic and used the product's content filtering, anti-virus and anti-spam capabilities to increase productivity and stop all spyware, malware and spam on their network.

NearoScience Consultants, a multi-location group of over 30 neurologists spread out over sixteen locations had a private network routed over the Internet using Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) at each location. Astaro partner RemoteWorks installed the Astaro Security Gateway and created VPN tunnels at all sixteen of NeuroScience Consultants' locations. The less costly and more secure VPN tunnels saved the organization $100,000 a year.

With the assistance of RemoteWorks the company also prioritized its web traffic so that the transmission of critical medical records and documents took precedent over other network activities. Prioritizing their web traffic increased the networks speed when transmitting medical data enabling doctors to be more productive.

"I needed to ensure that all electronic medical records received the highest priority treatment relative to bandwidth and that normal Internet traffic received the least priority," explained Lanny Pauley, Chief Operating Officer, NeuroScience Consultants. "The Astaro Security Gateway allowed us to give medical records the highest priority, so that our doctors can have instant access to the information they require to make crucial medical decisions."

The Astaro Security Gateway also provided NeuroScience Consultants with benefits beyond the traffic prioritization and creation of VPN tunnels.

"The extra's I received by implementing the Astaro Security Gateway included getting protection from unwanted annoyances (worms, viruses, spam etc.) and I could limit the sites that our staff has access to which creates a more productive and secure environment." explained Pauley.

The elimination of spam, worms, viruses and other malware on the network reduced the amount of time NeuroScience Consultants' IT department spent cleaning up the network, further increasing the organization's productivity.

Pauley continued: "We have had great success with Astaro and we would highly recommend the units and the services it provides to anyone."

"When organizations are dealing with critical data, like medical records, it is crucial that the transmission of this data takes the highest priority on the network's bandwidth," said David Rogers, Vice President Americas, Astaro Corporation. "Unfortunately, some organizations lack the ability to prioritize their web traffic, causing lag time in information transmissions, and putting patient care at risk. We are pleased to be a part of NeuroScience Consultants ability to provide the best care possible for their patients."

To Purchase Astaro Products visit http://www.astaroguard.com

Astaro Will Offer Free Business Firewall for VMware

Free firewall will add enterprise security functions to virtual environments. Astaro Corporation, a leading network security vendor, today announced that Astaro will offer a Free Business Firewall for VMware. The free VMware firewall, which offers the base functionality of the Astaro Security Gateway Virtual Appliance using a special license key, will allow organizations with virtual environments to secure their network from external threats, as well as control and monitor communications between virtual machines. In addition, Astaro provides organizations with a free tool for centrally managing multiple Astaro products, the Astaro Command Center.

When deploying virtual machines, it is essential to protect the communication between virtual machines as well as to the Internet. VMware meets this demand by offering vShield™ Zones which deliver basic security functions to virtual environments. However, vShield Zones are only included in the larger VMware vSphere™ editions, starting with Advanced. Those editions are often oversized, especially in the case of small and medium sized businesses whose demands can be fulfilled by the small editions – at lower costs and more convenience.

Astaro's Free Business Firewall for VMware fills this gap and adds enterprise security functions to all VMware vSphere editions – regardless of the organization’s size. It protects against outside threats while providing control over all communications between virtual machines within an organization's network. The free VMware firewall offered by Astaro comes with the same functionalities and performance as VMware’s vShield Zones, however it is free of charge and offers the ability to add additional applications, such as mail and web filtering capabilities, as needed.

"While VMware Server has helped many small and medium sized businesses take advantage of virtual environments, the absence of a firewall and the inability to control communications between virtual machines can be a barrier to taking this technology further or expanding into production environments," said Gert Hansen, Chief Software Architect, Astaro Corporation. "Astaro wants to ensure all virtual environments are protected from external threats, regardless of the customer’s size or resources. We also want to give businesses control over communications between VMware machines. Our Free Business Firewall for VMware will fill this security and communications gap making it easier for customers to secure their virtual environments."

Astaro's Free Business Firewall for VMware is a base license of the Astaro Security Gateway Virtual Appliance and has the same easy-to-use graphical user interface as the company’s other security products. Users receive firmware and feature upgrades at no cost. For users who wish to expand the functionality of the free version in order to benefit from advanced enterprise protection, additional security applications can be licensed such as Network Security (Intrusion Prevention, IPsec and SSL-VPN), Web Security (Malware and Content Filter for HTTP/S, IM/P2P Application control) and Mail Security (Malware and Spam Filter, Email Encryption). These features can be added to the configuration at any time and are instantly activated after inserting a new valid license key.

Virtual environments often need multiple firewalls to properly protect the virtual infrastructure. Because the manual management of multiple security devices is very time consuming Astaro offers a free tool for central management; the Astaro Command Center. The Astaro Command Center is a virtual appliance which simplifies the management of an organization's Astaro security products by allowing them to manage, monitor, and configure all installations from a central point.

To Purchase Astaro Products visit http://www.astaroguard.com

Astaro Corporations' Regina Grieco Recognized by Everything Channel’s CRN Magazine

Regina Grieco, Channel Director, has been recognized by Everything Channel’s CRN Magazine as one of the Top 100 Women in the Channel. Astaro Corporation, a leading network security vendor today announced that Regina Grieco, Channel Director, has been recognized by Everything Channel's CRN Magazine as one of the Top 100 Women in the Channel. The Top 100 Women in the Channel was chosen by the editors of the magazine based on their achievements as executives and the amount of influence they wield over the technology channel. The Top 100 Women in the Channel represents a changing trend in a traditionally all male industry.

Even during the economic downturn companies faced this last year, Regina was able to achieve her quota for her US and Canadian Regions. For the upcoming year Regina hopes to continue growing Astaro’s channel and to continue to contribute to Astaro’s overall revenue growth. She also wants to expand and strengthen her sales team.

"We are very pleased to see women executives reaching the highest levels in a wide range of dynamic companies. It is with great pleasure that we honor the women that have made a profound impact in the technology marketplace. We offer our congratulations to Regina for her significant contributions to our industry," Robert C. DeMarzo, senior vice president and editorial director, Everything Channel.

"Working with Regina is like having another Professional Rep with my own Company. She is not only concerned about her own Company but is very well aware that the channel is the vehicle that drives the business. We can call on Regina and her resources to help find solutions for customers and help with customer service issues as well. I wish all my vendor reps were as responsive as Regina,” said Keith A. Bailey, Managing Partner, ComputerLand Network Technologies.

"Regina is an extremely valuable member of Astaro's channel organization," said David Rogers, Vice President, Americas, Astaro. "Her focus and leadership have helped Astaro create a strong, competitive and mutually beneficial partner program."

To Purchase Astaro Products visit http://www.astaroguard.com

Astaro Corporation Donates Appliances to Hacker Spaces’ Warzone Initiative

Astaro Corporation , a leading network security vendor, today announced that Astaro has donated three Astaro Security Gateway appliances to the Warzone Project, a joint research venture between multiple hacker spaces in the United States. The Warzone Project creates a secure private network between hacker spaces around the country for information security research.

Hacker spaces are community-operated physical spaces where people meet and collaborate on all forms of technology, culture and crafts in new and interesting ways. Members are encouraged to share research and discoveries and use what they learn to help educate others.

Astaro donated three Astaro Security Gateway appliances to this initiative group as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to educating the technology community about network security. The Astaro Security Gateways will be used to interconnect and build the Warzone infrastructure. Additionally, the Astaro Security Gateways will provide insight into traffic patterns helping the Warzone hackers identify potential vulnerabilities and develop attack defenses.

"When we began organizing the Warzone Project we knew we needed a trusted security product for the program be successful," said Bill Swearingen (alias: hevnsnt) of the Cowtown Computer Congress. "We approached Astaro to sponsor our events by donating the appliances because the Astaro Security Gateway offers a reliable Intrusion Protection System that was ideal for testing the effectiveness of real-world attacks, and for helping us to develop security standards."

There is a common misconception that people who identify as hackers are criminals or engaged in other unethical activities. In reality hackers are simply knowledgeable technology and security enthusiasts.

"Hacker spaces and the Warzone project are helping to combat the negative image hackers have acquired by demonstrating that most hackers are not engaged in criminal activity and are more interested in finding and sharing information; including possible network vulnerabilities," said David Rogers, Vice President, Americas, Astaro Corporation. "Astaro is proud to be a part of initiatives like the Hackerspace Warzone project because they will help network administrators and security vendors create more secure environments."

The Warzone project will entail a secure "darknet", connecting hacker spaces from around the country and creating a sandbox environment for both offensive and defensive research. The first hacker spaces to participate are the Cowtown Computer Congress in Kansas City and Pumping Station: One in Chicago.

To Purchase Astaro Products visit http://www.astaroguard.com

Astaro Corporation Announces Exceptional Second Quarter Results

Poor economy did not affect network security company’s performance. Astaro Corporation , a leading network security vendor, today announced that Astaro has achieved 26% quarter over quarter growth for the second quarter of 2009. This growth also represents a 16% increase in revenues over the second quarter of 2008 and marks Astaro’s 14th consecutive quarter of growth as well as the company’s third most profitable quarter to date.
"Organizations large and small and around the world are still feeling the effects of the poor economy. Despite the economic downturn, organizations must still protect their networks from a myriad of viruses, malware and other threats,´" said Jan Hichert, CEO, Astaro. "One reason for Astaro’s continued success is that Unified Threat Management solutions have always been about reducing the total cost of ownership of network security and the reduced costs associated with deploying a UTM are especially attractive during a down economy. Additionally, our open source based development model allows us to deliver high quality security solutions at a low price point."

Astaro, the fourth largest pure-play Unified Threat Management (UTM) vendor worldwide, enjoyed third party recognition for the company’s innovation and commitment to improving network security standards. During the second quarter of 2009 Astaro became the only UTM vendor to attain VMware Ready certification, was listed in the visionaries quadrant of Gartner’s SMB Multifunctional Firewall Magic Quadrant and was recognized by Everything Channel as having a Five-Star partner program.

During the second quarter Astaro successfully introduced the Astaro Security Gateway 625 model, which is designed to provide protection for organizations with up to 4,000 users. Astaro also introduced its new feature request site which empowers customers, partners and employees with a forum for suggesting features and improvements for Astaro’s security products.

"As Astaro continues to grow and offer additional services we will strive for the same level of excellence that has allowed us to succeed during the current economic downturn", Hichert continued. "A crisis is a situation that holds dangers as well as opportunities. It is up to us to seize the opportunity lying hidden in a difficult situation and turn it to good account."

To Purchase Astaro Products visit http://www.astaroguard.com

Astaro Offers SMBs Free Silent Business Audit and Forensic Analysis

Silent Business Audit will help improve network security and employee productivity. Astaro Corporation , a leading network security vendor, today announced that Astaro is offering a free silent business audit and forensic analysis for small businesses. The silent business audit and forensic analysis will demonstrate what spyware and malware was able to get by the organization's spam filter and will provide insight into Internet usage trends.

As part of the free silent business audit and forensic analysis offering, Astaro will deploy an Astaro Security Gateway appliance behind an organization’s normal web filter for 14 days. During this time the appliance will monitor Internet traffic and record spyware and malware infections missed by the normal web filter. As an added bonus, the appliance will also block the transfer of any malware and spyware that makes it passed the normal web filter to avoid the spread of infections.

To register for a silent business audit and forensic analysis click here.

Astaro is offering a free silent business audit and forensic analysis to small business to help organizations gain insight into the effectiveness of their current web filtering tools. Many small businesses don’t have the resources necessary to truly understand where infections come from and how employees are using the Internet. Having this type of insight into the network will allow these organizations to take steps towards creating a more secure and more efficient network.

"Often times an organization will set up their firewall and content filtering rules and assume each is working the way they want. We've worked with organizations that were shocked to find out what was making it through their filters and firewalls," said David Rogers, Vice President, Americas, Astaro Corporation, "The summer months can represent an excellent opportunity for many organizations to put their existing security controls to the test and at a time when end-user support tends to decrease. This free offering will provide valuable insight into network traffic patterns and help organizations evaluate their level of exposure to unwanted Spyware, Malware, and use of network resources."

To Purchase Astaro Products visit http://www.astaroguard.com