Astaro Releases Version 2.1 of Free Astaro Command Center

Astaro Corporation, a leading network security vendor, today announced that the company will release version 2.1 of the Astaro Command Center. This new version of the free tool for managing multiple Astaro installations includes updated and new functions that will enable Astaro partners to offer managed security services. Additionally, enterprises with multiple installations can use this tool to manage their network security infrastructure.

Version 2.1 of the Astaro Command Center improves on existing features while adding new areas of functionality, including the ability to share global definitions across multiple organizations. This new capability saves time for managed security service providers as they can push configuration objects to multiple locations for use in the security configuration.

"The Astaro Command Center 2.1 makes it easier for us to work on multiple managed security installations at the same time, greatly increasing our efficiency," said Michael Smith, IT Manager, Celerit. "This gives us a distinct advantage over other IT Security Firms, as we are able to provide better value options than our competitors and offer security products to enterprises that formerly were not able to install a security solution."

The Astaro Command Center is free for all partners who wish to provide managed security services or for end-users who have multiple Astaro installations across several locations. The central management product is available as software and virtual appliances. Organizations who wish to install the Astaro Command Center an Astaro hardware appliance are charged a small fee for the cost and maintenance of the hardware.

"We developed the Astaro Command Center as a tool to help our partners offer additional value to their customers as well as help our end-users with large installations easily manage their own security configuration from a single location," said Jan Hichert, Astaro CEO. "The new and updated features in version 2.1 of the Astaro Command Center will make it easier for our partners to offer managed security services giving them a tool for creating additional revenue streams while adding value to any Astaro installation."

The new features in the Astaro Command Center version 2.1 include:

* Organizational Unit Structuring
* Global Definitions Capability
* Device-based Reporting
* Aggregated Reporting

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

Astaro Named Finalist in 2010 SC Magazine Awards in Four Categories

Astaro Corporation , a leading network security vendor, has been named a finalist in the Reader' Choice Best Anti-Malware, Best Enterprise Firewall and Best IPsec/SSL VPN categories in the 2010 SC Awards for outstanding achievement in information technology (IT) security. The Astaro Security Gateway was named as a premiere solution in the Reader Trust Award competition, which honors best-in-class security products and services.

The Astaro Security Gateway was selected from more than 600 entries submitted in more than 31 technology categories. All finalists will be reviewed and winners will be chosen by the Reader Trust Voting Panel – comprised of security and technology experts from large, medium and small enterprises from all major vertical markets – representing the wide distribution of SC Magazine readers.

"This year's SC Awards finalists, including The Astaro Security Gateway, represent the best of the security industry," said SC Magazine Editor-in-Chief Illena Armstrong. "Our judges recognize that these companies provide businesses with the best tools in the industry to fight the battle for a more secure enterprise."

As the industry's preeminent awards program, the annual SC Awards has recognized security's key contributors and outstanding products for more than a decade. The SC Awards are designed to honor the professionals, companies and products that help fend off the myriad security threats confronted in today's corporate world. Individuals, brands and solutions recognized in the program address not only the security challenges prominent today, but also the emerging threat landscape of tomorrow.

"Astaro works to create effective information technology security products that provide superior protection as well as ease of use," said David Rogers, Vice President, Americas Astaro. "Being nominated in multiple categories is a testament to our commitment as well as to the effectiveness of the Astaro Security Gateway."

Winners of this year's SC Awards will be announced at a gala dinner and award ceremony to be held in San Francisco on Tuesday, March 2, 2010. The event is an evening filled with excitement and offers an invaluable opportunity to network with the top corporate IT professionals in attendance.

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

Astaro Corporation Named Finalist in 2010 SC Awards

Astaro Corporation , a leading network security vendor, has been named a finalist in the 2010 SC Awards program for outstanding achievement in information technology (IT) security. Its Astaro Security Gateway is recognized in the Excellence Award category as Best SME Security Solution, which recognizes companies with superior security products that help customers tackle today's pressing security challenges.

"This year's SC Awards finalists, including The Astaro Security Gateway, represent the best of the security industry," said SC Magazine Editor-in-Chief Illena Armstrong. "Our judges recognize that these companies provide businesses with the best tools in the industry to fight the battle for a more secure enterprise."

As the industry's preeminent awards program, the annual SC Awards has recognized security's key contributors and outstanding products for more than a decade. The SC Awards are designed to honor the professionals, companies and products that help fend off the myriad security threats confronted in today's corporate world. Individuals, brands and solutions recognized in the program address not only the security challenges prominent today, but also the emerging threat landscape of tomorrow.

IT security companies nominate their solutions for consideration in the SC Awards and entries are judged by a panel of leading security officers from large, medium and small enterprises from all major vertical markets – representing the wide distribution of SC Magazine readers.

"Astaro strives to consistently offer the best products possible for small to medium sized enterprises. We understand that these organizations traditionally do not have as many resources as larger companies and are challenged by the need to implement adequate network security measures," said David Rogers, Vice President, Americas, Astaro Corporation. "This nomination validates Astaro's efforts to provide small and medium sized businesses with the security solutions that are both effective and affordable."

Winners of this year's SC Awards will be announced at a gala dinner and award ceremony to be held in San Francisco on Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

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

Astaro Partners to Benefit from New Free Firewall Strategy

Astaro Corporation , a leading network security vendor, has begun offering the Essential Firewall Edition of its flagship Astaro Security Gateway all-in-one security solution for free. Astaro made this move to create new business opportunities for its partners worldwide.

As a result of wider economic pressures, IT in general today is shaped by one dictate: reducing costs. This is why more and more businesses, especially small and medium sized organisations, are currently using cheap solutions or even consumer products to protect their IT environments. The imperative to reduce costs also results in many postponed projects and more careful spending of budgets. The free Essential Firewall edition from Astaro aims to support both partners and end users with the necessary functionality to be secure today at no cost, as well as expanding with the customer as their needs grow.

“Companies must break new ground to be successful these days”, said Jan Hichert, CEO at Astaro. “Our free Essential Firewall edition not only helps small and medium businesses to secure their networks to a professional standard, it also opens up new business opportunities for our partners and us. By introducing Astaro’s products to people who beforehand have not experienced them, we aim to significantly increase our install base.”

The Essential Firewall edition is based on the Astaro Security Gateway and delivers the fundamental functionality required to protect customers and their networks. If more functionality is needed over time, the customer can upgrade to the full Astaro Security Gateway. Astaro expects this approach to generate totally new opportunities for its partners.

“In the first weeks after the launch, we registered more than 2000 downloads of our Essential Firewall edition”, said Hichert. “We expect this number to grow rapidly as the word of the first free enterprise firewall spreads. All business opportunities that develop out of this install base will go through our partners.”

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

Network Resource Group Offers Managed Security Service Based On Astaro

Astaro Corporation, a leading network security vendor, today announced that Network Resource Group, a leading IT consultancy and network integrator, is using Astaro Security Gateways to deliver a managed security service. Based on virtualised ASG appliances, Network Resource Group offers customers network, email and web security services that can be monitored and controlled centrally by the partner.

Astaro’s all-in-one security products provide a comprehensive breadth of functionality to customers, allowing them to choose the level of security that meets their business requirements cost-effectively. By using Astaro virtual appliances alongside its other virtualisation offerings, Network Resource Group can meet customer requirements extremely quickly; additional services can be opened up as customers require them, and for as long as they are necessary. Customers pay for the services on a monthly basis, as they are needed; this opens up enterprise-level security for customers without a large capital investment.

“Delivering security services in today’s environment is all about flexibility and being able to meet customer demands,” commented Andrew Fourie, UK sales director for Astaro. “Network Resource Group’s approach, based on Astaro virtual appliances, means that they can offer a complete stable of security functionality using one product, while customers can pick and choose what they need and have experts manage it on their behalf. This model of supplying security as a service is proving to be very popular, as it allows customers to avoid the upfront costs of buying in their own solutions while still benefiting from best of breed technology, support and management.”

Stephen Young, managing director of Network Resource Group, said, “Our primary markets are the not-for-profit and housing association sector, and corporate SMB environments. The IT teams are normally small and responsible for managing a large range of IT projects and responsibilities. Using the Astaro virtual appliances, we can deliver a full range of managed security services that scales to meet the requirements of the business with no upfront charges. This new range fits in well with the other managed offerings that we have.”

Astaro Security Gateways are available as software, hardware or virtual appliances, and can provide all the required functionality to protect IT networks from malicious threats within one easy to use product. The Astaro Command Center (ACC) supports the installed Astaro Security Gateway products with centralised management and reporting facilities. “Monitoring this service to a large group of customers meant that we had to have a solid management platform in place. Because the ACC is available for free as a virtual machine, this meant that the level of investment required from us is lower, enabling us to provide the service at a competitive price-point,” commented Young.

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

Astaro Security Gateway’s IPS Successfully Blocks Attacks

Astaro Corporation , a leading network security vendor, today announced that Astaro Security Gateway’s IPS was able to block attacks that other IPS systems missed at Logansport Savings Bank.

Logansport Savings Bank, a full service bank located in Indiana, uses the Astaro Security Gateway’s IPS (intrusion prevention system) to protect their network from spyware and malware and uses the product to block spam. Although happy with the Astaro’s performance Mike Thompson, Compliance Officer at Logansport Savings Bank, decided to test the Astaro against other IPS systems to ensure he has the most effective system in place.

“As a financial institution we can’t take any chances with our security so although we felt the Astaro Security Gateway was effectively protecting our network we wanted to make sure,” said Thompson.

Thompson placed an alternative product behind the Astaro firewall for thirty days to see what the Astaro missed. After thirty days the results showed that Astaro had only missed 4 attacks out of hundreds of attacks that attempted to penetrate the network. Upon further review it was apparent that the attacks that the Astaro missed and the alternative product caught were not really threats at all.

“The alternative product caught things like media player drivers and a related Java script, none of which were actual threats to our network,” explained Thompson.

Conversely, when the configuration was reversed, with the alternative product on the front line and the Astaro catching what the other product missed, the alternative product missed attacks that the Astaro blocked, confirming Logansport’s belief that the Astaro has an effective IPS system.

Thompson continued: “After viewing these results it was apparent that the Astaro’s IPS is able to keep our network secure and that we had made the right choice when selecting the Astaro Security Gateway. We decided to stick with Astaro, not only did it provide an effective IPS, but it also provided a complete network security solution in one appliance making it more cost effective.”

“We are confident in the Astaro Security Gateway’s IPS and its ability to completely protect our customers’ networks,” said David Rogers, Vice President, Americas, Astaro Corporation. “Real-world tests like these prove that the Astaro Security Gateway will protect any institution’s network. We are obviously pleased Logansport decided to continue protecting their network with Astaro, but we are equally pleased the test proved the Astaro is the best product for the job.”

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

Astaro Offers Free Edition to Help Secure Business Networks

Astaro Corporation, a leading network security vendor, today announced the launch of the Essential Firewall edition of its flagship security solution Astaro Security Gateway, available for free to all organizations worldwide. The Essential Firewall edition includes all the necessary functionality that all organizations need to secure their networks and operate a successful business.

Two developments currently shape the IT landscape. One is virtualization, the other is the trend towards the use of consumer solutions in business environments. Both trends have one common purpose: the imperative to reduce costs. Also, both bear one common danger: they significantly lower the security level of an organization’s network. There are only a few security solutions available that run in a virtual environment, and those tend to be expensive and often complicate to manage. Deploying such solutions requires organizations to cut security requirements – making their network more vulnerable. The same is true for the deployment of consumer products in a business environment.

“Small and medium sized businesses are the backbone of the world economy. They act more cautious, they maintain a stable business and they are not subject to the high demands of investors”, says Jan Hichert, CEO at Astaro. “But nevertheless, SMBs are affected by the current economic climate even more so than larger businesses. This is why we see more and more businesses fall back to consumer products to secure their IT environment – in order to reduce costs, they lower their level of security. This is a dangerous compromise. By launching the Essential Firewall edition we aim to provide those companies a professional alternative.”

As a free edition of the Astaro Security Gateway, the Essential Firewall offers the same easy-to-use Graphical User Interface and is available as Software and Virtual Appliance. Additionally, the Essential Firewall edition will come with the ability to receive support through Astaro’s user forum .

Features included in the Essential Firewall edition:

* Networking: Internet Router, Bridging, DNS server & proxy, DynDNS,
DHCP server & relay, NTP support, automatic QoS
* Network Security: Stateful Packet Inspection Firewall & Network Address translation (DNAT/SNAT/Masquerading)
* Remote Access: PPTP and L2TP over IPSec support (including iPhone support)
* Logging/Reporting: Full logging on local hard drive, searching, real-time reports for hardware, network usage and network security, daily executive report
* Management: Web-based GUI in local languages, setup wizard, configuration backup & restore, administrator notifications, SNMP support, centralized management via Astaro Command Center (also free of charge)

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

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