Product Watch: Sourcefire Expands IPS Line

Sourcefire today unveiled three new intrusion prevention system (IPS) product families—a low-end IPS for network administrators, enhancements to its next-generation IPS platform; and a modular chassis that runs from 10 gigabits-per-second to 40Gbps throughput.

"We're broadening our reach at the high-end with the introduction of new hardware, as well as [hardware] for the network admins of the worlds instead of the security analyst, which has been our traditional customer. And we have a new software release to our 3D System 410," says Marc Solomon, vice president of product management at Sourcefire.

The new IPSx is an "IPS made simple," he says, with a user-friendly user interface, management, policy, and reporting features that don't require a security expert to operate.

And the new 8000 hardware is a modular platform that uses its new FirePOWER technology, and takes a page from the network switch chassis market, versus traditional appliances with a set configuration. "It takes the networking model to the security space," Solomon says. "This gives us headroom to add additional security applications atop these boxes."

The new IPS 4.10 expands application awareness and added detection for applications including Facebook, Windows Media Player, Google Toolbar, and Apple, Android and BlackBerry smartphones.

Sourcefire has no plans for adding support for the Suricata IPS technology at this time, Sourcefire officials said.

The Sourcefire IPS 4.10 is available now, and the Sourcefire IPSx and 8000 Series appliances will ship early next month. Pricing for IPSx starts at $12,995 for the 250 Mbps sensor, and pricing for the 8000 Series hardware starts at $131,500 for a 10G appliance.

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