New Gigabit Switches Improve Network Security

By Janet Harris

Broadcom Corporation has announced a new generation of multi-layer Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switches designed to improve enterprise network security and manageability.

The Broadcom(R) StrataXGS(R) III Gigabit Ethernet switches feature new BroadShield(TM) security technology, which enables network admission control (NAC) and supports Microsoft’s Network Access Protection policy enforcement technology.

The new generation switches are a follow-on series to the company’s widely deployed BCM56500 series.

All products in the latest BCM56510 series include BroadShield security technology, a multi-layered security framework with standards-based authentication, user quarantine, denial of service (DoS) attack prevention, ‘man in the middle’ attack prevention, spoofing prevention, and support for advanced access control lists (ACLs).

The BCM56510 series of GbE switches supports Microsoft Network Access Protection, a policy enforcement technology built into the Windows Vista and Windows Server operating systems.

This protects network assets from unhealthy computers by enforcing compliance with network health policies.

Microsoft’s Network Access Protection technology is available with trial versions of Windows Vista, and available to select partners and customers with Beta 2 of the future version of Windows Server, codename “Longhorn.”

The BCM56510 series also enables network admission control (NAC), which governs how security policies are enforced on any device on the network with the goal of minimizing the damage from emerging security threats.

Via NAC, IT managers can control network access for any client that accesses the network, e.g. a PC or PDA, and grant the appropriate level of access based on the classification of the endpoint device.

The new Broadcom StrataXGS III BCM56510 series (BCM56510, BCM56511, BCM56512, BCM56513 and BCM56514) is now sampling to early access customers.