AirMagnet Enterprise 8.0 Revolutionizes Wireless IDS Intelligence

AirMagnet Inc. has announced a major new release of AirMagnet Enterprise (Enterprise 8.0) that is packed with new capabilities that allow customers to provide better protection for their wireless environments and to do so more efficiently.The system detects and defends against the latest classes of wireless LAN exploits, delivers the industry's only forensic analysis for spectrum/RF threats and introduces a complete threat intelligence system to classify and prioritize all wireless events for simple management. These updates provide the improved intelligence necessary to consistently and efficiently protect enterprise wireless networks from all potential Wi-Fi risks and threats.

"Security is a critical concern for our business and ensuring the integrity of the wireless LAN can often be a complicated and challenging task," said Tony Akens, network system administrator at Elkhart General Hospital. "AirMagnet Enterprise gives us full-time visibility and protection from wireless security threats so we can manage the network effectively and utilize the key business applications that are critical to our business."

Total WLAN Security
AirMagnet Enterprise provides organizations with unfettered visibility over all wireless assets, and quickly allows staff to prioritize events based on their impact to the network and enterprise policy. The 8.0 version adds new classes of alarms to detect and identify the latest attack tools and strategies, and even provides enterprise-wide threat scoring to immediately tag the most serious wireless vulnerabilities.

"Wi-Fi has now reached mainstream status and has become a critical part of most businesses," said Stan Schatt, vice president and research director at ABI Research. "AirMagnet Enterprise offers customers the tools they need to manage the WLAN effectively and protect it against outside threats. The new release means enterprises now can have the security, optimized performance, and granular control of information they require to make the best decisions for managing their WLANs."

AirMagnet Enterprise 8.0 also features advanced spectrum forensics, enabling IT staff to capture the raw evidence of interference or Layer 1 Denial-of-Service attacks, and improved threat tracing to help IT organizations zero in on new security challenges. "It's no longer a luxury but a necessity for these companies to monitor their RF environment and ensure that their networks are secure as well as tuned for optimal performance," ABI Research's Schatt said.

AirMagnet Enterprise also delivers a multi-dimensional, proactive WLAN defense, automatically tracing and classifying all wireless devices and suppressing both wireless and wire-side threats. A new threat scoring and impact analysis system lets IT staff quickly see the most serious security and performance issues, track important users or devices, track daily changes in overall security posture and viewing in-depth policy and compliance reports. AirMagnet Enterprise also introduces a new WEP Shield feature that provides active protection for WEP devices by preventing the use of various hacking tools used to obtain or "crack" the static WEP keys.

Simple, Efficient Network Management
AirMagnet Enterprise, already recognized for its powerful management capabilities and continuous network-wide wireless monitoring and tracking, now adds a range of new tools for streamlining the daily management of any wireless LAN.

A new overview page helps staff get work done faster by enabling system users to quickly see the information that matters most based on their unique job role. Automated task-driven filtering helps to streamline workflow and provide focus on key problems, and puts key details at the user's fingertips by displaying association histories for all APs and stations, and offering "Live Charts" that deliver advanced graphs and traffic metrics for any device or connection. Moreover, the new version offers a wealth of reporting improvements, including scheduling, advanced filtering and new report templates, all designed to provide the clear information necessary to assess overall WLAN health.

IT organizations can also further streamline management by synchronizing access control lists (ACLs) from Cisco's Wireless LAN Controllers to easily maintain lists of approved devices, and even import AirMagnet Survey or AirMagnet Planner files to view signal and performance coverage on a floor plan.

"The only way to guarantee the continuous security and health of an enterprise wireless network is to identify problems before they have an impact," said Chris Roeckl, vice president of marketing at AirMagnet. "Yet the sheer volume of potential threats and new alerts can make it difficult to pinpoint and quickly analyze the most important wireless issues. AirMagnet Enterprise 8.0 delivers both the comprehensive wireless information that's vital to effectively secure and manage the WLAN, along with the analysis tools that enable an IT manager to take action immediately. All of the features and tools culminate to provide proactive 24x7 network security and management."