solutions for wireless LANs, today announced AirMagnet Enterprise 8.1, an independent WLAN security and monitoring solution. The new product allows users to trace and block rogue devices that are physically connected to an enterprise network at great rapidity.

Unlike competitive solutions that rely on singular, limited tracing mechanisms, AirMagnet Enterprise 8.1 coordinates complimentary tracing techniques leveraging AirMagnet’s intelligent sensors to perform local tracing of the sensor’s immediate environment, as well as global, centralized tracing performed by the AirMagnet Server. Information is shared between the intelligent sensors and server to build a global view of the network, automatically learning from previous discoveries and traces.

“AirMagnet has always offered the industry’s most powerful rogue management capabilities. With the new functionality, we’ve not only improved the security aspects of the solution, but we also made it more scalable. By utilizing both our intelligent sensors and the centralized server, Enterprise 8.1 is capable of functioning in both a distributed and centralized environment,” said Chia Chee Kuan, CTO at AirMagnet. “This allows customers to have more flexibility in determining what resources they want to use when monitoring for rogue devices.”

The ability to identify unapproved devices that are physically connected to an organization’s WLAN infrastructure is a critical feature for any WIDS/WIPS solution. Traditionally, tracing could have variable success depending on the techniques used. Some techniques require manually defining all switches in the environment, while others may fail due to an inability to trace across subnets. However, with AirMagnet Enterprise 8.1, it is now possible to leverage multiple tracing mechanisms. This includes the ability to trace centrally or distributed, to trace over the wire or wirelessly over the air, and also to trace manually or automatically based on policy. As a solution that includes all of these mechanisms, AirMagnet Enterprise delivers significant industry improvements in terms of tracing reliability and speed.

"Rogues are still a serious threat to enterprise wireless networks. The sooner the rogues can be identified, the less trouble they can cause," said Stan Schatt, Vice President and Wireless LAN Research Director at ABI Research. "It makes sense to me to use both sensor and server information to speed up the rogue identification process and AirMagnet's Enterprise 8.1 uses precisely that approach."

AirMagnet Enterprise 8.1 provides a simple, scalable WLAN monitoring solution that enables any organization to proactively mitigate all types of wireless threats, enforce enterprise policies, prevent performance problems and audit the regulatory compliance of all their WiFi assets and users worldwide. In addition, the product offers a complete approach to rogue management with the ability to detect, disable, and document every rogue. Multiple detection mechanisms immediately expose every rogue. An active blocking suite disables the rogue wirelessly or at the wired port. A dedicated documentation page provides profiles of each rogue, including a summary of applied policies and actions taken.

Pricing and Availability

AirMagnet Enterprise 8.1, a free upgrade for existing customers with an active support agreement, is available now.

About AirMagnet Inc.

AirMagnet Inc. is a leader in security, performance and compliance solutions for wireless LANs. The company's innovative products include AirMagnet Enterprise, a leading 24x7 WLAN security and performance management solution, and AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer – which is known as the “de facto tool for wireless LAN troubleshooting and analysis.” Other products provide WLAN site survey and design, RF interference detection, remote diagnostics, and a world first voice over WiFi analysis solution. The company, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., has offices worldwide.

Information Source:    Business Wire