Radware and NEC Collaborate to Take OpenFlow Security to the Next Level

MAHWAH, New Jersey, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Radware (NASDAQ: RDWR), a leading provider of application delivery and application security solutions for virtual and cloud data centers, today announced it is working with NEC Corporation of America (NEC), on the development of a joint solution that forwards both companies' growing activities in the software defined networking (SDN) arena.

Radware and NEC will cooperate to create a joint solution which will integrate Radware's Attack Mitigation System into NEC's ProgrammableFlow OpenFlow-based switches and controller.  The joint solution will enable customers to extend the advantages of the software SDN approach in the arena of network security. SDN, in general, decouples the control and data forwarding planes to allow for greater flexibility, scale, performance and agility by making the network more open and 'programmable'. This in turn, allows network administrators and operators more granular control and customization of network behavior to meet a variety of customer needs.  

While SDN and the OpenFlow protocol are entering more mainstream adoption amongst networking equipment vendors and end user companies in support of next-generation networking practices, extending the benefits of this approach to security demands and models is largely untapped. The IT community on the whole views security as the next 'killer app' for SDN and thus the frontier of application for SDN and OpenFlow. In recognition of this need the companies, both forerunners in the development of SDN-enabled solutions in their respective domains, are demonstrating their mutual support of the OpenFlow Switch Specification and turning existing vision into practical reality.

The joint solution of NEC's advanced ProgrammableFlow Controller, OpenFlow switch fabric and Radware's Attack Mitigation System will provide a network and application security-aware network that dynamically assigns security protection resources that can be customize per need according to varying levels of detected threats and traffic volumes. With the secured NEC switch fabric, fast provisioning of network security resources and services for hosted customers, server applications and the entire network infrastructure will now be possible. In addition, Radware will provide application security intelligence for NEC's ProgrammableFlow Controller, which will enable improved adherence to security service level agreements (SLAs) in the face of the most severe emerging threats at both the network and application layers. 

Details of the solution's benefits include:

• Reduced network complexity: Today's attack mitigation infrastructures (cleaning centers) are complex and require expensive network expertise.  The process of establishing and administering network infrastructure such as scalable NetFlow collection, BGP dynamic routing, or maintaining tunnels (e.g., GRE) between protected network objects and the attack cleaning center is complicated, costly and hard to maintain. Use of a programmable secured infrastructure saves on all these operations and their associated high costs.

• Service-centric attack mitigation protection: Data center and cloud provider managers prefer to integrate next-generation technologies that are more service-centric than product- and hardware-centric. The programmable secured infrastructure provides an easier way to provision security services. A "single touch" system, controlled by NEC's ProgrammableFlow Controller, allows managers to provision new security protection resources in their network or for their customers as a value-added service. Security services - for example, mitigation capacity - can also be provisioned per SLA.

• Better service-level guarantees: In addition to the ability to provision security services per SLA, rapid diversion through a flow re-direct process significantly reduces protection time response for better compliance with service level requirements. Additionally, diversion granularity is not limited to L3 IP networking for more efficient resource use and reliable attack mitigation.  

• High availability:  The solution can be deployed in a redundant architecture model with automatic detection and re-assignment of mitigation actions through seamless flow redirects in case of device failure. This same process is also used to increase mitigation capacity.

"We believe that software defined networking is opening new opportunities for move innovative security solutions, which will be innately integrated into the network infrastructure," stated Miguel Llerena, director of channels and alliances, Radware. "We are pleased to collaborate with NEC, an awarded data networking provider, on this initiative and take OpenFlow security to the next level."

"As a pioneer in OpenFlow-based software defined networking, we are excited about the prospect of combining our strengths with Radware's recognized application and network security leadership," said Don Clark, director of business development, NEC Corporation of America. "The bottom line for customers will be a secure network that is also easier to control, manage and provision compared to traditional networks, which have become too complex and cumbersome."

The companies intend to unveil a 'sneak preview' of their proposed joint solution at Interop's 2012 Conference in Las Vegas. Interested parties should plan to visit the NEC booth (#815) on Tuesday, May 8^th from 10:30-11:15 a.m. PST and Wednesday, May 9^th from 1:30-2:00 p.m. PST for a demonstration.  

About NEC Corporation of America
Headquartered in Irving, Texas, NEC Corporation of America is a leading provider of innovative IT, biometrics, network, and communications products and solutions for service carriers, Fortune 1000 and SMB businesses across multiple vertical industries, including Healthcare, Government, Education and Hospitality. NEC Corporation of America delivers one of the industry's broadest portfolios of technology solutions and professional services, including unified communications, wireless, voice and data, managed services, server and storage infrastructure, optical network systems, microwave radio communications and biometric security. NEC Corporation of America is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, a global technology leader with a presence in over 44 countries and more than $37 billion in revenues. For more information, please visit http://www.necam.com.

About Radware

Radware (NASDAQ: RDWR), is a global leader of application delivery and application security solutions for virtual and cloud data centers.  Its award-winning solutions portfolio delivers full resilience for business-critical applications, maximum IT efficiency, and complete business agility. Radware's solutions empower more than 10,000 enterprise and carrier customers worldwide to adapt to market challenges quickly, maintain business continuity and achieve maximum productivity while keeping costs down.  For more information, please visit http://www.radware.com.

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This press release may contain statements concerning Radware's future prospects that are "forward-looking statements" under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These statements are based on current expectations and projections that involve a number of risks and uncertainties.  There can be no assurance that future results will be achieved, and actual results could differ materially from forecasts and estimates.  These risks and uncertainties, as well as others, are discussed in greater detail in Radware's Annual Report on Form 20-F and Radware's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Radware undertakes no commitment to revise or update any forward-looking statement in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date any such statement is made.  Radware's public filings are available from the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at http://www.sec.gov or may be obtained on Radware's website at http://www.radware.com.

Corporate Media Relations:
Michael Lordi
+1-201-785-3206  (office)
+1-201-574-3840  (cell)
[email protected]

SOURCE Radware Ltd

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