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WatchGuard Announces Fireware 9.0 - Major Release of Firebox X Core and Peak Security Appliances
New Ownership Brings Profitability, Change to Company
SEATTLE, April 17 -- WatchGuard(R) Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of network security solutions, today announced a new major release of Fireware(R) 9.0, the software that propels their Firebox(R) X Core(TM) and Peak(TM) security appliances for mid-sized businesses.
Fireware 9.0 dramatically increases the functionality and performance of the Firebox X Core and Peak security appliances to give network administrators a newfound level of granular control and stability. This release introduces a robust set of advanced networking features, each integrated within the system manager, including VPN failover, support for IKE 3rd party certificates, drag-and-drop VPN tunnel creation, policy-based routing, VLAN, QoS, multi-WAN failover, load balancing, and high availability with firewall rules. Robert Ward, product marketing manager for Firebox X Core and Peak said, "With Fireware 9.0, WatchGuard has delivered a quality appliance that matches or exceeds competitive offerings. We delivered Edge with a unified threat management (UTM) suite in December. This restored the company's position of leadership in security appliances for small businesses. With Fireware 9.0, we believe WatchGuard can now resume a position of competitive leadership for security appliances for the medium-sized enterprises."
"Our recent migration from WFS [a Fireware predecessor] to Fireware 9.0 has gone very smoothly," said Alan Mercer, director of technology integration for the Associated Catholic Charities. "The multi-WAN failover capabilities allowed us to simplify our network technology considerably and streamline day-to-day management."
Firebox X Core appliances are ideal for small and mid-sized enterprises with 50 to 750 users and are capable of 300+ Mbps of firewall throughput. Firebox X Peak appliances can support 500 to 2000 users with 2.0 Gbps of firewall throughput. Both appliances offer complete UTM solutions including anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, intrusion prevention, and URL filtering.
Most Firebox X Core and Peak appliances can easily be upgraded to higher models in the product line by the simple application of a license key. This allows an organization to adapt and expand, meeting the evolving needs of its business. Every Core and Peak e-Series appliance is environmentally friendly, meeting European RoHS requirements.
Along with the new Fireware 9.0 announcement, WatchGuard is announcing a new channel partner program, which includes a co-op program to help partners fund marketing programs, free marketing consultations for partners to help plan and execute effective marketing programs, and the delivery of monthly turn-key marketing campaigns. These campaigns include a variety of customizable direct mail, electronic direct mail, ad artwork and copy, sample landing pages, sales presentations, scripts for telemarketing, and tips on maximizing effective use of campaigns. Elements of the turn-key campaigns are easily customizable to allow for co-branding and style preferences and are translated into seven languages: German, Spanish, French, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
"Rather than focus our time on planning a market development fund, we are focusing our time on working with our partners to fund marketing plans that will achieve our mutual goals for driving revenue from WatchGuard products," said Kathleen Brush, Ph.D., vice president of marketing for WatchGuard. "Our partners are enthusiastic about the provision of co-op, free marketing expertise, and the ready availability of customizable co-branded marketing materials," continued Brush.
Pricing and Availability
WatchGuard Firebox X Core appliances with Fireware 9.0 start at $1459.00 (US MSRP) for the wired X550e model. Brand new reduced pricing for the UTM bundles for Core appliances start at $1999.00 (US MSRP). The new solutions are expected to be available through WatchGuard resellers worldwide on 04/17/07.
WatchGuard was privatized in October of 2006, when the company was purchased by the leading private equity firms Francisco Partners and Vector Capital, who combined, have $5.5 billion under management. The company has been undergoing numerous changes to restore growth and profitability to the firm. A new partner program and a new major release of Fireware are the latest of these significant improvements.
About WatchGuard
WatchGuard has been delivering industry-leading network security appliances since 1996. The company's upgradeable appliances deliver the performance, functionality, and security strength to meet the needs of SME organizations. WatchGuard's Intelligent Layered Security protects against emerging threats and provides a platform to integrate additional services offered by the company. All WatchGuard products include 90 days of the LiveSecurity(R) Service subscription for vulnerability alerts, software updates, expert security instruction, as well as individualized and self-help customer care. WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. For more information, please visit www.watchguard.com .
NOTE: WatchGuard, LiveSecurity, Fireware, Core, Peak, and Firebox are either registered trademarks or trademarks of WatchGuard Technologies, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Josh Rhodes of Weber Shandwick, +1-503-552-3728, jrhodes@webershandwick.com, for WatchGuard; or Kate Roemer, +1-206-521-8353, PR@Watchguardpr.com
Contacts:
Public Relations:
Weber Shandwick
Josh Rhodes
USA
Phone: 503-552-3728
 E-mail this person
General Information:
Kate Roemer
USA
Phone: 206-521-8353
E-mail this person
Company Information:
Name: WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.
Address: 505 5th Ave S. Suite 500
City: Seattle
State: WA
ZIP: 98104
Country: USA
Phone: 206-521-8340
FAX: 206-521-8342
http://www.watchguard.com/
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