Versa Networks’ Software-Defined Security Enables Agile and Comprehensive Defense-in-Depth for Service Providers and Large Enterprises

Versa FlexVNF Now Provides DNS Security and Secure Web Gateway; Best-in-Class Multi-Tenant Next-Generation Firewall and Unified Threat Management Performance

Santa Clara, Calif., February 23, 2016

Versa Networks, a networking and security startup providing next-generation WAN and branch office solutions for service providers and enterprises, today announced major feature and performance enhancements to the software-defined security used in its branch security offering. Versa FlexVNF software-defined security enables service providers and large-enterprise IT teams to deliver a range of layered security services for branch offices, including advanced functions such as domain name system (DNS) security and secure web gateways (SWG), coupled with full multi-tenancy.

Industry analysts have noted that branch offices are increasingly becoming a targeted point of entry into corporate networks, with attack volume growing more than 500 percent over the last three years. To address this growing branch office vulnerability, both service providers (through managed service offerings) and enterprise IT teams will need to evolve branch security infrastructure from legacy point appliances to a more agile and software-defined approach. What software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) has started to do for branch connectivity, software-defined security (SD-Security) will need to do for branch security.

In a 2012 report, “The Impact of Software-Defined Data Centers on Information Security,” Gartner said “In Phase 3, information security itself will evolve to become software-defined, where, like SDN, the management model for security services is abstracted from being managed one box at a time to a policy-based, network-wide view.”

Enabling Robust Branch Security with Software-Defined Security and Industry-Leading Performance

Layered security infrastructure and/or managed security services can be critical resources for securing branch office networks, given their growing profile as a more vulnerable point of entry into the enterprise. Versa has expanded its portfolio of SD-Security functionality in Versa FlexVNF, which incorporates a next-generation firewall (NGFW), anti-virus capability, intrusion prevention and category/content filtering, to now include the following advanced functions:

• DNS threat defense provides additional protection against attacks, APTs and malware and uses big data analytics and machine learning intelligence to automate protection against both known and emerging threats.
• An SWG provides granular control of and visibility into outbound web traffic to enforce security and corporate policies as well as protection at the browser layer.

Both of these new SD-Security capabilities can be located at the branch office or delivered from the telco cloud, depending on customer requirements and/or the managed service design.

While SD-Security can make defense-in-depth more agile and cost effective, it should not be a performance bottleneck. Versa FlexVNF is optimized to offer best-in-class security performance per rack unit (RU). One Versa FlexVNF software instance, running on one RU unit of commodity x86 hardware, can provide up to 40 Gbps of stateful firewall, 20 Gbps of NGFW or 10 Gbps of unified threat management (UTM) – double the capacity of the leading proprietary hardware-based solutions. Because the Versa solution is software-defined, new capacity can be added quickly and new functions can be turned on in minutes.

Increased Agility and Deeper Security for Both Providers and Enterprises

Service providers and enterprises alike will appreciate the agility of Versa FlexVNF, which enables them to dynamically add new capacity or capabilities such as an NGFW and SWG when direct Internet access is activated. Unlike appliance-based security products, Versa FlexVNF software is fully multi-tenant and able to leverage SD-Security functions across multiple end customers or business divisions to reduce the overall cost of compute-intensive security functions.

Versa FlexVNF incorporates rich service chaining, which allows for the rapid and error-free deployment of layered security such as an NGFW with DNS security on top of SD-WAN for securing direct Internet access. Versa also allows for service chaining with third-party security devices and software. This is important, as it enables simpler execution of a defense-in-depth strategy and allows integration of best-of-breed components.

“Versa FlexVNF is redefining branch security for enterprises and managed security for providers by combining defense-in-depth with the agility and flexibility of software-defined security,” said Kumar Mehta, CEO and founder of Versa Networks. “Branch security has become vital in 2016 and beyond as attackers zero in on branches as the next vulnerable entry point, especially when direct Internet access is enabled. The problem we’re seeing is that most branch offices are not offering enough layers or depth of security – and software-defined security can be the solution.”

About Versa FlexVNF

Versa FlexVNF allows service providers and large enterprises to transform the WAN and branch network to achieve unprecedented business advantages. Versa’s software-based approach provides unmatched agility, cost savings and flexibility vs. traditional network hardware. For service providers, Versa FlexVNF enables next-generation managed services for virtual customer premises equipment (vCPE), managed software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) and managed software-defined security (SD-Security). For enterprises, the software provides carrier-grade solutions for SD-WAN and branch security projects.

Availability

Versa VNF solutions are available now.

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1 = “The Impact of Software-Defined Data Centers on Information Security” published October 16 2012 by analyst Neil MacDonald.

About Versa Networks

Versa Networks, the leader in SASE, combines extensive security, advanced networking, industry leading SD-WAN, genuine multitenancy, and sophisticated analytics via the cloud, on-premises, or as a blended combination of both to meet SASE requirements for small to extremely large enterprises and Service Providers, and via the simplified Versa Titan cloud service designed for Lean IT. Thousands of customers globally with hundreds of thousands of sites trust Versa with their networks, security, and clouds. Versa Networks is privately held and funded by Sequoia Capital, Mayfield, Artis Ventures, Verizon Ventures, Comcast Ventures, Liberty Global Ventures, Princeville Capital, RPS Ventures and Triangle Peak Partners. For more information, visit https://www.versa-networks.com or follow Versa Networks on Twitter @versanetworks.