SOMERSET, N.J. (June 18, 2007) - To fortify data centers and branch offices from security threats, Raritan today unveiled its next-generation Dominion® SX secure console server appliance. Dominion® SX 3.1 provides additional layers of protection and new productivity tools for managing IT equipment remotely.
Designed to complement customers' existing IT infrastructures, including firewalls and VPNs, the Raritan out-of-band remote management solution establishes layers of deterrents to block unauthorized access. It is a more secure alternative than in-band troubleshooting tools based on Telnet and SSH services used in many branch offices today.
"When a Dominion SX is added to a branch office, layers of protection are added immediately and cost effectively to a customer's security plan," said Nicolas Nguyen, Director of ROBO/Serial Marketing at Raritan. "As attackers attempt to break through a layer, they will encounter another layer of protection."
Based on security best practices - such as the guidelines outlined in the Payment Card Industry (PCI) standard - the Dominion SX hides from hackers points of entry into remote sites, provides a sophisticated password and authentication architecture, encrypts data, monitors for cases of invalid login and password attempts -- from inside and outside the firewall -- and sends out alerts
Dominion SX Security Features -- Layer by Layer
The Dominion SX's out-of-band access network is a great deterrent for hackers attempting to discover entry points - specifically, the IP addresses to network elements. In contrast, in-band access methods are more vulnerable to ping sweeps because they use the same transport path of the network device to maintain the device. Raritan's solution also enables IT administrators to change the TCP port address of target devices in order to "hide" target devices in a different subnet, and provides pre- and post-routing and Static NAT (SNAT) support.
A number of secure console server firsts were added to the Dominion SX, including Strong Password Access -- allowing administrators to define the length of passwords, and the use of special characters, numbers and case sensitivity -- and Password Lockout, which locks out a potential intruder after a pre-defined number of failed login attempts.
The Dominion SX's group administration and permission capabilities help administrators ensure that the right person or group has access to the right target devices. It also prevents the use of one password to access all devices, which is a common security problem with in-band solutions. If an intruder successfully logs into the Dominion SX, he or she will be forced to find the correct password for each connected device. The Dominion SX also has a Security Login Banner feature that requires a user to accept security terms before given access to key areas.
The Dominion SX's Secure Audit Trail captures and logs every keystroke, so that in the event of a breach unauthorized changes can be undone. Raritan's solution also encrypts all keystrokes, log files and database information. The new product release improves SMTP notifications, by making persistent attempts to deliver notifications. These alerts can go to SYSLOG or an SNMP collector or to specified e-mail addresses for immediate notification.
"The Dominion SX is designed for managing IT environments where security, high availability and costs are top concerns," said Jamie Johnson, Director Midwest Operations at Deltaware Inc. "The costs of unauthorized entry to server racks are high. It can impact revenue as result of downtime; employee productivity loss due an outage, and costs related to repairing systems after a malicious code, for example, has damaged the system. It also can affect customer goodwill."