This month, AirTight Networks’ flagship product, SpectraGuard® Enterprise, achieved FIPS 140-2 validation from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the United States and the Communications Security Establishment of Canada (CSEC).

 These standards and guidelines are issued by NIST as Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) for use government-wide. NIST develops FIPS when there are compelling Federal government requirements such as for security and interoperability and there are no acceptable industry standards or solutions. See background information for more details.

Simultaneously, AirTight’s SpectraGuard Server passed TIC tests for inclusion on the DISA UC APL. The DISA UC APL is the single consolidate list of products that have completed interoperability (IO) and information assurance (IA) certification. Use of the DoD UC APL allows DoD Components to purchase and operate UC systems over all DoD network infrastructures.

AirTight’s products are deployed worldwide in many of the most security sensitive United States government and defense organizations to assure security and compliance with requirements such as DoD 8420.01, FISMA and guidelines from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Because AirTight products are always kept up-to-date with certifications such as FIPS 140-2, Common Criteria and DISA; government and defense agencies can take advantage of the powerful wireless security technology provided by AirTight.

Della Lowe 802.11n, Compliance, DISA UC APL, Federal Government, FIPS 140-2, Wireless security, WLAN networks 802.11n, DISA, FIPS, WIPS, Wireless Intrusion Prevention, Wireless security

Join AirTight wireless and security experts to learn how deploying a cloud-based Wi-Fi solution can meet your  business objects with the fastest deployment, lowest cost and minimal management overhead, while maintaining the security of your network and meeting PCI wireless scanning requirements.

AirTight can show you how to be up and running with a Guest Wi-Fi network and captive portal in a matter of minutes.

Be sure to visit AirTight at booth 2227 at the NRF 101st Annual Convention & EXPO, January 15-18, 2012 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. We will have experts and top executives on hand to answer your questions.

Monday, January 16, 2012: 9:00am – 6:30pm
Tuesday, January 17, 2012: 9:00am – 5:00pm 

Featured Product:

AirTight Cloud Services™ – AirTight Cloud Services for Wi-Fi Access and Security is the first and only VVi-Fi solution managed from the cloud that offers VVi-Fi access PLUS full time rogue detection and prevention for wireless security and PCI compliance in a single device.

If we have your interest, contact us at sales@airtightnetworks.com to set up a meeting with our wireless experts.

Della Lowe Cloud computing, PCI, WiFi Access, Wireless security, WLAN networks

We are really excited here at AirTight.  AirTight achieved a rating of “Strong Positive” in Gartner’s 2011 Marketscope Report for Wireless LAN Intrusion Prevention Systems. published this week.  “Strong Positive” is the highest possible rating in a Gartner Marketscope. The July 2011 report was authored by John Girard, VP, Distinguished Analyst, John Pescatore, VP, Distinguished Analyst and Tim Zimmerman, Research Director at Gartner.

2011 Gartner Marketscope On Wireless LAN IPS matrix

If you are concerned about wireless threats to your enterprise, including unapproved personal smart devices, this report outlines the key highlights and limitations of each solution as well as feedback from real customers of each vendor.

The 2011 MarketScope report evaluated vendors on five criteria – customer experience, offering (product) strategy, overall viability (business unit, financial strategy, organization), marketing execution, and product/service.

The report notes in part, “Wi-Fi support is a standard extension of corporate networks, and enterprises must ensure the vulnerability management and intrusion prevention processes be extended to cover wireless and wired networks. WLAN security monitoring in the form of wireless intrusion prevention systems (WIPS) is required to ensure that supported WLAN performance is not impeded by interference or denial-of- service attacks, WLAN traffic is kept private and secure, users are prevented from installing unauthorized WLANs, and unsupported/unauthorized WLAN technologies are barred from operation.”***

***MarketScope Disclaimer

The MarketScope is copyrighted 2011 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The MarketScope is an evaluation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner’s analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the MarketScope, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest rating. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Della Lowe PCI, smartphones, WiFi Access, Wireless scanning, Wireless security, WLAN networks

The latest Gartner research on wireless IPS has just been published and AirTight has received the highest rating of  “Strong Positive”.

Follow this blog…. More information coming soon!

Mike Baglietto 802.11n, Air Magnet, PCI, smartphones, WiFi Access, Wireless security, WLAN networks

With the explosive growth of smart devices in the enterprise, Mobile Device Management (MDM) is a hot topic among IT departments these days.  In order to secure the network and protect sensitive data on mobile endpoints, many organizations are deploying tools to secure, monitor, and manage smart devices accessing their networks.  Installing an MDM agent on mobile assets gives the IT department the ability to enforce VPNs, remotely wipe data off stolen/lost devices, and ensure that devices under management by the IT staff are running the most current and secure applications.

But is this really enough to protect you?

No.  In today’s “BYOD” (bring your own device) culture, the reality is that personal smart devices will continue to attach to your network. These devices may not have your favorite MDM agents running on them, thus exposing your network and data to security threats again.  Enterprises need a “gatekeeper” control to ensure that only approved devices with an installed MDM agent can attach to the corporate network. By adding a strong WIPS solution to your enterprise security portfolio, you will have the ability to enforce such control and complete your mobile security strategy.

A robust wireless IPS solution (WIPS) will detect, identify and locate unauthorized smart devices connecting to the network, generate a real time alert or even better – block those unmanaged devices from connecting in the first place.  Better yet, a good WIPS will allow you to define your security policy by device type, VLAN, and location.  For example, iPhones could be allowed to connect to the guest network for Internet access, but could still be blocked from accessing the internal network.

Watch this technical webinar for more information.

Mike Baglietto Best practices, mobile device management, smartphones, WiFi Access, Wireless security, WLAN networks Android, iPhone, mdm, mobile, secure WiFi, security policy, WiFi security

A special Aberdeen Group report titled, “Wireless LAN 2011: Readying the Invisible Network for the Smart Revolution is the first industry study to track the impact of the rapid rise of smart devices on the WLAN.

The proliferation of embedded WiFi devices – smartphones, tablets, and Machine-to-Machine sensors (M2M) – and the explosion of wireless activity in and around the enterprise make maintaining a good security posture and meeting regulatory compliance requirements more challenging than ever.

According to Andrew Borg, senior research analyst, Wireless & Mobility for Aberdeen, and the report’s author, “A network is suboptimal unless network performance and security are both addressed. It isn’t enterprise class if it isn’t secure. As a consequence top-performing organizations are consistent in considering network security a high priority.”

This report is available immediately at no cost, courtesy of AirTight Networks.

Mike Baglietto Best practices, Compliance, mobile device management, smartphones, Wireless scanning, Wireless security, WLAN networks

If you are concerned about the proliferation of smart devices (Iphones, Droids, tablets) and the impact on  your network security, then this is a “can’t miss” webinar.   The inability to detect and block unauthorized personal devices from attaching to your network puts your business at risk.  AirTight CTO and Founder Pravin Bhawat discusses the challenges with mobile device management and the limitations of existing wireless network security measures.

Listen to the recorded webinar here.

Mike Baglietto 802.11n, Best practices, Compliance, mobile device management, smartphones, Wireless scanning, Wireless security, WLAN networks

I meant to publish something when I first saw this article in Network World.   Apparently Gartner debunks the myth that a single vendor network solution is more cost effective and easier to manage.   Pretty strong statement by Gartner and there were some pretty strong reactions if you look at the comments on the Network World site.

In a Wi-Fi world, I think Gartner’s analysis is especially true. With the availability of controller-less and cloud based Wi-Fi solutions, Cisco’s pricing and complexity is more than some are willing to accept.  Branch offices don’t need the same expensive Cisco WiFi infrastructure to support hot spot or in store WiFi applications.  And in Cisco’s case, even the first generation (or two)  of the “single vendor” approach is often a sum of parts collected in an M&A spree. Because nothing was really designed to work together in the first place, adding additional capabilities to the WLAN such as security, compliance scanning,  performance and disagnostics often requires another “box”, additional licenses, and lets not forget the maintenance. 

Sounds like Gartner touched a nerve. Maybe customers are tired of paying a premuim for something that requires even more  IT  resources to manage day-to-day?  Show me hard savings NOW.  Not some fuzzy ROI over the next couple years.

Love to hear what others think.

Mike Baglietto 802.11n, Cloud computing, WiFi Access, WLAN networks

Controller based WiFi architectures have been the standard for some time, but the advantages of the cloud appear to be a perfect fit for deploying a scalable, and more importantly, manageable WiFi infrastructure. Cloud based solutions are intended to drastically reduce the cost and complexity of delivering an enterprise solution. And WiFi should be no exception.

By now, you have discovered CFO’s like cloud computing. IT solutions that can be purchase as a cloud solution eliminate up front capital expenditures, depreciation, and product obsolescence.

Cloud solutions improve cash management because there is no need to write a big check all up front. Paying only for the capabilities you need, lowers your organizations financial risk. And the recurring (often monthly) operational costs of cloud based solutions provide easy to forecast and budget IT expenditures. Lastly, because deployment time and on-going operational overhead can be recognzed in weeks not months, results are easier to measure.

If you are considering a new WiFi deployment or are ready for a refresh, take a look at this video to see how AirTight’s Cloud Services can help.

Mike Baglietto 802.11n, Cloud computing, Compliance, PCI, WiFi Access, WLAN networks cloud