Extreme Networks comes up with a simple security solution for the edge

Extreme Networks wants to respond to the increasing attacks on the Internet of Things (IoT) and especially on the IoT devices. The American supplier introduces the Defender for IoT solution for these devices at the edge of the network.

The U.S. network vendor sees an increase in the number of attacks on corporate IoT devices. This is due to the fact that these devices often lack native integrated security in the first place. They are often designed to run on closed networks, so that in the eyes of the manufacturers in question device-level security is unnecessary. Manufacturers have never considered that corporate, closed networks can be connected to the public Internet and that the devices are not suitable for this because they run on outdated operating systems, have hard-coded passwords and/or do not offer antivirus and firewall capabilities.

In addition, according to the supplier, IoT devices are often implemented in a flat or non-segmented network. This means that when a leak occurs, hackers or other malicious parties will have access to sensitive parts of the attacked network.

Defender for IoT

The security solution Defender for IoT, now presented by Extreme Networks, is suitable for any network and is very easy to use and maintain, thus offering IoT security without complexity. Specifically, end users plug the Defender Adapter into an Ethernet connection and run the corresponding application. This application learns to recognize the typical traffic patterns of network devices and dynamically generates a security policy that determines what devices communicate with and how they communicate. This creates automated security for the peripheral network. Once the first device profiles have been generated, administrators can easily place the adapter between the device and the network and apply the relevant security profiles using a simple dropdown menu.

Segmentation and isolation of IOT devices

The edge protection solution now presented helps Layer 2-7 groups of end users to easily divide IoT devices into multiple isolated zones. In addition, they can centrally manage the use of these devices for locations and roaming. By doing so, they reduce the risk of hackers gaining access to the more sensitive parts of the network.

Deployment on any network infrastructure

The U.S. network specialist’s Defender for IoT solution works on each vendor’s IP network and provides in-line protection of IoT devices and segmentation through IPSec tunnels without network modifications. Defender for IoT also integrates with Extreme Fabric Connect, allowing customers to take advantage of network automation capabilities and dynamic auto-attach functionality to streamline edge protection.

Finally, the optional ExtremeMobility AP3912 Wall Jack offers the same integrated defense as the Defender Adapter for both wired and wireless devices, but also supports multiple devices simultaneously in the same room.

Extreme Networks’ Defender for IoT is well suited for use in schools, universities, hospitals, hospitality, manufacturing, transportation, retail and other sectors that rely on Internet-connected devices to enhance their efficiency and customer experience.