Top Layer Networks Developing Drop-in Security Engine for Leading Network Servers

Business Wire, Nov 7, 2000

Business Editors

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 7, 2000

Essential Layer 7 Security Measures and Network Management Functions

to Be Offered on an Easy-to-Integrate PCI Bus Card Set

Top Layer Networks, Inc. today announced that it plans to develop and market by early 2001 a PCI Card Set that will give "everyday" servers the ability to police data flows at the application level of the OSI stack, giving network operators an unmatched understanding of what specific applications are crossing their networks, and the ability to manage bandwidth and enforce security policies based on wire speed, deep-packet analysis.

"Our small and midsize customers are no less reliant on their high performance networks than our larger customers in the service provider and enterprise realms. They have the same requirements and security concerns, and they need the networking intelligence to quickly and completely identify and control traffic flows at the application layer," said Top Layer President and CEO Bruce Cohen, speaking from his company's recently opened Tokyo office.

"The AppSwitch PCI will give them that control. It will bring the functionality of the AppSwitch itself onto a pair of cards. It will also enable users to reduce rack space requirements and to save on costs associated with configuration, training, and maintenance."

Cohen also pointed out that a standalone AppSwitch would continue to be the solution of choice for high-volume network customers who need a device that will serve as the nerve center of their security infrastructure, managing traffic flows between their Intrusion Detection Servers, decoy servers, and firewalls. The AppSwitch and servers equipped with the AppSwitch PCI could also be used within the same networks to bring unsurpassed network protection on both sides of standard firewall topologies.

Top Layer executives unveiled a prototype model of the AppSwitch PCI at Networld Interop Paris today (booth D12). The company is also at Systems 2000 in Munich this week, appearing with local partner TLK Computer GmbH (booth 313). Top Layer expects the AppSwitch PCI to be available in the second quarter of 2001, following three to four months of design verification and server compatibility testing. The prototype design phase for the card set began in July 2000 and was completed in October.

The AppSwitch's ASIC-based architecture with TopFire(TM) chipset, both scalable and upgradeable with sophisticated software releases, allows customers to recognize all the application flows crossing their networks and immediately block, filter, or divert harmful network traffic even if the traffic arrives over Gigabit Ethernet links. The AppSwitch PCI will feature the same architecture and software.

"The AppSwitch has been most in demand lately for its security capabilities," said Bruce Cohen. "But it has always been a multiple-use device, with the ability to recognize application flows and immediately take corrective action. How the AppSwitch has been deployed within the network has always depended on the particular needs of the customer."

"Our technology's speed and intelligence has proven appealing to the largest and most prestigious of industry-leading companies," continued Cohen, citing recent announcements that the AppSwitch would be used in the data centers of Hewlett-Packard, Global Center, DataOne Malaysia and PDX Group, also of Malaysia. "Our putting all the AppSwitch's capabilities on a PCI card set will allow us to work with all the world's leading server manufacturers in meeting the security and traffic management needs of companies and service providers that don't yet require a standalone network security engine. Their general purpose servers will be transformed into security servers."

The PCI card set will allow the primary server to bring a great deal of functionality into a single platform - the switching, load balancing, attack mitigation, cache redirection, along with mirroring of the flows to IDS engines, and diversion of suspicious flows to a decoy server for forensic analysis.

The AppSwitch PCI is a pair of PCI cards that have a built-in fast Ethernet network interface card (NIC). The host system will use its standard device driver for the NIC and will interface to the card set as if it were an external device. This will eliminate the need for software changes to the host system.

Aside from crucial security enhancements, both the AppSwitch and the new PCI Card set also provide packet-level data collection, bandwidth management, and network policy enforcement tools.

About Top Layer Networks, Inc.

A privately held company founded in January 1997, Top Layer develops networking devices that deliver unmatched security against attacks and intrusions while managing traffic flows to give users the highest business value from their networks. Top Layer developed the first Layer 7 application architecture and manufactures the award-winning AppSwitch. With multiple security features including Flow Mirror(TM) Intrusion Detection Enhancement, SecureBalance(TM) Firewall Balancing, SecureWatch(TM) Decoy Server Solution, and extensive Denial-of-Service Attack Mitigation capabilities, the AppSwitch's Adaptive Security(TM) capability is the nerve center for serious network security solutions.