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AirTight Networks SpectraGuard Enterprise Helps RFID Leader Assa Abloy ITG Secure Network Against Unauthorized Access From Wi-Fi Access Points

Assa Abloy's Motto "We Identify to Secure" Takes New Meaning as Company Takes Steps to Safeguard its Network from Rogue Access Points

AirTight Networks, the leading provider of Wi-Fi IPS (WIPS) Firewalls, today announced that Assa Abloy Identification Technology Group (ITG), a global provider of RFID solutions, has selected AirTight's SpectraGuard Enterprise 3.0 to secure the corporate network from Wi-Fi threats for its headquarters and branch offices.

"Corporate networks are no longer secure today, unless there's been careful planning and the implementation of strong Wi-Fi IPS security technology," said Jai Rawat, vice president, business development & product management at AirTight Networks. "As wireless networks have become more and more common, the air space has become a corporate asset -- and securing it has become as vital as securing the wired network."

Assa Abloy's Information Technology Group discovered that company employees had installed unauthorized access points in several of its offices -- and had left security holes in the process. The unsecured access points allowed anyone with a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop within range to attach to the corporate network -- and, worst case, access potentially confidential information or launch a malicious attack.

The company, knowing that it had to move quickly, created a wireless policy that required security on all access points and allows individual administrators to deploy wireless solutions. Next, the company turned to AirTight Networks for a solution that would monitor airwaves and alert administrators to new, unauthorized access points.

SpectraGuard Enterprise 3.0 is the first Wi-Fi IPS Firewall which provides around the clock automatic device classification and intrusion prevention, pinpoint location tracking and real-time RF mapping to protect the integrity of your network. The company initially rolled out a configuration that protects its Irvine, CA headquarters.

"With SpectraGuard, we now have much better visibility of the airwaves," said Doug Vark, network operations manager at Assa Abloy ITG. "It allows us to see what's in our air space as well as in the neighborhood. Now we can detect and prevent unauthorized access points or see if our wireless clients try to connect to neighboring networks or vice versa."

SpectraGuard Enterprise 3.0 met and exceeded their demands, providing wireless intrusion protection including simultaneous detection and prevention of multiple threats from a single sensor, and comprehensive threat prevention including to counter the most serious attacks -- MAC spoofing APs, Evil Twin/honey pot APs and Denial of Service threats. In addition, SpectraGuard Enterprise 3.0 is the only solution that provides comprehensive auto-classification and prevention of all major classes of Wi-Fi vulnerabilities. SpectraGuard 3.0 also allowed Assa Abloy to precisely plan the number of sensors needed for complete protection of their offices.

Assa Abloy plans to roll out the solution in its other North American offices, including its San Jose, CA location and its offices in Colorado and Connecticut, later this year. The company also intends to deploy the software in its offices in Asia, Europe and South America.

For more information on SpectraGuard Enterprise 3.0 or to register for a free wireless vulnerability analysis evaluation, visit the company's Web site at www.airtightnetworks.net.

About AirTight Networks

Founded in 2002, AirTight Networks maintains network and mobile client integrity from Wi-Fi security vulnerabilities. AirTight Networks Wi-Fi IPS Firewalls provide enterprises and service providers with around-the-clock wireless monitoring and automatic intrusion prevention as well as manage wireless LAN network performance for maximum capacity and uptime. The SpectraGuard family of products is the industry's first Wi-Fi firewall that identifies and stops security risks and attacks, provides real-time network audits, assists in performance troubleshooting and monitors the overall health of the wireless LAN. AirTight Networks is a privately held company based in Mountain View, CA. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.airtightnetworks.net.

About ASSA ABLOY

ASSA ABLOY ITG is an ASSA ABLOY business entity made up of separate ASSA ABLOY Group companies focused on current and emerging identification solutions. ASSA ABLOY is the world's leading manufacturer and supplier of locking solutions, meeting tough end-user demands for safety, security and user friendliness. The company provides RFID solutions for physical and logical access control, national ID and e-passport programs, supply chain management, animal tagging, transport and a growing number of industrial and manufacturing applications. ITG is based out of ASSA ABLOY's U.S. headquarters in Irvine, California. The ASSA ABLOY Group has some 30,000 employees and annual sales of about EUR 3 billion. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.assaabloy.com.

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