SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 26, 2009 — Juniper Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:
JNPR), the leader in high-performance networking, today announced
firewall solutions that have been tested and certified as interoperable
with Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) by the U.S. Defense Information
Systems Agency (DISA) Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC), and
are now listed on the Unified Capabilities Approved Products List as
IPv6 Capable. JITC is DISA's primary agent for testing, evaluation and
certifying information technology and national security systems used in
joint and combined operations.
Following earlier JITC IPv6 certifications of its T Series Core
Routers and M Series Multiservice Edge Routers in 2006, the
IPv6-interoperability certifications of Juniper firewalls help address
what many have cited to be a deterrent to IPv6 adoptions: the lack of
security at the firewall or gateway level. "Ensuring security across
the ever-expanding network ‘edge' of IP access devices, assets and
users is now an essential component of federal and commercial network
security strategies," said Bob Fortna, vice president, Juniper Networks
Defense Sector. "Network security and resiliency is particularly
critical given the rapid growth in the number and sophistication of
cyber attacks on federal agency and U.S. industry networks."
The Juniper firewall solutions receiving JITC certification as an
"Information Assurance Device" include the SSG550M, SSG320M, and SSG20
Secure Services Gateways; the ISG2000 Integrated Security Gateway; and
the NetScreen-5400. All have been certified with Juniper's ScreenOS
Version 6.2 software. Moreover, all are considered to be "of equivalent
architecture to, and therefore a representative sample of" related
families of devices, including the SSG520M, SSG350M, SSG140, and SSG5;
the ISG1000; and NetScreen-5200.
"One lagging element in IPv6 adoption strategies has been on the
security side, particularly in firewalls," said Shawn McCarthy,
research director, IDC Government Insights, an analyst group focused on
the federal market. "Some agencies have reported that network security
concerns have slowed IPv6 implementations, yet all recognize that IPv6
adoption strategies are essential to future network growth. These JITC
certifications should offer reassurance to federal network managers
that IPv6 adoption is not only ‘smart growth,' but highly secure."
The rapid convergence of IP-centric voice, data, video, web traffic
and file-sharing applications (driven by concurrent explosions in
demands for network access, new forms of social media, and systematic
cyber attacks and viruses) is increasingly exhausting IPv4 addresses.
By most estimates, IPv4 addresses will be exhausted in two to four
years.