Infoblox Introduces New Appliances and Major Software Enhancements for Next-Generation DNS, DHCP and IPAM Solution

June 19, 2006; 07:29 AM
SUNNYVALE, Calif. - Infoblox Inc., a developer of essential infrastructure for identity-driven networks (IDNs), today announced availability of a new, next-generation solution that enables distributed delivery of network identity services – including DNS, DHCP, IPAM, RADIUS, and TFTP – with the nonstop availability and real-time service management required for today’s 24x7, advanced IP networks and applications.

The solution is comprised of hardware and software components and includes four new appliance platforms and version 4.0 of Infoblox’s unique NIOS™ operating system, which provides a powerful new graphical user interface and enhanced ID grid technology that unifies data, services and management across a collection of distributed appliances.

Legacy Approaches Don’t Meet Distributed Enterprise Needs Today
Network identity services, including domain name system (DNS), dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) and IP address management (IPAM), are typically delivered using software on a variety of general-purpose servers and operating systems and managed individually throughout enterprise networks. This approach is difficult and costly to deploy and manage, vulnerable to security attacks, and does not readily support high-availability or disaster recovery. In addition, legacy systems are unable to cope with today’s dynamic networks and the requirements for scalability, data integration and integrity necessitated by the rapid increase in IP-based devices and applications, such as network access control (NAC), Voice over IP (VoIP) and wireless mobility.

“The systems used to deploy network identity services like DNS and DHCP are at the core of all network-based applications and need to be brought into the 21st century,” said Jon Oltsik, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. “Investing in robust, appliance-based network identity systems is one of the most effective ways for an organization to improve the availability, security, and performance of all of their critical network applications.”

New Infoblox NIOS Software Delivers Scalable, Manageable ID Grids
Infoblox NIOS v4 software provides significant enhancements to the operating system and applications supported on Infoblox appliances. The software includes a powerful new graphical user interface (GUI) and also provides significant enhancements to Infoblox’s unique, patented ID grid technology.

ID grids – pioneered by Infoblox – enable a collection of distributed Infoblox appliances to be managed as a single entity and to share data in real time. Using sophisticated distributed database technology, data and configuration updates across appliances in an ID grid are immune to failures of appliances or WAN links, eliminating the data loss, errors, and corruption typical in other systems. This prevents problems such as delivering the same IP address to multiple devices – a common issue that is difficult to troubleshoot with conventional solutions and wastes valuable time and resources. Enhancements in NIOS v4 also support more intelligent data replication, reducing the bandwidth needed for grid communications and enabling seamless deployment in a grid of the “right-sized” appliances at each location.

Because ID grids do not require a separate, external database for device configurations and IPAM reporting data, they are easy to architect for high availability and disaster recovery and to install, scale, and manage. Infoblox grids also readily accommodate new services and data objects ranging from user credentials and policies to executable programs and IP phone configuration files.

The Infoblox ID Grid Manager GUI has been redesigned to support larger grids with more appliances and IP devices. The GUI integrates management of all services – DNS, DHCP, IPAM, RADIUS, TFTP and NTP – into a common, scalable framework that can be customized by users to support their unique needs. It includes extensive data searching and display capabilities and easily transitions from a grid-wide view of service and device status to management of a particular appliance, network range, or individual host.

Eric Johnson, network operations manager at Arvest Bank, Arkansas’s largest locally-owned financial institution, which operates over 200 bank branches in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri and is a long-time Infoblox customer, commented: “We are especially excited about the new GUI and its extensive functionality and flexibility. On a single screen, we can have consolidated, comprehensive visibility and control of our devices, services and data. This is going to dramatically simplify administration and increase our efficiency.”

For smaller deployments, the ID Device Manager GUI provides the same powerful service and data management paradigm applied to a single appliance or a high-availability (HA) pair.

New Hardware Platforms Address Branch, Regional Office and Data Center Needs
To meet a range of capacity and performance needs and allow cost-effective distribution of services enterprise-wide, Infoblox now offers the following new hardware platforms – the Infoblox-550, -1050, -1550 and -1552. Each is capable of operating in an ID grid and delivering the full complement of network identity services, including DNS, DHCP, IPAM, TFTP, and NTP.

The Infoblox-550, which supports 25,000 database objects and 12,000 DNS queries per second is targeted at small enterprises and at branch offices of large organizations. The Infoblox-1050, which supports up to 150,000 database objects and 24,000 DNS queries per second, is ideal for medium enterprises and for regional branch offices. The Infoblox-1550, which supports up to 400,000 database objects and 36,000 DNS queries per second, is the choice for enterprise headquarters and grid masters. And the Infoblox-1552 is a dual-power-supply version of the Infoblox-1550; it is well suited for data center and disaster recovery sites.

Richard Kagan, vice president of marketing at Infoblox, commented: “As the only solution specifically designed to meet current and emerging needs for integrated, secure, real-time network identity services, Infoblox ID grids can enable organizations to confidently and effectively deploy advanced applications like VoIP, wireless and NAC, while also establishing a solid foundation for an identity-driven network where user and application-level security, accountability, and auditability are built into the network fabric.”

Pricing and Availability
The new appliance platforms and the NIOS v4 operating system are available in July, 2006. Pricing for the package on the Infoblox-550 appliance with the DNSone package (including DNS, DHCP, IPAM, RADIUS Proxy, TFTP and NTP capabilities) starts at $4,995 in the U.S.

About Infoblox
Infoblox develops essential infrastructure used for establishing identity-driven networks (IDNs). Infoblox network identity appliances deliver nonstop DNS, DHCP, IPAM, RADIUS and related services with unparalleled reliability, manageability, scalability and security. Hundreds of organizations worldwide, including many of the Fortune 500, use Infoblox solutions for the critical naming, authentication, authorization and IP management services that make their networks secure, robust, manageable and compliant. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA and operates in more than 30 countries. For more information, call +1.408.716.4300, email [email protected], or visit www.infoblox.com.