Astaro RED

Astaro RED (Remote Ethernet Device) is the easiest and most affordable way to secure your branch offices. You can centrally configure it via an Astaro Security Gateway located at your headquarter which automatically distributes the configuration to the Astaro RED appliance. By forwarding all traffic to the central Astaro Security Gateway, Astaro RED provides complete UTM security even for your smallest remote or home office. In contrast to standard security appliances Astaro RED not only provides stronger security but also slashes the total cost of ownership by 80% as there's no need for technical skill or ongoing maintenance at the remote site.

This section details the features, technical information and deployment scenarios.

Complete UTM Security

Protect your branch offices without compromise.

Through Astaro RED, your remote office security does not need to be compromised. Even the smallest remote or home offices are fully protected by the Network, Web and Mail Security subscriptions of the Astaro Security Gateway at your central office.

Astaro RED acts similar to a thin client in relation to the centralized Astaro Security Gateway, i.e. all security applications are executed within the central gateway. Therefore the branch office which is connected via the Astaro RED appliance obtains the same level of security as the central office. An active Network Security subscription on the central gateway is the minimum requirement for any Astaro RED device. The following applications are available for Astaro Security Gateway appliances:

• Astaro Network Security includes fully integrated features such as a configurable firewall paired with an Intrusion Protection system, Denial of Service, lots of traffic forwarding and NAT tools and much more. Take a deeper look at the extensive range of features provided by this security application.
• Astaro Mail Security ensures that the abuse which email is subjected to, such as spam, viruses and privacy issues, do not affect your daily business routines. Through this application, real messages are properly delivered and employees can find what they need without being exposed to damaging content.
• Astaro Web Security protects employees from threats and allows rule definition of how they spend their time online. Spyware and viruses are stopped before they can enter the network and cause damage. Everything is tracked and arranged in detailed reports which show how effective your policy is so adjustments can be made.
• Astaro Web Application Security protects your web servers from modern attacks and data loss. Stop hackers from using techniques like SQL Injection and Cross Site Scripting (XSS) to gain access to sensitive information. Secure your web applications from being exploited and keep your business PCI-compliant while avoiding theft of sensitive client data like credit card numbers.

Technical Information

Astaro’s branch office security provides complete unified threat management protection for even the smallest remote office and features:

• Thin client technology
• Forwards all traffic and internet requests via a tunnel to the central site
• All traffic is filtered via the sophisticated UTM features of the central Astaro Security Gateway
• Remote device only needs to encrypt and forward data

Available Platform Branch Office Security can be implemented through installing Astaro Security Gateway (running software version 7.505 or higher) at your central office combined with Astaro RED devices locally deployed at your branch office locations.

Built-in Central Management

Control all remote offices from your central Gateway.

Astaro Security Gateway acts as an Astaro RED controller, centrally managing all Astaro RED appliances through a cloud-based provisioning service. The complete configuration, logging and troubleshooting is performed at your central office. There is no need for the individual management of single devices.

With Astaro RED, managing your remote site’s IP addresses becomes a no-brainer. You can easily define your global DHCP and DNS Server configuration on your central Astaro Security Gateway and roll it out to all sites connected via the Astaro RED device.

Similarly, creating and managing separate security policies for each individual site is no longer required. You just need to create and maintain one global security policy for protecting all remote sites. Keeping control and global visibility of your remote networks has never been easier, as Astaro‘s built-in reporting integrates RED-connected networks without the need for a separate reporting tool.

In fact, RED-connected sites appear like they are physically connected to your Astaro Security Gateway through an ultra long Ethernet cable. With this new approach, branch offices can be managed as if they were located just within another in-house department.

Technical Information

Astaro’s branch office security treats your remote offices as if they were just another in-house department:

• Remote connection behaves like an Ethernet cable
• Central DHCP and DNS server configuration
• Easy IP address management
• Only one global security policy needed
• Central logging and reporting

Available Platform
Branch Office Security can be implemented through installing Astaro Security Gateway (running software version 7.505 or higher) at your central office combined with Astaro RED devices locally deployed at your branch office locations.

Virtual Ethernet Cable

Reliably protect your transferred data.

Astaro RED acts like a remote network port connected through a virtual Ethernet cable to your Astaro Security Gateway. All data transferred is protected by strong encryption.

The Astaro RED device establishes a secure Layer 2 ("Ethernet") tunnel to the central Astaro Security Gateway using strong AES256 encryption and SHA1-HMAC authentication. Furthermore, all communication is automatically authenticated via an SSL channel by using trusted digital X.509 certificates before any data is being transferred.

As Astaro RED acts like an Ethernet cable all advantages of your LAN can be applied to your branch office. This includes central IP address management through DHCP and the usage of challenging protocols like multicast or netbios.

Hardware based AES encryption acceleration furthermore empowers each Astaro RED device to provide throughput rates of more than 30 Mbps, which exceeds the bandwidth available for typical small office WAN connections today and ensures low latency.

Technical Information

Astaro’s branch office security reliably protects your transferred data:

• AES256 encryption (hardware accelerated)
• SHA1-MAC authentication
• Mutual X.509 authentication via SSL channel for control protocol
• Transfers all Layer 2 protocols (Ethernet tunnel)

Available Platform
Branch Office Security can be implemented through installing Astaro Security Gateway (running software version 7.505 or higher) at your central office combined with Astaro RED devices locally deployed at your branch office locations.

Rapid Deployment

Setup a new branch office in minutes.

Astaro RED is the first comprehensive security gateway which does not require any local setup or technical skills at the remote site. The entire configuration is completed at your central office and is automatically distributed to all local Astaro RED appliances. Through its automated plug & play provision, it allows even for mass roll-outs of up to 100 appliances per day.

The configuration and deployment is completely automated and requires only a few steps: After entering a name and a unique device ID within the central Astaro Security Gateway, a new configuration file is created and stored automatically with the Astaro provisioning service.

After sending the unconfigured Astaro RED device to the remote office, the Internet router will need to be connected, the device should then be added to the network and plugged into the wall. As soon as the Astaro RED device is powered up, it will automatically retrieve its configuration from the provision service, will connect to the central Astaro Security Gateway and establish a secure Ethernet tunnel.

Technical Information

Astaro's Branch Office Security will help reduce your total cost of ownership by 80% through the following specifications:

• Automated "plug & play" provisioning
• No IT knowledge or personnel required at the remote site
• No maintenance nor recurring costs for the branch office
• Only a DHCP router is necessary at the remote site  

Available Platform
Branch Office Security can be implemented through installing Astaro Security Gateway (running software version 7.505 or higher) at your central office combined with Astaro RED devices locally deployed at your branch office locations.