Indian security market is coming out of its firewall fixation

Lanner India is looking at tapping the emerging appliance security market
with its recently launched network security platform. While hardware devices
embedded with a host of security features are nothing new, Lanner hopes to score
in this market with the flexibility it offers to the end customer. Nanda Kasabe
of CyberMedia News spoke to Lanner Electronics India MD PK Jain about the
company’s plans in this space. Excerpts from the interview.

Why did you decide to venture into the hardware network
security market?

While focusing aggressively on the IPC segment and embedded computer
applications in India, we found that network security was a growing challenge.
So, for the last two years, Lanner Taiwan has been foraying into network
security platform. With growth in the Internet usage, security threats are
increasing, thereby triggering a growing demand for network security.

On Lanner’s positioning in India:

Lanner is providing a "Made For India" appliance to Indian
solution providers to meet the security needs. One can achieve security through
software, but again this software is to be loaded on some machine - it may be
server or desktop machine, which is already loaded with some OS and will be
performing some functions. So when the security software is loaded on the same
machine, it degrades the performance of the machine, which is not in the case in
dedicated security boxes. We are trying to create awareness among the users as
how the dedicated security appliance can be used effectively.

What is unique about your latest network security
platform?

Our USP is that a single box can scale up according to the needs of the
corporate. Additionally, the customer will get more choice in deciding the type
of security solution to be integrated on the platform. And with this integrated
solution, all his problems of maintenance of different boxes will vanish. The
integrated box would cost at least 40% lesser than the integrated security
hardware devices sold by other security selling companies.

A dedicated single box device installation proportionately
trims down the compatibility problems that an administrator faces while
managing/changing security policies, rules or studying the log files. It
simplifies vulnerabilities and threat detection and also supports enhanced
accessibility management. This can actually facilitate rationalizing the
bottomline of an enterprise.

On trends in the Indian market:

Security market in India is coming out of its ‘anti-virus/firewall’
fixation. Security modules like content filtering, bandwidth management, load
balancing, proper log reports, intrusion detection and prevention system,
anomaly detection system are fast becoming integral for a foolproof and
comprehensive security for enterprises. Virtual private network is becoming
popular amongst enterprises because of their remote needs through all multi
branches. Research shows that most enterprises today want to either install a
new or add to their existing security set up.

On the strategy for India:

Lanner India is the only company in India, which provides flexible hardware
platforms to local solution developer. This flexibility to scale as many
security modules, allows the solution provider to provide to the end user with a
dedicated single box security solution. Our ‘Made for India’ network
security products portfolio comes as a specified product, single appliance
offering simple selection and technical support at the local level with a team
of experts, promoting customized solutions for the enterprises. Our products are
40% cheaper than our competitors. We provide strong marketing support to local
developers

On a spam prevention system integrated with integrated
gateway device:

Lanner India is planning to launch a Spam Prevention System integrated in a
single box device. The product is under development.