Ethernity Networks offers programmable, secure ENET VPN Gateway

Ethernity Networks (AIM: ENET.L) has unveiled the ENET VPN Gateway. The gateway offers programmability via its FPGA-based design. The system also leverages the FPGA to support the use of open source management software as well as what Ethernity calls “the ENET IPSec VPN solution,” which offloads security functions from the CPU to the FPGA and uses Host Bypass to provide better security at lower cost than competing alternatives, the company asserts.

The ENET VPN Gateway integrates open source Libreswan security management software into the FPGA-based security appliance and accelerates it to enable encrypted connectivity over untrusted networks. The FPGA-based design also enables programmability that offers support for the use of other open source software as well as new flow monitoring functions, security protocols, and crypto algorithms.

The Host Bypass feature, as its name implies, routes the traffic, packet editing, and encryption functions to the FPGA, entirely bypassing the CPU, which Ethernity says is vulnerable to breaches. The host can be authorized to receive or monitor traffic as needed; but, by default, the FPGA handles all networking, flow monitoring, and security functions, the company emphasizes.

“Our network and security technology is populated on FPGA SoCs for embedded products, on FPGA SmartNICs, and now packaged with software to deliver a complete IPSec VPN appliance, offering a ready to deploy solution to shorten time-to-market,” explained Eugene Zetserov, vice president of product marketing at Ethernity Networks. “This appliance delivers secure, powerful, high-speed connectivity based on the combination of well-known open source software and our ACE-NIC FPGA SmartNIC, which enables enterprises, carriers, and cloud providers to deploy and manage their next generation networks at scale.”

The ENET IPSec VPN Gateway also can support Internet of Things (IoT) requirements through its ability to aggregate multiple low-throughput VPN tunnels. It also can become a subset of an SD-WAN infrastructure to provide improved IPSec security, Ethernity adds.

“Ethernity’s new ENET VPN Gateway is an innovative product that integrates open source security code with FPGA SmartNIC data acceleration,” commented Gorkem Yigit, senior analyst at Analysys Mason, via an Ethernity Networks press release. “Operators, enterprises, and cloud providers are embracing software-defined, automated, and cloud-native networks to respond quickly and cost-effectively to constantly evolving customer demands. To build differentiated and future-proof WAN, cloud, and IoT connectivity, they need high-performance, programmable, secure, and open-source enabled solutions such as ENET VPN Gateway.”

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