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nCircle Launches IDS nTellect To ID, Prioritize Network Attacks

nCircle, a provider of enterprise-class vulnerability management solutions, announced the launch of IDS nTellect, a powerful appliance-based solution that leverages nCircle's IP360 Vulnerability Management System to greatly improve the accuracy and effectiveness of Cisco IDS/IPS. IDS nTellect is the first solution in a new family of products from nCircle that utilizes IP360's continuously updated network end-point intelligence to improve the effectiveness of the security ecosystem.

IDS nTellect is based on nCircle's Security Intelligence Architecture, which continuously gathers information on operating systems, applications, services and vulnerabilities on an enterprise's global network. IDS nTellect correlates this Actionable Intelligence with the Ciscoworks VPN/Security Management Solution (VMS) console to identify real threats against vulnerable targets, reducing the occurrence of false alerts. This enables security personnel to focus on high priority network attacks.

The IDS nTellect appliance deploys quickly and easily, connecting to both nCircle's IP360 and Cisco IDS/IPS. The results are managed within the Ciscoworks VMS management console, virtually eliminating the need for additional training.

"IDS solutions are purely attack-aware and will generate an alert whenever an attack is detected, often in the thousands or millions of alerts per day, most of which are targeted towards vulnerabilities or hosts that don't even exist on a network," said Elizabeth Ireland, vice president of marketing at nCircle. "IDS nTellect delivers target awareness to the IDS system, effectively reducing false positives by 90 per cent or more, so that security operations teams can focus on addressing the real threats against prioritized vulnerable targets."

IDS nTellect has completed successful beta testing with several customers, including Aquila, a leading operator of electricity and natural gas distribution utilities, and Centillium, a provider of broadband access solutions for the consumer, enterprise and service provider markets.

"We saw immediate benefits with the deployment of nCircle's IDS nTellect," said Chris Amos, IT director at Centillium. "With IDS nTellect, there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of false alarms we typically received with our intrusion detection system. We can now identify, prioritize and address real threats to our corporate network, saving us time and resources."

"We have been very pleased with IDS nTellect's ability to integrate with our Cisco security infrastructure, which has allowed us to leverage existing technology investments," said Tim Raines, communications engineer at Aquila. "More importantly, with IDS nTellect, we now have the actionable intelligence to more effectively protect our network from attack."

"Worms and viruses continue to threaten corporate networks, and organizations are searching for more effective ways to protect their most important assets," said Paul Proctor, vice president at META Group, a provider of IT research, advisory services and strategic consulting. "While standalone products continue to dominate the market, there continue to be limitations in their ability to protect the network effectively. However, we are beginning to see a shift in the market as vendors integrate products to provide more comprehensive security solutions."

"IDS nTellect reflects nCircle's continued innovation based on leading- edge, patent-pending technology," said Tim Keanini, CTO of nCircle. "Our goal is to enable the intelligence-based security ecosystem that continuously adapts to the changing threat environment."