SANTA CLARA, CA--(Marketwire - April 21, 2008) - Infoblox Inc. today announced enhancements to its full line of core network services (CNS) appliances that provide unparalleled management and network access policy enforcement advantages. These enhancements support enterprise automation and network security initiatives.

The resiliency and manageability of core network services -- including domain name resolution (DNS), IP address assignment (DHCP), IP address management (IPAM), authentication (RADIUS), configuration (FTP/TFTP/HTTP), network time (NTP) and others -- directly impact the ability to operate all applications, such as email, web services, Microsoft Active Directory, Voice over IP (VoIP) and wireless.

Infoblox's appliance-based solutions, with the Company's unique NIOS™ operating system, provide enterprises a robust platform to ensure reliable delivery and management of these essential core network services. To further extend management capabilities by building more automated functions into the solution, Infoblox's newest NIOS release, version 4.2r4, includes numerous new features: object-level administrative provisioning to support delegated management and meet compliance requirements; staged upgrades, to fully automate and schedule upgrades across dozens or hundreds of appliances; and enhancements to Infoblox's distributed RADIUS solution for 802.1x authentication, improving local survivability of network resources for users in remote offices.

Automation Enhancements

The newest version of Infoblox's NIOS operating system includes object-level permissions, which allow administrators to establish granular control down to the data-object level to restrict those who can view or modify data. For example, this enables delegation of administration to helpdesk and end-user departments containing access only to the relevant DNS zones, IP addresses, and other data objects for their respective responsibilities.

Without assigning rights to the entire subnet, an administrator can easily assign rights, such as "read/write" permissions, to specific objects such as printers or VoIP phones. This also applies to DNS administration; administrators can assign rights to a "child zone" while protecting the configuration or content of "parent zones" for improved security and confidentiality. This enforces "least privilege" principles, supports audit and compliance initiatives, and allows delegation, while protecting other objects against inadvertent changes.

Additionally, Infoblox NIOS software upgrades across grids -- collections of Infoblox appliances linked together and managed as a unified system -- can now be staged according to geographical, divisional, or any such demarcation across an extended enterprise. Distribution of the new software from the grid master to member appliances can be scheduled to minimize impact on bandwidth-sensitive applications, and cut-over from the old software to the new software can be scheduled for individual appliances and groups of appliances, to minimize or avoid downtime.

In addition to preventing critical pairs of devices, such as DHCP failover pairs, from simultaneously being offline, this new staged upgrade feature allows administrators to easily test an upgrade on a few grid members before applying the upgrade grid-wide.

"Today's large enterprise IT departments require automated solutions to meet the ever increasing demands for more applications, increasing numbers of users and network access any time, any where," said Richard Kagan, vice president of Marketing at Infoblox. "Infoblox's solutions and the newest software enhancements help automate many of the core network services related delivery and management functions, saving valuable time and eliminating the errors often associated with manual operations."

Enhanced RADIUS Policies

Policy enhancements to the Infoblox distributed RADIUS solution allow enterprises to apply policies associated with user name and group information in Microsoft Active Directory (AD). The Infoblox Grid Connector for Microsoft AD automatically syncs user and group information from AD to the Infoblox grid master, which then distributes the data, securely, to all member appliances in the grid, such as those deployed at branch offices that support RADIUS authentication for secure wireless access. By distributing this user and policy information to remote offices, enterprise networks significantly improve local survivability and ensure wired and wireless network access for remote users in the event of a WAN outage. The RADIUS policies enable users to be assigned to a specific VLAN based on their group membership, and vendor-specific parameters also can be configured.

For example, an employee with a "sales" role can get access to a VLAN that includes customer data, but can be restricted from access to finance servers. In addition to supporting controlled access for guests and contractors, this functionality is especially valuable in applications that require 802.1x authentications, such as secure wireless LANs, and has already been pre-tested with many leading wireless infrastructure vendors, such as Aruba.

"Distributing RADIUS authentication services ensures the availability of secure wireless access at remote sites, even when traditional VPN and WAN gateway equipment fails," said Andrew Harding, Aruba's head of business development. "By supporting Aruba Vendor Specific Attributes out of the box, Infoblox enables customers to take full advantage of Aruba's unique policy enforcement capabilities, enhancing mobility, security, and user productivity. We are very pleased to work with Infoblox as an Aruba Technology Alliance partner, and believe that our combined solution addresses a key need in the market."

Pricing and Availability

The new Infoblox NIOS software version 4.2r4 is now available. Pricing for the solution on the Infoblox-250 appliance starts at $2,495 in the U.S. It is available free of charge for all current customers with a valid maintenance contract.

About Infoblox

Infoblox appliances deliver utility-grade core network services, including domain name resolution (DNS), IP address assignment and management (IPAM/DHCP), authentication (RADIUS) and related services. Infoblox solutions, which provide the essential "glue" between networks and applications, are used by over 2,200 organizations worldwide, including over 100 of the Fortune 500. The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., and operates in more than 30 countries. For more information, call +1.408.625.4200, email info@infoblox.com, or visit www.infoblox.com.

Contact Information: Media Contacts: Jennifer Jasper Infoblox 408.625.4309