NetEqualizer News: July 2012

July 10, 2012 — netequalizer

July 2012

Greetings!

Enjoy another issue of NetEqualizer News! This month, we preview a feature that allows for smarter P2P blocking, announce the winners of two contests, and discuss how the DPI engine in NetGladiator can be creatively utilized. As always, feel free to pass this along to others who might be interested in NetEqualizer News.

A message from Zack…

Zack Sanders, Director of Security

We’ve reached the midpoint of the year, and that is always a time I think about preventative maintenance for systems I manage. Take this time to update software versions and patch your operating systems. For an attacker, these are some of the easiest security holes to spot, but they are also some of the easiest to fix! Take a few minutes and think about which systems could use some love in July.

And, if you have any questions about securing your environment, contact me directly at zack@apconnections.net!

In This Issue:

:: Smarter P2P Blocking with NetEqualizer
:: Contest Winners!
:: NetGladiator and DPI Engine Utilization
:: Best Of The Blog

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Smarter P2P Blocking with NetEqualizer
We’ve recently been working on and testing a new feature that improves P2P blocking by allowing for dynamic, smart connection limits in the NetEqualizer. This feature allows for more efficient networks and better user experiences for subscribers.

Here is what one of our customers who is using the feature said about the enhancement:

Overall, this is working very well for us and has saved us 10Mb per link. The overall experience for the non-abuser is significantly improved, as there is 2.5% more bandwidth for him to burst into. Also, the fact that I can remove the connection limit is extremely useful. The amount of support calls we were taking when someone who was torrenting would have his browser crash were in the hundreds per month – now that user just gets tar-pitted.

To read more about smart connection limits, check out this article on our blog: A Smarter Way to Limit P2P Traffic

This feature will be available soon for all customers with valid NSS. Keep an eye out for further details on our website, our blog, or right here in NetEqualizer News!

Contest Winners!
Every few months, we have a drawing to give away two round-trip domestic airline tickets from Frontier Airlines to one lucky person who’s recently tried out our online NetEqualizer demo. And the winner is…

Carol Avent of Mountain Zone TV Systems!

$100 Amazon Gift Card!

In the June 2012 issue of NetEqualizer News, we asked for your feedback in a survey. An entry was randomly drawn, and the winner is…

Ben Whitaker of Jetset Networks!

—

Congratulations Carol and Ben!

Both winners, please contact us within 30 days (by August 10, 2012) at:

admin@apconnections.net
-or-
303-997-1300

to claim your prize!

NetGladiator and DPI Engine Utilization
NetGladiator was built as a capable, customizable intrusion prevention system, but because of the level of control and access we provide to our customers, NetGladiator can be much more!

NetGladiator is built on the same technology that makes NetEqualizer fast and efficient. The only major difference is the Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) engine that is installed to monitor traffic. The DPI engine has been outfitted to pass and analyze data packets separately, which results in no increased latency. Most DPI engines slow traffic down, but no speed or throughput is lost in this implementation.

By default, the configuration for NetGladiator is meant to handle web application attacks, but because this configuration is fully adjustable and looks at all incoming data, it really can detect any pattern you want!

Possible uses include:

– Spam filtering
– Unwanted protocols in your business
– Content blocking
– Keyword spotting

To read more about different ways to utilize NetGladiator, check out this article on our blog: NetGladiator: A Layer 7 Shaper in Sheep’s Clothing

You can also contact us at ips@apconnections.net for more information!

Best Of The Blog

Wired Bandwidth Prices, and What to Expect in the Future

By Art Reisman – CTO – APconnections

Bandwidth prices traditionally have a very regional component, and your experience may vary, but in the US there is a really good chance you can get quite a bit more bandwidth for a much lower price than what it would have cost you a few years ago. To site one example, we have a customer that contracts Internet services to supply several large residential housing units. Currently, commercial class business Internet service for 50 megabits runs $120 per month, which is the same price they were paying for 10 megabits 3 years ago. Essentially, they are getting five times as much bandwidth for the same price they signed up for 3 years ago. And they are not an anomaly. I am hearing the same story in almost every market in the US. We can conclude from our empirical data that bandwidth prices have dropped 500 percent in 3 years!

To answer the question on the future of bandwidth prices, we need to get a handle on what is driving them lower today…

Photo Of The Month

Saddle Mountain

The Oregon coastline is a beautiful part of the country, as is evident in this view from Saddle Mountain. The climb to the summit provides access to mature forests as well as gorgeous wildflower landscapes – definitely something to check out if you ever have the opportunity.