A security-oriented Linux distribution useful for generating firewall appliances and devices has won “Best Firewall” in a Readers' Choice award sponsored by the German publication Linux Enterprise. Astaro is a commercial distribution based on open source software that installs from a CD to turn a PC into a self-updating “software appliance” that provides a firewall, VPN, content filtering,… anti-spam, URL filtering, and virus protection.

Astaro installs to the PC's hard drive, creating a standalone, special-purpose system accessed and configured through a Web browser interface. Astaro partners with a number of “Appliance/OEM Partners” that embed its technology in security devices.

Astaro won 65 percent of the vote in the firewall category of Linux Enterprise's contest, which was open to both commercial and free offerings. Readers were asked to pick their favorite applications and technologies from among 40 products in nine categories. Complete results are available here.

Astaro has received other awards in 2003, including: a LinuxWorld “Product Excellence Award”; an “Excellent” comparative review that appeared in Infoworld magazine's August issue; and, a “Four Stars” top-ranking award from SC Magazine's June issue.

Astaro says its Astaro Security Linux is one of the most effective, reliable, and affordable perimeter security products available. It offers stateful packet inspection, IPsec VPN, application proxies, and other advanced firewall features on a hardened OS capable of extremely fast throughput rates on modest hardware.

Astaro claims over 10,000 installations in 60 countries, including in organizations such as EDS, Los Alamos National Labs, and Stanford University. It bases its firewall products on Open Source software and supports several Open Source projects.

 
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