Netopia Product Combines Security, Traffic Shaping

Netopia is slated Monday to ship a new product that blends firewall, Virtual Private Networking (VPN) and traffic-shaping features into a single device priced for small and midsize businesses.

The S9500, described by Netopia officials as a "security appliance," is a good choice for resellers because it is relatively easy to configure, said Paul Tuong, product manager at Netopia, based here.

"It provides VARs the opportunity to address the different security needs of end users, and to offer [their clients] managed services," Tuong said. In other words, VARs' expertise in configuring and customizing the device, even managing upgrades on a long-term basis or consulting on additional security products, can add to VARs' revenue streams, he said.

Small businesses' limited IT budgets should not exclude them from being able to benefit from reliable security technologies, Tuong said. Products such as the S9500, which costs $3,695 for unlimited connections, let VARs "help the end user who does not want to [manage] the technology but knows he needs security," he said.

The unit is aimed at users with broadband DSL or T1 connections who are supporting e-commerce or e-business applications, Tuong said. Companies with a remote or traveling workforce can realize significant long-distance call savings through VPN technology, he said.

The traffic-shaping features allot bandwidth to the applications that need it most, Tuong said.

"It's a lot of features without a lot of cost," said Eliot Kaplan, president of Integrated Solutions Unlimited Inc., Topanga, Calif., and a Netopia reseller who has tested an early version of the product.

In a typical scenario with a client, "we might bring [the S9500] in and set it up, and the customer might take it over from there," Kaplan said. "But there are add-ons to this kind of product, especially as the VPN market is coming into its own."

Resellers are important to the success of the new device, said Tuong. Netopia currently has about 2,000 VARs.