Radware AppWall: Web App Firewall Overview and Analysis

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Bottom line

Radware AppWall scored at the top in NSS Labs security testing and is well regarded by users. It is probably most suited to the mid-market and carriers looking for high performance, DDoS protection and overall security effectiveness.

Product Description

AppWall can be deployed as a physical or virtual appliance, as a module on top of Radware Alteon, or as a cloud-based WAF service. AppWall combines positive and negative security models to provide protection against web application attacks, web application attacks behind CDNs, API manipulations, advanced HTTP attacks (slowloris, dynamic floods), brute force attacks on login pages, and more. It is available standalone or as an integrated part of Radware’s Attack Mitigation Solution (an application and network security suite). DefenseMessaging enables Radware WAF customers with Radware’s DDoS products to use AppWall to signal an attacker’s source IP information to DefensePro DDoS to prevent further malicious activity. However, Radware does not integrate with some third-party reputation feeds.

Radware AppWall Features Rated

Security: Best in class. Radware scored highest on block rate and security effectiveness in NSS Labs tests.

Performance. Fair. Radware’s performance scores in NSS Labs tests showed 9,086 CPS and 7,032 transactions per second, an order of magnitude lower than the highest performer, indicating a lack of scale. The company says it can mitigate threats at line speed up to 400 Gbps and 330M DDoS PPS at 60 microseconds latency.

Value: Good. NSS Labs gave Radware a three-year TCO of $142,590, which was one of the lowest tested. TCO per CPS came out at $6.52, which places it in the middle of the pack.

Gartner said, “Radware customers frequently cite security, ease of deployment for the automated positive security model (with negative security approaches also available) and a good appliance price as primary reasons for selecting the vendor.”

Implementation: Very good. “Our overall experience has been exceptional, implementation was straightforward and support has been ongoing & true representation of technical & 24/7 support,” said a security officer in a finance company.

Management: Good. Customer comments are mainly positive, but some complained about the need for a better customer portal, or an easier transition to managed services.

Support: Very good. “Best support, strong security,” said a CTO in government.

Cloud features: Good. The company released its Cloud WAF Service last year, but Gartner has not yet seen it appear in competitive shortlists for cloud-based WAF service.

Radware WAF

Security Qualifications

AppWall is ICSA Labs certified and PCI compliant.

Delivery

Appliance, virtual appliance or cloud service.

Pricing

Radware Cloud WAF Service is consumption-based and offers up to 1 GB of cloud-delivered DDoS for free. Extra capacity is available for purchase as it becomes necessary. A Radware appliance has a three-year TCO of $142,590, which was one of the lowest tested. TCO per CPS came out at $6.52, which places it in the middle of the pack.

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