In a move that should further the adoption of Internet Protocol television, Juniper Networks has agreed to provide security services for Microsoft Corp.’s Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) software.
Juniper Networks, Inc. and Microsoft Corp. of late announced a global agreement to deliver high-performance security solutions that enhance protection for Internet Protocol (IP) networks, services and applications.
Specifically, the companies are collaborating to provide end-to-end security with superior levels of quality and reliability to address the current and emerging needs of their service provider customers.
With the deal, Juniper has an opportunity to make inroads into cable operators’ triple or quadruple plays. At the same time, Microsoft is protecting its accounts, and customers have assurance of that protection, said Colin Dixon, senior IPTV analyst with The Diffusion Group.
With this agreement, Juniper can offer IPTV network security solutions to customers of Microsoft TV IPTV Edition.
The Microsoft TV platform is a family of software solutions that help network operators create and deliver new digital TV services to consumers. The Microsoft TV family supports services like interactive program guides, digital video recording, high-definition TV, on-demand programming and IPTV services.
Guarding Against Threats
Juniper says its’ Firewall and Firewall IDP (Intrusion Detection and Prevention) product platforms complement the Microsoft TV IPTV Edition content security mechanisms to help protect the infrastructure from malicious traffic and attacks such as: worms, trojans, spyware and application layer threats. In addition, Juniper will offer various security consulting services that assist operators to assess service infrastructure vulnerabilities and design network security solutions.
The products Juniper brings to the collaboration are all developed by network security specialist, NetScreen, which was acquired by Juniper in 2004.
As providers continue to bundle IPTV into their multi-service offerings, the highest levels of quality, performance and reliability are required to both help secure the network and assure the subscribers’ experience, said Rob Sturgeon, executive vice president, Security Products Group, Juniper Networks. "This alliance with Microsoft enables us to address these requirements and be a part of their ecosystem that delivers an end-to-end IPTV solution to service provider customers worldwide."
The Juniper security products offer cost-effective scale and performance, enabling operators to protect large numbers of video serving platforms. The security products include:
- Juniper Networks NetScreen-5200 and NetScreen-5400 Integrated Firewall/IPSec Virtual Private Network (VPN) appliances that are purpose-built, dynamic security appliances with industry-leading flexibility and performance capabilities to protect service provider networks and network data centers;
- Juniper Networks Integrated Security Gateway (ISG) 1000 and 2000 with Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDP) appliances that provide strong access control, secure communications and network and application-level security. These products lower the total cost of ownership for deploying best-in-class firewall, VPN and intrusion prevention services.
- Juniper Networks NetScreen-Security Manager that provides easy-to-use centralized management to control all aspects of the Juniper Networks Firewall/IPSec VPN appliances including device configuration, network settings and security policy.
Protecting Customers
According to Christine Heckart, general manager of marketing for Microsoft TV, "Juniper delivers a unique security solution for the IP infrastructure that will add a layer of network security and enable operators to more reliably utilize IP networks to deliver a range of next-generation television services and experiences."
Still, worms, Trojans and other bugs are not the No. 1 issue for IPTV stakeholders, Dixon told TechNewsWorld. "Typically the IPTV fabric is run on a private network. There is a possibility that there can be an attack because all the networks ultimately interconnect. Removing that threat is important, but it is not the key issue," he noted.
The hot IPTV topic these days, rather, is protecting the copyright of content holders, he said. Microsoft uses its own Digital Rights Management software to ease that concern for content providers that deploy programming over its network.
IPTV Momentum
As the Microsoft TV IPTV Edition platform continues to gain momentum with leading service providers worldwide, Microsoft is committed to building upon its IPTV solution with leading technologies that will contribute to the success and adoption of IPTV services, said Heckart.
The move is the latest development in Juniper’s push into the managed services market: it has identified a major growth opportunity in helping the traditional service provider customers of its edge and core routing products move up the value chain from simple connectivity into managed service offerings, and with the recent acquisitions of NetScreen, Peribit, Redline, Funk Software and others has a portfolio of products that addresses many of the requirements for managed services.