SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NetSecOPEN, the first industry organization focused on the creation of open, transparent network security performance testing standards, today announced that 11 prominent security vendors, test solutions and services vendors, and testing laboratories have joined the organization as Founding Members. The organization also announced the appointment of its first board of directors, who will guide NetSecOPEN toward its goal: making open network security testing standards a reality.
These developments signal decisive momentum for the organization, which formed in 2017 to close the gap between proprietary performance metrics and the observed, real-world performance of security solutions. Certification of security product performance today is typically conducted by independent testing laboratories using proprietary testing methodologies. True “apples-to-apples” evaluations of security products pose a challenge for enterprise buyers, because the methodologies and test criteria differ from lab to lab. NetSecOPEN believes that testing methodology requires greater transparency, consensus, and standardization, and that real-world factors need to be integrated into the testing methodology.
The NetSecOPEN standard is designed to provide metrics that can be used to compare solutions fairly and to understand the impact on network performance of different solutions under the same conditions. The goal is to examine the performance ramifications of a solution with all of that solution’s security features enabled, conveying the true costs of the solution.
“There is great urgency for open, transparent standards for the testing of network security equipment,” said Brian Monkman, executive director of NetSecOPEN. “Today, security professionals face significant challenges when evaluating, deploying, and optimizing new solutions. Similar product specifications may deliver different results, and products often behave differently with real-world traffic than they do in lab environments. NetSecOPEN was formed specifically to address these issues and make it easier for all organizations to identify the right solutions for securing their environments. We are proud to see measurable progress already, bringing us closer to making open network security testing standards a reality.”
Founding Members
NetSecOPEN members collaborate through working groups to create testing standards and guidance. The goal is to achieve consistent, open, repeatable evaluations and results. The Founding Members represent leading vendors of security products and services, prominent providers of testing solutions and services, and well-respected safety science and testing labs. The 11 Founding Member organizations are: Check Point Software Technologies, Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, SonicWall, Sophos, and WatchGuard; test solution and services vendors Spirent and Ixia/Keysight; and testing labs European Advanced Networking Test Center (EANTC) and the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Lab (UNH-IOL).
Executives from the NetSecOPEN Founding Member organizations have offered comments and supporting statements. Please see these endorsements on the NetSecOPEN web site.