Communications: Security Processor Protects Small And Medium-Sized Organizations

Feb. 16, 2006

Targeted at securing the enterprise, the SafeXcel-5140 security processor provides a single-chip solution that can be used in virtual-private-network (VPN) gateways, broadband access devices, and home-networking equipment. The chip combines an ARMv4-compliant 32-bit RISC processor and security acceleration engines along with the company's QuickSec Unified Security Software to provide a complete security solution for the small and medium-sized equipment market. The integrated security engines offer 3DES, AES, SHA-1, and MD5 algorithm acceleration while providing random-number generation and publickey acceleration. Also available on the chip are packet filtering and flow processing capabilities, as well as NAT, IPsec, and secure realtime transport protocol (SRTP) processing. Full-duplex throughput ranges from 45 Mbits/s for small packets to 100 Mbits/s for average and larger packets. Samples are immediately available. In quantities of 10,000, the chip costs $35 apiece.

SafeNet Inc.
www.safenet-inc.com

About the Author

Dave Bursky

Technologist

Dave Bursky, the founder of New Ideas in Communications, a publication website featuring the blog column Chipnastics – the Art and Science of Chip Design. He is also president of PRN Engineering, a technical writing and market consulting company. Prior to these organizations, he spent about a dozen years as a contributing editor to Chip Design magazine. Concurrent with Chip Design, he was also the technical editorial manager at Maxim Integrated Products, and prior to Maxim, Dave spent over 35 years working as an engineer for the U.S. Army Electronics Command and an editor with Electronic Design Magazine.