Now that the previous lesson has shown what a next-generation firewall does in general, this lesson turns to AIMdefense itself. It gives a quick overview, and the following lessons go deeper into each point.

What AIMdefense is

AIMdefense is a next-generation firewall software from German development, in use since 2002. It is built on an open BSD foundation and is developed further by Secure 2 Fiber in Germany, with its own support and its own roadmap. Anyone asking about the technical origin gets a clear answer: own development, own support, own roadmap.

Software-first: the brand stands for the software

The AIMdefense brand stands for the software, not for a specific piece of hardware. There is no such thing as "AIMdefense hardware" in the strict sense. Hardware is the business of the sister brand AIMSTRONG. AIMdefense deliberately separates the firewall software from the question of which box it runs on.

Two deployment paths

Precisely because the brand stands for the software, there are two ways to deploy AIMdefense: on AIMSTRONG hardware in several size classes, or as a virtual appliance on a company's own virtualization. Which path fits a given company is explained in detail in a later lesson of this course.

Channel-only: the sales model

AIMdefense is not sold directly to end customers. Sales run exclusively through partners: systems integrators, Managed Service Providers (MSP) and Value Added Resellers (VAR). These partners advise on, plan and support the rollout at the customer's site.

Key point: In use since 2002.

Key point: The AIMdefense brand stands for the software, not for a specific box.

Why this matters for AIMdefense

This short overview is the map for the rest of the course. The next lesson shows the functions of AIMdefense in detail.