Aventail is expected to announce remote access appliances that will
support the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol.
The EX-1500, a clientless, rack-mountable SSL virtual private
network (VPN) device is designed to provide remote end users with
secure Web browser access to data in Windows files and
client/server applications.
Last November, Neoteris added three appliances to its product line
that also provide secure remote access via an SSL VPN. Check Point
Software Technologies also announced software support for SSL VPN
hardware products last July.
Other vendors, such as Netilla Networks and NetSilica, have also
entered the market for SSL VPN technology, said Gartner analyst
John Pescatore. The SSL-based products are easier to use and less
expensive than VPN tools that support the IPsec protocol.
IPsec requires the loading of client software that can conflict
with applications and network protocols, but there's no such client
software required for SSL. That simplifies the installation process
and can reduce the number of connection problems, thereby lowering
IT support costs.
Ron Sha, chief information officer at Borland Software, noted that
the software vendor could connect new employees around the world to
its corporate applications in "less than a minute" using Neoteris'
technology. The workers need only a user name and password.
Laboratory diagnostic products company, Dade Behring has been
beta-testing the EX-1500 for a month and plans to roll out the
Aventail device for 900 field sales and service workers in the
US.
The technology will give users remote access to Web-enabled
applications, plus messaging and collaboration tools, through their
browsers. Dade Behring may eventually use the EX-1500 to support
all of its 6,000 employees worldwide.