Microsoft has released a public beta version of its
Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004.
ISA Server promises improved network security and performance by
delivering better application security, simplified management,
tighter integration and faster caching, said Microsoft product
manager Joel Sloss.
The product has been in a closed beta for a while, but is now
being made available for public testing.
ISA Server is designed to help users protect Microsoft
applications such as the Exchange e-mail server, IIS (Internet
Information Services) web server and SharePoint collaboration
tools.
Application filters for each of those products will be available
when ISA Server ships later this year, Sloss said. Additional
filters, including one for the SQL Server database, are also
planned.
Main changes in ISA Server 2004 over the 2000 edition of the
software are a user interface and enhancements in architectural
support. ISA Server 2004 supports unlimited multilevel
architectures, while ISA Server 2000 only supported three basic
network types; internal, external and demilitarised zone.
Microsoft will offer only a Standard Edition of ISA Server by
the middle of this year, followed by an Enterprise Edition by the
end of the year. The differences between the two editions are
expected to be similar to the ISA Server 2000 product, where
Standard Edition is a standalone server while Enterprise Edition is
for large-scale deployments.
Microsoft's ISA Server is not meant to be the only firewall in
an enterprise, though it can be the only firewall in a small or
medium-sized business or branch office.
"In a data centre, we expect ISA Server to be deployed with
existing security infrastructure, behind CheckPoint or Cisco, to
add layers of application security," he said.
Pricing for ISA Server 2004 has yet to be determined. The ISA
Server 2000 Standard Edition is priced at $1,499 per processor and
Enterprise Edition at $5,999 per processor.
The ISA Server 2004 beta can be found at
www.microsoft.com/isaserver/
Joris Evers writes for IDG News
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