FORT LEE, N.J., March 5, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Whale Communications (r) today unveiled the Advanced Edition (AE) of its e-Gap(r) Remote Access Appliance, raising the security bar for SSL VPN solutions by protecting corporate data when accessed from browsers at untrusted locations including airport kiosks, Internet cafes and other public sites.
"SSL VPNs show great promise in terms of anywhere remote access. However, from a security perspective SSL VPNs raise a whole new host of issues due to the nature of accessing from potentially insecure public browsers," said Richard Stiennon, a Gartner security analyst. "Enterprises need to be keenly aware of these issues."
Whale's e-Gap products are the only SSL VPN appliances to provide safeguards that protect the enterprise's back-office network while also securing the data that is being accessed from the Internet kiosk, borrowed computer or employee's home computer.
With Whale's patent-pending Attachment Wiper(tm), customers benefit from the ability to deliver anywhere access to their employees with the knowledge that no corporate data, including attachments and temporary files, will remain on the untrusted browser.
Enterprises worldwide are using Whale's award-winning SSL VPN products to deliver secure remote access to a variety of applications ranging from email, HR, ERP and CRM to file shares.
"Security is paramount to us as we are dealing with confidential medical information," said Michael Knocke, applications manager at Via Christi Regional Medical Center, a Kansas-based multi-campus acute care facility that is saving some $500,000 annually using Whale's SSL VPN. "It is critical for us to ensure that no session content, such as attachments, is left on public browsers," he said, adding: "Whale's e-Gap appliance not only put us in good stead for HIPAA compliance, it was the only product we have found that meets our stringent corporate security policies."
Whale's e-Gap Remote Access AE solution provides an unprecedented level of security by delivering -- on top of its current security package -- the following features:
- Attachment Wiper: This "virtual shredder" wipes out all forms of temporary files, browser cache, downloaded files and pages, cookies, history information, user credentials, and other information possibly recorded by a web browser during an SSL VPN session. e-Gap products also contain logic to enforce security policies. For example, if the Attachment Wiper determines that for some reason it cannot wipe files, e-Gap solutions can (upon login) implement a policy of "Can't Wipe, Can't Download" and prevent the download of attachments. - Non-intrusive user timeouts: Timeouts must be implemented to ensure that sessions do not remain live indefinitely if users neglect to log-off. Simple timeouts, however, may cause legitimate users to lose work when typing long email messages or completing long web-forms. Whale's non-intrusive timeouts offer the security of a strong timeout mechanism -- while ensuring that only truly abandoned sessions are closed, and that legitimate users are not inconvenienced. - Secure logoff: This automatic and seamless replacement for the vulnerable HTTP Basic Authentication used in many web-based systems ensures that user credentials are never cached at the client machine. - Periodic re-authentication: To address the situation in which a user abandons a public computer without logging off and a mischievous or curious party approaches the machine before a session timeout has occurred, the e-Gap appliance is configurable to force users to re-authenticate periodically.
"We are pleased to be leading such a burgeoning market as the SSL VPN market, which is emerging as the new standard for enabling corporate remote access," said Elad Baron, CEO of Whale Communications. "We are continuing to innovate technology never seen before in this market to respond to the needs of our customers. The Advanced Edition is another milestone we have marked on the road to providing full functionality to the laptop-free employee without compromising security."
Enterprises are increasingly opting for SSL VPNs instead of traditional IPSec VPNs when rolling-out remote access to all or most employees. Unlike IPSec VPNs, SSL VPNs require no client software, freeing the employee from having to lug a laptop or access from a specific computer. SSL VPNs are a scalable solution that offers similar functionality of traditional IPSec VPNs at a significantly lower cost and with the convenience of anywhere access and improved security from Internet worms.
Infonetics Research, in a press release issued this week, said the SSL VPN market is expected to top $1 billion in annual revenue in 2006.
Whale Communication's SSL VPN product line includes its e-Gap Remote Access Appliance AE for employee and partner access to the corporate Intranet and its e-Gap Webmail Appliance, an optimized SSL VPN, for remote access to Microsoft(r) Exchange and Lotus Domino based email systems. The products are integrated hardware/software appliances that leverage Whale's Air Gap technology to deliver remote access while maintaining a physical disconnection between internal networks and the Internet. The e-Gap Remote Access Appliance AE and e-Gap Webmail Appliances use the same platform and can be implemented from the same or separate appliances. The appliances are easy to integrate and require minimal installation time.
To see how easy it is to access sensitive corporate data left behind on an Internet kiosk if browser security is not taken into account click here for a self-running demonstration: http://www.whalecommunications.com/kioskdemo
Availability
e-Gap Remote Access Appliance AE is currently available, starting at $23,000. For more information, contact 1-877-65-WHALE, or visit http://www.whalecommunications.com/kiosk About Whale Communications:
Whale Communications is the industry leader in SSL VPN solutions, enabling enterprises to provide employees and partners secure access to corporate data and applications from any Internet kiosk. Its award-winning solutions have been securing enterprises worldwide since it was founded in 1998. Privately held, Whale is funded by prominent venture firms and industry leaders, including Goldman Sachs, Soros Private Equity Partners and the BRM Group, the founding investor of Check Point Software Technologies. The company is headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey and has international offices in Israel, Germany and London.
Whale Communications, e-Gap, Attachment Wiper, Whale and the Whale logo are trademarks of Whale Communications Ltd. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders. For more information about Whale visit: www.whalecommunications.com.