The ExoNetwork is a small device that creates a personal cloud that provides secure access from an unencrypted wireless network.
Network security specialist
x.o.ware Inc. introduced the ExoNetwork, a secure exoskeleton for small and midsize
business (SMB) networks that protects a local network from unauthorized access
and extends security to anywhere users access the Internet, even over unsecure
public networks.
The company also introduced
the ExoKey, a USB appliance that provides encrypted remote access to everything
connected to the ExoNetwork, even if a user is accessing it from an insecure
location, such as a coffee shop hotspot.
The ExoNetwork is a small
device that creates a personal cloud that provides the owner with control and
secure access from any unencrypted wireless network, using the Virtual Private
ExoNetwork server (VPEx) that is integrated into the ExoNetwork. Unlike other
solutions in which users connect network storage devices and must learn a
procedure for configuring their routers and VPNs, storage attached to the
ExoNetwork is automatically and securely accessible from the ExoNetwork.
Features include a VPEx
server that implements two-factor security with a unique 256-bit key for each
user for hardware-based encryption processors employing 256-bit AES encryption,
integrated network storage with seamless security and high-performance dual-WAN
interfaces. The ExoKey features an encryption processor that can store
encryption keys and perform encryption in hardware and the ability to perform
all the encryption in real time. This helps ensure keys are never exposed to
malware and performance is not impacted by the encryption/decryption that is
normally done in software on the host computer.
The ExoKey also features
registration with one or more VPEx servers so that it can be used in any
computer without having to register each computer with the server. The ExoKey
also provides portability to secure remote access, and it leaves no trace of
encrypted sessions on the remote computers. The technology includes a socket
for a microSD card, which can store encrypted user data, using keys that are
never accessible to anything other than its on-board processor. The ExoKey can
also be used by network administrators, not only to encrypt traffic to and from
their network, but also to control access to the network. The VPEx server in
the ExoNetwork can be configured to only grant access to devices using an
ExoKey, ensuring that only registered users can traverse the network.
"We are entering a new
era where wireless networks are more frequently unencrypted to fulfill their
role in the mobile network; therefore, the security must be implemented at the
source of the data (i.e., the end points)," said Ken Goldsholl, CEO of
x.o.ware. "At x.o.ware, we are addressing one of the biggest obstacles to
ubiquitous securitythe user interfacewhich is typically so complicated that
people don't enable security and are unable to fully utilize all of the
capabilities of most network access devices. Our easy-to-use technology is
solving this need by simultaneously providing advanced functionality, the
highest performance in its price class and unmatched security."
Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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