Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • Networking

    F5 Networks Secures Vista Access with SSL VPN

    By
    Lisa Vaas
    -
    February 20, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      F5 Networks will release at the end of February an enhanced version of its FirePass Controller SSL VPN software—the first Secure Sockets Layer VPN to support Microsofts Windows Vista operating system, the company said.

      Given that business users are already using Vista on home machines regardless of whether they have their IT departments go-ahead, VPN support is necessary even for enterprises that havent yet decided to migrate to Vista, said Hari Krishnan, a product manager for F5, based in Seattle.

      “[Some F5 customers] have users who have Vista already and they have to support it in the VPN,” he said in an interview with eWEEK. “If [companies] dont allow users [to use a Vista system to log into the VPN], they wont be able to work remotely. Its [those companies] main driver to look at Vista.”

      Another big change coming in the update is integration with F5s Big-IP Global Traffic Management product. The combination of FirePass and Big-IP will allow large enterprises with multiple sites to share unused capacity among their sites. For example, if a North American company finds many workers working remotely during a flu season, Big-IP will grab capacity off of underused sites, perhaps in Europe or Asia, after dynamic querying of FirePass devices. Big-IP will then redirect users to another FirePass device, without those users needing to type in a new URL or to reconnect.

      /zimages/1/28571.gifClick here to read more about F5 Networks Big-IP software.

      Big-IP issues the IP address based on policy, which could be based on latency, application health, FirePass CPU load or available number of concurrent sessions.

      Krishnan said such a setup is going to be attractive to businesses that are worrying about business continuity.

      On the hardware front, F5 is also coming out with the FirePass 4300, a high-performance platform that supports up to 2,000 concurrent users on one device. The FirePass 4300 ships with built-in, redundant power supplies for high availability. It can also be bought in multiples and hooked up into clusters and can be load-balanced with Big-IP, enabling scaling to tens of thousands of concurrent users.

      /zimages/1/28571.gifFor advice on how to secure your network and applications, as well as the latest security news, visit Ziff Davis Internets Security IT Hub.

      The 4300 is designed for customers who want to roll out a VPN with all the bells and whistles, Krishnan said. For example, FirePass can check for the status of an endpoint to find out whether its running the most current version of anti-virus software, has the latest signatures, is running the right operating system and has up-to-date patches.

      “That stuff requires a lot of processing power,” he said. “Thats a lot of things being checked. Its really enforcing very granular access policies. With the 4300 we have introduced a quad-core to handle 2,000 concurrent users, to turn on all the bells and whistles, and that has endpoint security checks, and has a wide range of feature sets for users coming in—it can make access policies [based] not only on the user, but also on the type of device theyre using.”

      The FirePass upgrade will be available at the end of February. FirePass 4300 hardware will come out in March with built-in support for all access modes: network access, application access and portal access, as well as endpoint security.

      Check out eWEEK.coms Security Center for the latest security news, reviews and analysis. And for insights on security coverage around the Web, take a look at eWEEKs Security Watch blog.

      Lisa Vaas
      Lisa Vaas is News Editor/Operations for eWEEK.com and also serves as editor of the Database topic center. Since 1995, she has also been a Webcast news show anchorperson and a reporter covering the IT industry. She has focused on customer relationship management technology, IT salaries and careers, effects of the H1-B visa on the technology workforce, wireless technology, security, and, most recently, databases and the technologies that touch upon them. Her articles have appeared in eWEEK's print edition, on eWEEK.com, and in the startup IT magazine PC Connection. Prior to becoming a journalist, Vaas experienced an array of eye-opening careers, including driving a cab in Boston, photographing cranky babies in shopping malls, selling cameras, typography and computer training. She stopped a hair short of finishing an M.A. in English at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She earned a B.S. in Communications from Emerson College. She runs two open-mic reading series in Boston and currently keeps bees in her home in Mashpee, Mass.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×