Application delivery networking specialist Array Networks and cloud-based access security provider Duo Security announced interoperability between Array’s AG Series Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) VPN software and Duo Security’s two-factor authentication solution.
Array’s AG Series SSL VPN secure access gateways, which are available as either physical or virtual appliances, provide secure remote and mobile access to enterprise applications and cloud services.
Through interoperability with Duo Security, users of AG Series secure access solutions can gain an additional layer of access control, which is often mandated by compliance regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), or desirable because of the confidential nature of materials accessed via the VPN.
“The solution brings together two technologies, that when combined, create a superior solution for secure remote and mobile access,” Paul Andersen, director of marketing at Array, told eWEEK. “Array’s strengths are in providing a scalable platform for secure remote and mobile access. Our AG Series appliances support up to tens of thousands of concurrent users, without performance degradation, and support up to 256 virtual SSL VPN portals per system to meet the unique needs of multiple communities of interest.”
Andersen said the partnership came about through interactions with customers that individually saw the merits of both Array and Duo solutions and suggested that they be integrated to create a seamless solution incorporating both technologies.
Duo Security’s two-factor authentication adds a second layer of security to VPNs, cloud apps and on-premises apps by using a second factor—such as smartphones, tablets or even a landline phone—to verify the user’s identity.
Verification is accomplished through the Duo mobile app, Short Message Servie (SMS), voice call or other mechanisms. Duo’s cloud-based secure-access platform provides enhanced access controls for Array SSL VPN secure-access solutions by mobile authentication, eliminating the need for hardware tokens and simplifying the user experience.
Using Duo, enterprise networks, business-critical applications and cloud services are secured against unauthorized access, even in the event that an unauthorized user were to guess the user name and password of an authorized user.
“IT is looking for ways to mitigate the effects of shadow IT—end users and departments that are circumventing IT and going straight to public cloud providers to gain access to the tools they require,” Andersen said. “By leveraging secure access technologies such as Array’s AG Series, IT can create a unified point of control for making cloud services available to the organization while regaining some visibility into what is being accessed, by whom and when.”
