By Ellen Messmer
Network World, 1/27/97

Even though Seattle-based VisioCorp. already maintains a firewall at its site, the company is exploring how it might use PartnerVPN to give its business partners access to Visio databases.

''The fact that SOCKS 5.0 doesn't care about what it's running on means you don't have to set up completely different security scenarios with each of our clients,'' said Neal Myrick, Visio's IS manager. ''The thing that appeals to me is that it is a circuit-level proxy, and it seems easy to implement in comparison with a lot of standard firewalls. It's a shame SOCKS isn't more widely used.''

Aventail is in negotiations with several software and firewall vendors to get SOCKS 5.0 into new products.

Some vendors say it's time to get ''SOCKSified.'' Helius Corp., an Orem, Utah-based start-up founded by former Novell, Inc. employees, has created a SOCKS 5.0-based IPX and IP gateway for controlling Internet access to and from a NetWare LAN.

The Helius software, which can run on an existing NetWare server, provides Internet access via simple landlines or the satellite-based Internet service, DirectPC, offered by Hughes Network Systems, Inc.

Helius developed the software by porting the Unix-based IP Exchange product from Cisco Systems, Inc. to NetWare, which lets as many as 32,000 internal users share one IP address.

Helius President Myron Mosbarger said it costs about $2,000 for a full Helius setup, including a satellite dish, to get started with 10 users.