ROCKVILLE, MD. - Axent Technologies later this year will ship PowerVPN, its virtual private network server that can be purchased as a standalone VPN or as part of the latest version of Axent's Raptor firewall, Version 6.5.
Scheduled for first-quarter release, the PowerVPN Server is an IP Security (IPSec)-based gateway supporting secure remote access for thousands of users by authenticating them via digital certificates and encrypting network traffic using Triple-DES encryption
PowerVPN will ship with free IPSec-based desktop client software that the user must have to establish the IPSec encrypted session with the PowerVPN Server.
"The free PowerVPN Mobile client software is a first release for us that will also act as a personal firewall for those with cable or DSL [digital subscriber line]," explains Barry Cioe, VPN product manager at Axent. "It can detect SYN flood attacks or detect which ports are open, for instance."
The PowerVPN Server, which costs $1,995, will run on Windows NT, Sun Solaris, HP-UX. And sometime later this year, it will run on Windows 2000.
The network manager sets up the corporate security policy for the PowerVPN Server through the Raptor Management Console. This happens to be Axent's console for firewall management as well. PowerVPN can also be managed through the Microsoft Management Console.
With the Raptor Version 6.5 firewall, set to ship first quarter, network managers can opt to have VPN capability on the Axent firewall for the first time. The Raptor VPN firewall costs $1,995 and is being upgraded in other ways, Cioe says. Specifically, it will be able to scan content for trouble. "It can look at the application level for an SNMP mailbomb, for example," Cioe says.
On a more benign level, the Raptor firewall, which already supports a wide range of standard IP-based applications, will add further support for proprietary applications including the Bloomberg and Reuters terminal data. Raptor Version 6.5 is also expected to support for the CORBA and X-Windows protocols.
The Winters Company, the Tucson, Ariz. global mining company, has been beta-testing the Raptor Version 6.5 firewall. MIS director Mike Fleming says the product has much better reporting capabilities than the previous version.
"It's simply a lot better than their previous product," Fleming says. "It's better organized in how it reports and log files and lets you set up the rules for use."
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