Another IPSec VPN alternative

While some vendors are threatening IP Security VPN dominance on the remote access front, newcomer Flatrock is trying to horn in on the site-to-site connectivity side of the business.

Flatrock's provider access router (PAR) or subscriber access router (SAR) hardware sits at each branch site and at a central site, creating secure IP tunnels that can support simultaneous sessions between end-user machines. Flatrock keys in on using this to quickly create connections with business partners, something it calls instant extranet.

Unlike IP Security (IPSec) gateways, these devices automatically translate private IP addresses of the end machines into public addresses. This translation does not require changing firewall settings as does IPSec, and that can save administrators time. Network address translation is a complicated procedure that the Internet Engineering Task Force is trying to standardize.

SARs and PARs also don't disrupt the security your business partners already have in place.

Flatrock's devices establish one secure tunnel shared by users and applications at each end. The SARs and PARs can be configured to limit the bandwidth each session gets so no one user or application grabs more than its fair share.

This is performed by adding a Flatrock device to the LAN at each site but otherwise leaving the LANs unchanged. Each SAR is provided with a range of private IP addresses and associates each with an application or data source at another site. Local machines access these servers by calling on the appropriate local IP address. The SAR and PAR spoof IP addresses to make end devices think they are on the LAN, setting up subtunnels across an encrypted User Datagram Protocol connection. SARs and PARs can use Triple-DES or Blowfish encryption.

The company, which started up about two year ago, is launching itself this week, funded by $5.3 million from Guide Ventures. Digital Partners, Cascadia Pacific and High Bar Ventures.

While focused on site-to-site connections now, Flatrock plans to expand to remote access connections that will take advantage of browsers - even more competition to IPSec products.

Available now, SARs cost $6,000 and PARs start at $30,000.