XML firewall appliance on tap from Reactivity

BELMONT, CALIF. - Once focused solely on software, Reactivity this week will release an XML firewall appliance designed to give companies a way to secure their Web services traffic.

The Reactivity XML Firewall combines the company's security software with a 1U, rack-mountable hardware box that features two 10/100M-byte Ethernet ports.

The firewall is an XML proxy that intercepts XML traffic and provides authentication, authorization and validation services. It also logs incoming and outgoing messages to provide nonrepudiation.

Unlike conventional firewalls that examine packets, the XML Firewall looks at the contents of Web services messages based on the Simple Object Access Protocol that can carry authentication credentials and requests for network services or application access.

"Companies need to have this kind of security for business-to-business Web services," says Jason Bloomberg, an analyst with ZapThink. "But it is also needed for inside the enterprise because most security issues facing companies are internal."