WatchGuard touts SSL VPN entry

WatchGuard is teaming with Citrix to offer its first SSL VPN product, rounding out WatchGuard's line of security appliances.

Called Firebox SSL Core, the appliance proxies secure Internet sessions between remote users' computers and corporate resources. The device is based on WatchGuard Firebox X Core hardware and Citrix Secure Access software.

The SSL VPN venture puts WatchGuard in competition with a new group of vendors that deal in the gear, including Aventail, F5 and Whale Communications, and networking vendors Cisco, Juniper and Nortel, which, like WatchGuard, sell IPSec gear.

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WatchGuard is teaming with Citrix to offer its first SSL VPN product, rounding out WatchGuard's line of security appliances.

Called Firebox SSL Core, the appliance proxies secure Internet sessions between remote users' computers and corporate resources. The device is based on WatchGuard Firebox X Core hardware and Citrix Secure Access software.

The SSL VPN venture puts WatchGuard in competition with a new group of vendors that deal in the gear, including Aventail, F5 and Whale Communications, and networking vendors Cisco, Juniper and Nortel, which, like WatchGuard, sell IPSec gear.

The device supports a Secure Access client that checks whether remote machines comply with corporate security policies before they are allowed to set up VPN connections. The client can check for anti-virus software, operating system patches and registries.

If the client can be downloaded to a remote computer, it can support any applications. But if the client cannot be downloaded because a user doesn't have administrative rights to the machine, access is restricted but includes Web applications, Citrix ISA and Telnet emulation.

To enable VoIP, the device is tuned to handle User Datagram Protocol packets over SSL connections, limiting latency that can interfere with call quality.

Firebox SSL Core costs $2,790 with support for five simultaneous users. The box with support for 205 users costs $22,590. User licenses are available in blocks of five, 10, 20 and 50.

Read more about security in Network World's Security section.