CacheFlow's security thrust
 
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Web acceleration vendor CacheFlow started the New Year with a new focus, and the firm last week unveiled several new products and outlined a strategy that targets security issues surrounding the management of Web-based applications.
CacheFlow rolled out its Security Gateway product at the RSA Conference in San Jose. The Security Gateway combines Web acceleration, network protection and content control in one package, CacheFlow President and CEO Brian NeSmith says.
NeSmith says enterprises have typically assembled content acceleration and security services - such as virus scanning, firewalls and content filtering - on an ad hoc basis. With enterprises putting more applications on the Web, the need for a product that combines security and acceleration grows, he says.
The Security Gateway is a single appliance that can offer Web acceleration, network protection and content control. For example, when a user requests content, it can be scanned for viruses and then cached in a Security Gateway cache. That way, when another user requests the same content, a "clean" copy can be quickly forwarded, eliminating the need for content to be rerouted through a virus scanner.
The Security Gateway also provides granular levels of control, so that enterprises can manage which users have access to what content and how much bandwidth is available to certain users and groups. NeSmith says the Security Gateway is designed to work alongside an enterprise firewall.
"We view this as a Layer 4-7 security infrastructure that allows you to protect and control [your] Web environments," he says.
CacheFlow also introduced the Visual Policy Manager, an intuitive interface for managing the Security Gateway; CacheFlow Reporter, a software application that gives network managers visibility into network use and performance; and cIQ Director 2.0, with management capabilities for the CacheFlow Security Gateway.
The products will be available in March, CacheFlow executives say.
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Denise Dubie is a Staff Writer covering network management at Network World. She also works as a freelance writer in the Boston area. You can reach her at ddubie@nww.com.
