* Blue Coat Systems is shipping the first iteration of its acceleration and security technology fit for client devices such as laptops and PDAs
The next frontier for many WAN optimization players is the endpoint device, and this week Blue Coat Systems is making good on its promise to deliver application acceleration technology geared for remote and mobile users.
The new Blue Coat SG Client is client-based software for desktops, laptops and PDAs that works in tandem with the vendor’s SG appliances and MACH5 application acceleration technology. MACH5 provides protocol optimization, caching and compression capabilities to speed applications and reduce bandwidth usage in accordance with enterprise policies.
A key feature of SG Client is that it’s designed to not only accelerate a range of applications, but also enforce a company’s application security policies across mobile devices. The software can protect a remote client and information residing on it during a secure session, and it can enforce corporate policies by controlling content and applications, protecting against spyware and other malware, and performing URL filtering.
For example, a company can use Blue Coat’s application-level controls to prohibit remote users from printing, saving or copying sensitive information.
“The remote user is typically always connecting directly to the Internet to get to corporate assets, and there’s a whole bunch of security concerns associated with that,” says Chris King, director of strategic marketing for Blue Coat. Security features need to address not only what end users can and can’t access with a mobile device, but also what the user can do once corporate information is on a mobile device — such as printing, copying or using data in ways it wasn’t originally intended, King says.
SG Client is geared for mobile workers, teleworkers, people in small branch offices, and employees who use devices outside of IT’s control — such as home computers, kiosks in airports, and computers in partner organizations.
Blue Coat plans to deliver SG Client in several phases over the next year. The first version, which is focused on acceleration, is available now. The next release, which is due out in the fall, will add performance monitoring capabilities and content filtering as well as increase the number of applications accelerated.
Technology such as Blue Coat’s SG Client is a means of bringing remote users more into the corporate loop. As greater numbers of employees work outside of corporate facilities, it’s becoming important for IT to give them the same access to secure, high-performing applications as users in corporate and branch offices receive. It’s not only a matter of convenience, but also an important consideration for business continuity planning in case a company has to depend on out-of-office workers in the wake of a disaster.
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