New software for Secure Access Platform requires no software clients.
Security company AppGate is adding SSL support to its multifunction platform that formerly relied solely on SSH to lock down remote-access sessions.
The new SSL support gives basic SSL VPN capabilities to its Secure Access Platform so remote users can connect to Web applications securely without requiring permanent VPN clients on or downloading software agents to their computers. The remote machine makes connections using its browser.
AppGate doesn’t attempt to augment this clientless access with downloadable agents that can expand access to include non-Web applications as is the case with most SSL VPN vendors. Instead, the company relies on network-layer SSH technology to expand the types of applications its gear can transport. In order to support AppGate’s SSH connections, remote machines must download a Java-based agent or install a permanent SSH client.
The SSL capabilities are part of a new software module for its Secure Access Platform, which is what the company calls the software it loads on its AppGate Security Server hardware appliances. These appliances authenticate remote users, set up secure links to their machines and apply policies about what resources the machines can access.
The security servers include a firewall and support for secure instant messaging. They also support external directories that it may reference for authorization policies that limit users or groups of users in what applications they are allowed to reach. These directories include Lightweighht Directory Access Protocol, Active Directory, RADIUS and SecureID.
AppGate’s Security Server is a multifunction security device that supports VPN-like connections using SSH, which encrypts data and makes it possible to send traffic through firewalls without worrying about internal vs. external IP addresses.
Like SSL and IPSec vendors, AppGate offers both Web and traditional client-server application support, but does so without using IPSec. This is because AppGate was established to secure traffic within networks, and chose SSH to do so. As its use was expanded to include network layer remote access, it stuck with SSH rather than adopting IPSec.
As such, AppGate competes against Check Point, Cisco, Juniper and Nortel, all of which have both SSL and IPSec products as well as SSL VPN vendors such as AEP, Aventail, F5, Symantec and others.
The SSL module for AppGate’s Secure Access Platform costs $2,000 for a 25-user license. The smallest hardware platform it could run on costs an additional $5,000.
