* EnKoo's VPN appliances now supports its MeetingAtMyPC software
SSL VPN vendor enKoo is branching out into secure conferencing. The company is announcing this week that its enKoo 1000, 2000 and 3000 VPN appliances support the company’s new MeetingAtMyPC software that enables businesses to set up conferences to share documents.
Using a Web interface, customers can schedule a meeting and send invitations to participants via e-mail. The e-mail contains the URL of the enKoo device, to which participants log in. The device then creates SSL connections between the computer of the conference host and the computers of the rest of the participants.
Java applets distributed by the enKoo box enable screen sharing so all participants see what is on the host’s screen. The software does not support audio.
While this may seem like an unrelated adjunct to a VPN platform, it is not without precedent. Two years ago, SSL VPN vendor Neoteris, now part of Juniper, introduced a conferencing add-on to its SSL appliance.
The rationale enKoo uses is that businesses interested in SSL VPNs are looking to boost productivity by extending applications and databases to remote users. Supporting conferencing can similarly make remote workers more productive, the company says, and depending on the individual circumstances of customers, that may be true. At least now it is an option to consider.
One consideration is that conferencing services represent an ongoing cost while this would be a one-time fee, so if conferencing is used frequently, the device should pay for itself.
The new software is available now. It costs $1,500 for a license that supports up to five participants.
