* Aventail Smart Technology
Aventail is upgrading the software that runs its SSL VPN gateways so it now supports two server applications via Windows Terminal Services or Citrix.
Aventail is upgrading the software that runs its SSL VPN gateways so it now supports server applications via Windows Terminal Services or Citrix.
This means remote computers can access the applications via the gateway without WTS or Citrix clients because the gateway acts as a proxy. This makes it simpler for administrators to set up. From the point of view of the end users of the devices, applications behave exactly as if they are on the LAN, so there is no learning curve for using them over the VPN.
The upgrade, called Aventail Smart Technology (ST) also lets network executives assign different levels of administrative access to the gateways. This makes it possible to give administrators authorization to perform limited, varying, predefined roles as opposed to blanket rights.
With the new software, end users can update their passwords via the gateway and the gateway will sync the new passwords with authentication servers that store credentials for the network. Users are prompted when their passwords are nearing expiration and led through choosing and registering new ones.
Aventail is adding features to its endpoint control software as part of the new version. In general, this software checks that remote machines meet security policies before they are admitted to the VPN. New features include the ability to search for groups of files with a single policy and to validate that Trojans and other malicious code aren’t masquerading as valid applications.
This software revision also includes a feature announced earlier that supports small-screen devices such as phones and PDAs by serving up applications that are designed for presentation on small screens. Administrators can set access controls so that if the gateway determines access is from a small-screen device, it will not have access to applications that won’t perform well on them.
The latest version of Aventail ST will be available later this month and is an upgrade for current customers with service contracts.
