* Digital Evolution XML VPN allows the use of Web services over a VPN
Claiming an industry first, Digital Evolution recently announced its Digital Evolution XML VPN allowing the use of Web services over a VPN. This makes it possible to integrate Web services provided by a company securely with the business processes of partners.
You might wonder why VPN integration is important when SSL can be used to secure Web services. According to Digital Evolution, there are three significant functional differences between an SSL and XML VPNs:
1) An XML VPN provides comprehensive Web service and Web service operation level provisioning and access control that goes beyond offering server-to-server connectivity that provides Web service virtualization. In other words, VPNs allow partner Web services to appear to be local to the applications that consume them. According to Digital Evolution, this “eliminates the cost and difficulty of implementing XML and Web services security technologies in the applications.”
2) SSL VPNs deliver point-to-point security between two servers or applications. XML VPN uses message-level security to provide end-to-end security for transactions that might traverse multiple servers.
3) Because an SSL VPN is not XML aware it has no understanding of XML and Web services protocols and cannot find, decrypt or implement message-based credentials, signatures, and encryption.
The Digital Evolution XML VPN appliance is an edge device that allows external consumers of a service to connect to Web services that have been authorized. It also allows internal users to access their partners’ Web services and expose them to their applications as local services.
By delegating external security to the VPN, it frees local applications from managing access control and encryption and allows a single secure identity such as an X.509 certificate to be used for all service access.
Two architectures are involved: Either both ends of the VPN are mediated by XML VPN appliances or the remote service consumer uses a supplied software-based proxy to act as their internal service end point.
The Digital Evolution XML VPN appliance supports all of the major Web services standards including SSL, SAML, WS-Security, XML-Signature and XML-Encryption.
The XML VPN appliance is a managed XML VPN controller implemented as either a software product for deployment by a VPN provider, or as a hosted solution. The controller provides central policy and rights management and transaction auditing services for an XML VPN environment.
The Digital Evolution XML VPN appliance is priced at $35,000.
