* Nokia announces set of IPSec VPN gateways for handheld devices
Nokia this week is announcing a set of IPSec VPN gateways to support handheld devices for businesses that want to secure connections with mobile workers.
The four devices, called IPVPN 5i, 10i, 50i and 100i support a range of remote users from 25 to 10,000 tunnels at a price range from $400 to $10,000.
They support certain Nokia handhelds and cellular phones based on the Symbian operating system that log in to corporate networks via Wi-Fi Internet connections. So a remote user would have to be in range of a Wi-Fi access point, either at home, at work or at a public hot spot.
There is one time-saving feature that makes the connection to the VPN transparent to the end user. The end user clicks on an application icon on the handheld’s screen and the software automatically launches the VPN. The user doesn’t have to manually launch the VPN then separately seek out the application.
The IPVPN gateways also support Microsoft’s VPN client software found on its PC operating systems, so laptops and even wired PCs could log in via the gateways.
When the gateways are configured to support links between each other, or when a new application is added to the VPN, administrators need only configure the local gateway to handle it. That gateway will inform all the other gateways of where the application is located and how it can be accessed.
The gateways can also be configured to reroute traffic through other gateways if one fails.
Initially the IPVPN family supports IBM WebSphere, IBM Sametime and Oracle Collaboration Suite, but Nokia says support for other applications is in the works.
