Microsoft Supports Commitment to Security
Microsoft Firewall Available Today; 31 Software Vendors and Security Services Partners Extend, Tailor and Service Firewall Capabilities
ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ — Today at the InfoSec World security trade show in Orlando, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) announced the general availability of its enterprise firewall and Web cache, Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server, along with more than 30 add-on security solutions that extend and tailor networks to customers’ IT security needs. In addition, the recently announced Microsoft(R) Security Services Partner Program, which gives customers a place to turn for immediate network security support, has been extended to include support for ISA Server.
“Microsoft realizes that an enterprise-class firewall product must be extensible in order to meet the ever-changing security needs for doing business on the Internet,” said Paul Flessner, executive vice president of the .NET Enterprise Servers at Microsoft. “We are thrilled about the breadth of support for ISA Server from customers, analysts, security experts and leading vendors of Internet security and management software. Now, with ISA’s 31 partners — impressive support for a product that has just become generally available — enterprise customers will be able to find the custom security solutions they need, on the Microsoft platform or in a Windows(R) 2000-mixed environment, because ISA requires only one copy of Windows 2000 to implement its full security offering.”
ISA Server is the security and performance arm of the .NET Enterprise Servers, which together offer customers all the essential infrastructure they need to succeed today while preparing them for participating in a Web-services economy. “The product focuses on the key firewall capabilities, and the architecture has intentionally been created to be very extensible and easy for partners to build on,” Flessner said.
Thirty-one Extensible Security Solutions Available Today
Thirty-one companies have announced add-on services and solutions to ISA Server to give customers a wide range of choices to customize their solutions to their network security needs. Half of these companies are at InfoSec World and are announcing the availability of their compatible products that build on and integrate with the capabilities of ISA Server in the areas of virus detection, filtering, content security, site categorization, reporting and management tools. These companies include Aelita Software, Aladdin, CornerPost Software, Corbett Technologies, Content Technologies, Intellimark IT Solutions, InDepth, N2H2 Inc., PatchLink Corp., Secure Computing, Soft-ex, Shavlik Technologies, WaveCrest Computing, Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) and SurfControl.
“Microsoft understands security and what customers need: Extensibility is critical for an enterprise security product,” said Kevin Schuler, president of InDepth Technology, one of Microsoft’s new Security Partners. InDepth Technology provides security consultation and software for enterprises, and has created an ISA configuration product called Secure/PAC that is valuable to businesses that lack in-house security experts to secure and accelerate their Internet connections. “No two organizations are exactly the same,” Schuler said. “ISA Server provides numerous ways to secure a network while giving users enhanced Internet performance.”
“HP shares the goal of Microsoft’s ISA Server in offering enterprise-class security,” said Roberto Medrano, general manager, HP Internet Security Solutions Division. “ISA Server is a significant move toward addressing enterprise customer requirements.” HP introduced HP Webenforcer for Windows 2000 this month. This security software provides in-depth intrusion prevention for Windows 2000 environments by continuously discovering and fixing security vulnerabilities, while protecting against unauthorized changes and attacks. Through its ongoing, automated security scanning and fixing, HP Webenforcer for Windows 2000 is able to significantly reduce IT staff time, downtime and costs.
“HP Webenforcer and Microsoft’s ISA Server solve complementary problems,” Medrano said. “Together, they help ensure the network boundary is secure, and both companies recognize that boundary security is one of the greatest challenges faced by organizations today. With Microsoft’s ISA Server protecting the network and HP Webenforcer intrusion prevention software hardening and fixing network boundary vulnerabilities, companies get a new level of protection for sensitive data located on corporate servers.”
Using an advanced, policy-based Internet content scanning engine, Baltimore Technologies’ MIMEsweeper technology demonstrator detects and stops suspect Web transfers and Web e-mail to protect organizations from such threats as viruses, confidentiality breaches and exposure to legal liability. When integrated with ISA Server 2000, MIMEsweeper adds an extra layer of functionality that enables Microsoft customers to manage the content of Web transfers and Web e-mail coming in and out of their organizations at the network gateway.
“Over 25 percent of Fortune 200 customers are already deploying at least one product in Baltimore Technologies’ MIMEsweeper family of Web, e-mail and intranet applications, so ISA Server is a key technology to provide these same benefits to larger enterprises,” said Howard Bell, global business development director for Baltimore Technologies. “At Baltimore, we are enhancing our market-leading WEBsweeper solution to take advantage of significant scalability and policy management features in Microsoft’s ISA Server.” N2H2, an Internet management company specializing in fast and scalable filtering solutions, is introducing a filtering product that will enhance productivity and minimize potential legal liability by building on ISA’s firewall and caching features. N2H2 Internet Filtering(TM) for Microsoft ISA Server 2000 is a fully integrated, high-speed filtering, reporting and Internet-access-management solution serving global enterprises and government agencies.
“Caching and filtering work extremely well together. By removing inappropriate content, companies can cache only relevant content — a huge win for networks and for controlling IT costs,” said Peter Nickerson, president and CEO of N2H2. “And by ensuring that users access only the most relevant information on the Internet, N2H2’s ISA-based product provides organizations with an immediate return on their investment.”
Security Partner Program Provides Peace of Mind
Microsoft recently announced the formation of the Security Services Partner Program, a searchable Web-based database where customers can locate immediate help in dealing with security issues in their own systems and across the Internet. The program provides customers with a direct connection to highly qualified security consultants — to date, 44 companies in 16 countries — who can help them deal with security concerns. The program can be accessed at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/partners/default.asp . Now a segment of these same partners will also be recommended for helping ISA Server customers with their security concerns. Of these, Corbett Technologies, Intellimark IT Solutions, InDepth Technology and Shavlik Technologies are announcing their participation in the program today, as well as their ability to assist ISA Server customers.
“We have trained IT security experts who can teach administrators how to properly configure their ISA Server for the needs of a particular user, or later needs that may arise,” Schuler said. “Microsoft’s commitment to enterprise-class security solutions has come to fruition with the debut of ISA Server.”
Evaluation Version of ISA Server Available for Free Download* Customers that are interested in trying ISA Server on their network can begin immediately with the evaluation copy available at http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/ and will have a seamless path to production when they choose to upgrade to the Standard or Enterprise edition of the product.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software – any time, any place and on any device.