Aventail Announces First SSL VPN to Secure PDAsas Simply and Securely as Traditional Desktops
April 7, 2003 -Aventail (www.aventail.com), the recognised SSL VPN leader, today announced the first SSL VPN to support full anywhere, anytime application access on a PocketPC. IT organisations can easily utilize Aventail’s SSL VPN to authenticate, authorize and encrypt access across any application or device supported by PocketPC, including the full functionality of Microsoft Pocket Outlook and Exchange. For the first time, remote access for PDA users will be as simple and secure as from a more traditional Windows laptop. And because Aventail’s SSL VPN platform is network independent, PocketPC users can use their critical business applications through any wireless connection including mobile/cellular connections or wireless LANs.
Available on April 30, support for PocketPC will be a standard feature for users of Aventail OnDemand®, a Java SSL VPN agent and one of three access options of Aventail’s Anywhere Secure Access Policy (ASAP) Platform.
“A mature remote access strategy should include support for secure connectivity to the corporate network resources from all devices, including PocketPC based systems,” said David Thompson, senior research analyst with Meta Group, Inc. “SSL VPN technology is optimally positioned to provide this support independent of network technology, allowing access from WLAN hotspots or cellular networks with equal functionality.”
With Aventail’s SSL VPN platform for example, a doctor can securely access a vertical point of care application on a PDA as he or she walks from patient to patient, which helps reduce costs, while also improving quality of care.
Other examples include allowing shop-floor managers at manufacturing firms to place on-the-spot orders or empowering employees of logistics companies to access customer orders and update package information as part of a global package tracking system with their PocketPC.
As part of the Aventail SSL VPN Platform, ASAP, customers can incorporate support for PocketPC into their overall suite of remote access, allowing IT to use the same policy, platform, and product to support remote access via kiosks, laptops, home office computers and extranets. This helps eliminate security concerns about wireless cards and costly headaches from the device-by-device work required with existing PDA solutions. Support for PocketPC further demonstrates Aventail’s ongoing commitment to help IT departments easily manage and fully optimise remote access to mission critical applications and networks from any location, network or device.
“Allowing IT departments to treat PDAs just like they would a corporate desktop is a huge win for IT and for the entire remote access market,” said Evan Kaplan, president and CEO of Aventail. “By mixing the significant benefits of PocketPC with SSL VPN technology, end users get the mobility they need and IT gets to manage an already in place security infrastructure. This significant milestone provides IT with a common enterprise-ready system that is simpler and less expensive than multiple offerings.”
Today’s announcement builds on Aventail’s established leadership in providing the industry’s broadest range of platform and device support through Aventail’s leading SSL VPN platform, the ASAP. Other new features to the ASAP platform include:
” Real-time monitoring and reporting tools that give administrators direct access to detailed user activity reports and system tracking capabilities to fully understand how the SSL VPN system is being utilized.
” Advanced security options to provide employees the ability to connect to internal/private web resources directly, while also ensuring IT departments can secure resources and make them available for extranet users.
Aventail will be demonstrating its latest products at three upcoming shows: RSA, San Francisco, April 13 – 17, 2003, at booth 1343; NetWorld + Interop, Las Vegas, April 29 – May 1, 2003, at booth 6881 and 6981; and InfoSecurity, Olympia, London, April 29 – May 1, 2003, at booth 495.
About Aventail Aventail’s momentum in the VPN market comes as customers are increasingly looking for remote access and extranet solutions that are easier to manage, cheaper to support, and more secure than IPSec VPNs.
Based on the sixth generation of Aventail’s SSL VPN technology platform, the company’s solutions do not require the expensive deployment and management of clients and provide transparent, anywhere access to any application, including Web, legacy client/server, file transfer, terminal servers, and mainframe. Aventail serves more than 400,000 users and 400 large organizations, including Basell Polyolefins, Cerner Corporation, Deloitte Consulting, DuPont, GlaxoSmithKline, Ernst & Young Global LLP, and Mount Sinai NYU Health.
The company has received numerous awards and accolades from the industry’s top publications and analyst firms. These include being positioned in the leader Quadrant for Gartner’s Managed Remote Access for two consecutive years (2002 and 2003); recognition as one of Computerworld’s 100 Emerging Companies; and winner of InfoWorld’s Hot Product, Network Magazine’s Product of the Year award, Giga Information Group’s Emerging Technology Scene – Best Overall Network Product, and the Crossroads A-List Award.
For more information on Aventail, visit www.aventail.com.
Aventail, Aventail.Net, Aventail ASAP, Aventail EX-1500, and Aventail OnDemand, and their respective logos are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of Aventail Corporation. Other product and company names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners.