NetContinuum Adds Secure FTP Support To Web Security Gateway
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Feb. 2, 2004 – NetContinuum, the leading provider of ASIC-based application security appliances, today announced the addition of complete File Transfer Protocol (FTP) security to its NC-1000 Web Security Gateway product line. The company’s previous integration of network and application firewalls into a single appliance enabled the quick addition of full FTP security, something that no other network device on the market has been able to accomplish in the past. End users can now instantly secure all existing FTP applications across the enterprise with zero changes to back-end servers or networks.
FTP is a critical DMZ protocol used to transfer data files between systems. Because of its high performance for large file transfers, FTP is often used to move some of the most sensitive files on the Internet, including nightly banking record transfers, engineering drawings, customer transaction records and source code updates.
Unfortunately, difficulty deploying secure FTP in the past has caused many organizations to conduct these transactions entirely in the clear. Enterprises that do encrypt their FTP applications have been forced to invest in expensive, complex server-side solutions that are difficult to scale and provide no security for other applications in the DMZ.
Unlike HTTP applications that typically travel over port 80, FTP dynamically allocates which network port it will use as part of each transaction. Because network firewalls cannot see into encrypted traffic, customers have been forced to choose between encrypting their FTP transfers, or compromise their firewall security by leaving a wide range of ports open. The only way to solve this problem at the perimeter is with a single device that combines SSL encryption (common in application firewalls) and full network port control (common in network firewalls).
“It is NetContinuum’s unique combination of network and application firewall technologies that allows us to simultaneously provide encryption and firewall security services,” said Bret Cunningham, director of product management at NetContinuum. “For the first time ever, enterprises have an affordable, easy-to-deploy secure FTP option.”
The NetContinuum NC-1000 Web Security Gateway now does for FTP what it has always done for other mission-critical applications. Just like HTTP applications, FTP services can now be protected through SSL encryption, strong authentication, denial-of-service protection, deep inspection, tamperproof logging, and attack prevention. SSL capabilities can turn a normal FTP site into a secure FTP site with zero changes to back-end servers. As a result, existing FTP sites can be secured instantly, and new FTP sites can be securely rolled out faster and less expensively than before.
The NC-1000 utilizes SSL to encrypt the full FTP session, including the establishment of login credentials and file transfers to protect the confidentiality and availability of transferred data. Combined with full network and application firewall services, the NC-1000 provides organizations with comprehensive FTP security in addition to traditional network security, deep inspection, and attack prevention for web and application protocols. The NC-1000 can also require strong authentication on secure FTP sites to further enhance login security. The use of client-side certificates can be specified to provide greater assurance of client authenticity.
To save SSL deployment costs for FTP and web applications, the NC-1000 includes a standard certificate consolidation feature that eliminates the need to purchase and manage public certificates for every SSL-enabled server. Most importantly, the same NetContinuum Web Security Gateway can be used to protect all other non-FTP applications at the same time, each with its own unique protection policy.
About the NetContinuum Web Security Gateway
The NetContinuum NC-1000 Web Security Gateway is an application security appliance that integrates all critical DMZ functionality into a single, ASIC-based system. With the NC-1000, NetContinuum customers can deploy secure web applications more efficiently than ever before. Primary product features include full website cloaking to hide application details, integrated network and application firewall technology to fully protect applications from compromise, built-in SSL encryption to secure data in transit, and integrated load balancing and caching to ensure application availability and optimize performance.
Pricing & Availability
The NC-1000 Web Security Gateway 4.1 is currently in early access and will be generally available in March. This release is a free software upgrade to all current NetContinuum customers – no hardware upgrades are required. The NC-1000 is available to new customers at a list price of $29,000.
About NetContinuum, Inc.
NetContinuum is the leading provider of ASIC-based web security appliances that consolidate all critical DMZ functionality into a single system to enable cost-effective deployment of secure web applications. NetContinuum is listed in the “visionary” quadrant on Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Firewalls. Privately held, NetContinuum has secured more than $55 Million in funding from blue-chip venture capital firms and investors, including Palomar Ventures, Menlo Ventures, NIF Ventures/Daiwa Securities, Adams Street Partners, Invus Group, MKS Ventures, and Siemens. For more information, please visit www.netcontinuum.com or call 408-961-5600.