Aventail Cleans Up Leftovers

Today's trend toward remote networking saves time, but comes with a major worry: With employees working from any number of locations -- from Internet cafes to kiosks at airports and tradeshows -- there is a very real danger that critical data will be left behind on laptops, home PCs, and PDAs. But SSL VPN products are emerging that should make life easier for harassed IT managers.

Part of the appeal of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) VPNs is that they enable remote access to networks via a Web browser. But because Web browsers cache data on public computers, end-users run the risk of leaving sensitive data such as passwords, cookies, and confidential documents stored on their machines after they've closed off Internet sessions.

Today, Aventail Corp.launched two new security products for SSL VPNs designed to combat this problem. The companys Secure Desktop and Cache Control offerings integrate with Aventail’s EX-1500 SSL VPN appliance to ensure that nothing is left behind when users close their network connections.

Cache Control removes the cached data at the end of the user’s session. According to Aventail, Secure Desktop goes a stage further by creating an "encrypted vault."

This safely stores all the data that is downloaded in a Web session, destroying it when the session ends.Bottom line? The new wares could give IT managers more peace of mind when it comes to VPNs. “If you are an IT manager, you love the fact that SSL VPNs provide your users with additional productivity -- but you can run the risk that you will leave confidential information behind,” says Sarah Daniels, Aventail VP of product management and marketing.

Cache Control will ship as standard with the new release of the EX-1500, although Secure Desktop will cost an additional $2,200. The products will be available in the second quarter of this year.

The SSL VPN space is one of the fastest growing parts of the security market. A number of vendors, including Juniper Networks Inc., NetScreen Technologies Inc., Nortel Networks Corp., and Cisco Systems Inc., are all jostling for position (see Cisco's Security Spree Continues).

Last year, NetScreen announced a deal to acquire SSL startup Neoteris Inc. for roughly $625 million in stock and cash, an acquisition that analysts hailed as a strong move (see NetScreen Snags SSL Leader).

With the ever-present threat provided by hackers and corporate espionage, firms are only too aware of just how vulnerable their PCs and laptops are. Also today, storage firm Adaptec Inc. announced a new application-specific storage array that automatically backs up PC and laptop information unprotected by standard server backups.— James Rogers, Site Editor, Next-gen Data Center Forum