Aventail Appliance Makes Workers More MobileAventail Appliance Makes Workers More Mobile

Remote workers tapping into corporate networks will have broader access to applications, and IT managers will have an easier time managing the process with Aventail's latest release, available Monday. Aventail's EX-1500 appliance, its sixth generation of Secure Sockets Layer VPN products, will let remote workers using noncorporate devices, such as kiosks, home PCs, and handhelds, access client-server applications. Previously, they only could access Web-based apps and E-mail.

What's more, Aventail now offers a Web-based, graphical-user-interface management console for companies to manage their SSL remote-access servers; previously, Aventail managed them. "It's our preference to bring these types of things in-house. When they came out with the appliance with the management software, we thought it was the right technology at the right price," says Craig Ross, director of global communication services for Dade Behring, a $1.2 billion clinical diagnostics company that's been testing the product for about a month. Dade Behring ultimately plans to use the product to grant access to business partners, as well as its mobile workers.

Many companies use the IPsec protocol to connect remote workers over a VPN. But IPsec requires a large client, won't support wireless LANs, kiosks, or noncorporate devices, and can be time-consuming to manage. SSL is becoming the increasingly popular way to connect disparate staff because it doesn't have the same limitations. "IPsec did a great job solving site-to-site remote access, but not for truly mobile workers," says Sarah Daniels, Aventail's VP of product management and marketing. Research firm Infonetics estimates that the SSL VPN market will reach $871 million by 2005.

Businesses can require any type of authentication, ranging from simple log-in and passwords to digital certificates, to access the applications. When a remote worker logs in to the network through the browser-based interface, a portlet is displayed that lists the apps he or she can access. The EX-1500 starts at $24,000 and is available now.