Microsoft Closes SSL VPN Acquisition, Offers Whale Of A Discount
Microsoft also gave details on its road map for integrating Whale products and unveiled a 25 percent discount on Whale's flagship Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) product, which incorporates Microsoft's Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server, as well as 25 percent off add-on modules.
The wrap-up of the Whale deal, announced Wednesday, reflects Microsoft's goal to protect applications and data from threats plus secure remote access to partners, employees and customers, said Steve Brown, director of product management for the Security and Access Group at the Redmond, Wash.-based company.
Whale's SSL VPN technology powers a platform that lets mobile workers securely access the corporate network via laptops, handhelds and kiosks, according to Brown. "[Whale has] a great set of access technologies that are complementary to what we are doing at the platform level to enable granular policy and access controls," he said.
Whale also provides application optimizers that add customized policy and content inspection as well as third-party CRM, ERP and collaboration solutions, Brown added. "Whale has differentiated its IAG solution by incorporating a deep understanding of the application and the data," he said.
In addition, Whale brings endpoint security features and attachment-cleaning technology that deletes files on unmanaged clients, such as airport kiosks, once a remote session is finished, which helps prevent sensitive data from being exposed, Brown said.
Gregg Shortell, president and CEO of Network Engines, a Canton, Mass.-based solution provider, said he's intrigued by the opportunity to provide hardware appliances to support the Whale solution and believes SSL VPN is an integral part of Microsoft's expanding security portfolio.
"I see [Whale] as an excellent fit, which reflects the strategic expansion of Microsoft's communications and security product competence," Shortell said.
Microsoft plans to bring an updated Whale IAG and ISA Server 2006 appliance to market through its OEM partners early next year, according to Brown. The next release of ISA Server, due in late 2007 after the release of the "Longhorn" Windows Server, will include integration of Whale's technology and be marketed under the Forefront brand, he said.
"We're going to unify security and access into a single solution," Brown said.