Rainbow launches new iGate for SMEs

Rainbow Technologies has released two Secure Sockets Layer remote-access devices for the SME segment. Gaurav Patra reports

It seems the war between IPSec and SSL VPNs is hotting up. Vendors in both product segments have been making big claims about market penetration. Now, sensing the demand for secure remote access at a reasonable price by customers in the small business segment, Rainbow Technologies has taken the first step towards tapping this market in India. Targeting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the company recently announced the launch of iGate Pro. This is similar to the company’s soon to be phased out appliance, iGate. New customers will be directed towards iGate Pro, which is aimed at midsize companies, while iGate Team is targeted at smaller businesses.

Since its inception, iGate has done well across the world, including India. Initially, the iGate came with a host of features: it had SSL acceleration and Web server protection, including authentication and authorisation mechanisms. The recently-launched iGate Pro comes with VPN functionality. “This enables the user to access virtually any application through the iGate appliance. Earlier, the iGate solution was restricted to Web pages only,” says Deepak Prasad, director, operations, Rainbow. He says that any client-server application can be routed through iGate in a secure manner, exactly the way it works for any Web page.

In terms of the effort it takes to set up the iGate appliance, iGate Pro really works out-of-the-box as compared to any other deployment. Prasad says that for VPN deployment one needs to set up things both at the client- and server-ends. But, “for appliances, IT managers need not worry what Web servers they are running. It is completely platform-agnostic, while with VPN you have a certain degree of restriction. There are few hassles reported in deploying iGate Pro because the deployment happens on just one access control terminal, and one can configure thousands of users a day.” Prasad also feels that manageability is a non-issue as far as this solution is concerned.

This appliance, with a host of features, is aimed at the SME segment. “SMEs need something like this. They want to leverage the power of the Internet to provide connectivity to their supply chain, partners or even to their employees who work in the field. This was the reason Rainbow thought of launching such a product,” explains Prasad.

The company has segmented the market for this product into two areas. On the lower side, an organisation with 40-100 users who do not need strong acceleration can go in for iGate Team. Companies with 1,000 users should go in for iGate Pro. “In terms of size we have two different products catering to two different segments, but in terms of needs they are almost the same,” says Prasad. The company is still in the process of formalising the pricing strategy of these products for the Indian market. However, Prasad estimates that the iGate appliance will cost around Rs 12 lakh. The pricing will depend on the number of concurrent-user licences and the number of iKey authentication tokens.

Rainbow also makes a line of authentication-token hardware that plugs into USB ports on PCs, and it has integrated the software necessary to support tokens in its SSL appliances. This offers customers the option of two-factor authentication using a token. The Pro model includes an SSL acceleration card to handle encryption, as well as a new feature, compression of HTTP traffic. The Team model encrypts using a general processor and software, but does not include http compression. Both devices have a high-availability port to connect to a second back-up box, which can take over if the primary one fails. Rainbow is adding support for client-server applications over SSL connections, something some of its competitors have offered for more than a year. It does not support full network layer access to corporate resources, which many of its competitors offer.

iGate Pro is targeted at all those enterprises which have a lot to do with data and information, whether from the supply chain or their partner network or their own employees who are geographically spread. Prasad feels that the need to securely access information from remote locations is going to drive the growth of iGate Pro in India and hopes to generate good business. The company claims to be the pioneer in introducing such an appliance-based SL-VPN, but others like Nortel Networks are also seriously working towards it.

NetSwift iGate SSL VPN advantages

Hardware-based SSL encryption for Web and non-Web applications. Granular Web access control to the file level. Central administration of users by group, role and application. Integrated two-factor token authentication or password access. Application proxy significantly reduces Web server exploitation risks. Auto log-off of users when using iKey tokens. Reduces remote access management costs from costly VPN installations. Meets audit, regulatory and security compliance standards. Reduces password management costs. Eliminates Web vulnerabilities.

When vendors don’t survive

The recent news that IPSec VPN vendor NetScreen is buying Secure Sockets Layer remote access vendor Neoteris has two key implications. First, it’s a pretty strong signal that SSL VPNs are here to stay, and that the market is starting to take significant steps towards maturity. Second, it is apparent that not all the current SSL remote access companies, particularly the start-ups, will be around in a couple of years. A few years ago, when IPSec VPNs were just coming in, there were a number of VPN vendors. Today, major networking vendors dominate the field, and there are a few, NetScreen among them, that focus on VPNs. But even these relative specialists are adding other areas of expertise such as SSL remote access. About the second point—that many of these start-ups will not survive—it seems probable that the SSL VPN shakeout will be faster than it was with IPSec VPNs. This is because money is tighter now than it was in 1996. What does this mean for customers looking to buy some of this equipment? They should not be worried. Rather, the emphasis should be on whether they need it badly enough. If the equipment solves the problem at a significantly lower cost, go for it. If the company dies, someone will still be selling SSL remote access gear that will be a fine replacement. The key is to buy a product that is technologically solid. Customers of this equipment say that vendors, eager for business, have deals that let potential buyers lease the equipment for months to see whether it works; also, the lease money can be put towards a purchase if customers decide they want to keep the gear. Users should therefore look for such opportunities, evaluate them, then go ahead and buy if their equipment fits in with their requirements.

SSL-based remote access offered as a service

TManage is introducing a managed SSL remote access service based on equipment made by Neoteris for customers who do not want the hassle of setting up the equipment and maintaining it. Managed clientless VPN Service calls for placing a Neoteris Instant Virtual Extranet appliance at each customer site, where it acts as a go-between that terminates SSL sessions from remote computers connecting over the Internet, and splices the connection to servers on a LAN. But an SSL remote-access appliance requires little management once it is set up, so the service makes sense only if a customer is buying several of these services from the provider. That way, customers can offload a number of administrative and management chores at once. However, TManage contends that setting up an appliance is not necessarily easy. With the SSL service in place, customers can make changes to policies and access lists by placing requests with TManage via a Web portal. TManage also agrees to make the changes within a certain period, guaranteed by a service-level agreement. From a cost standpoint, TManage recommends the service for customers who have more than 1,000 remote users. If the number of users is less than this, IPSec VPN remote access makes more sense. The other prominent player who offers a managed SSL remote access service is AT&T. It offers this service based on Aventail SSL equipment; meanwhile, Aventail offers a managed service of its own.

gaurav@expresscomputeronline.com