Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004 Standard Edition, a firewall and content caching application, is now available. The new product supports more network configuration options than its predecessor, ISA 2000, and contains incremental improvements to overall security, virtual private network (VPN) support, administrative interface, and more. Pricing has been set at US$1,499 per processor for up to a maximum of four processors per server. Microsoft also plans to release an Enterprise Edition of ISA 2004 with support for even higher availability and capacity, as it did with ISA 2000 but has not announced features, pricing, or an availability date.

Microsoft recently announced partnerships with a half-dozen hardware manufacturers to build firewall appliances based on ISA Server 2004 and expects all of them to ship those appliances before the end of 2004.

For an in-depth analysis of ISA Server 2004, see "ISA Server 2004 More Flexible, Secure" on page 12 of the Apr. 2004 Update.