Application Gateway Goes Virtual

The second service pack (SP) for Microsoft’s remote access gateway product, Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007, is the first version of the product that can be installed on customer hardware; previous versions were only available preinstalled on security appliances. Announced in Nov. 2008 and available through OEM partners and Microsoft download sites, SP2 adds other improvements, such as enhanced interoperability with some non-Windows browsers and OSs, new application optimizers for setting up connections to Dynamics CRM and Office Communicator applications, and a new Getting Started configuration wizard.

Non-Microsoft Browsers, New Wizards

Acquired from Whale Communications in 2006, the IAG software provides browser-based remote access to corporate networks and applications over secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS), a capability also called Secure Sockets Layer Virtual Private Network, or SSL VPN. SSL VPNs do not require the slow and often unreliable process of setting up and managing specialized VPN client software on the end-user’s computer; instead, users connect using a standard Web browser.