Whale Spawns Security Appliances

Two of Microsoft’s Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server appliance OEMs have begun shipping devices based on Microsoft’s new Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 platform, which is based on technology gained in the mid-2006 acquisition of Whale Communications. These appliances run an updated version of the Whale virtual private networking (VPN) technology integrated with ISA Server 2006. Compared to regular ISA Server, an IAG appliance provides remote access to corporate applications more securely. However, customers now need to purchase Client Access Licenses (CALs), which could make the solution more expensive compared to ISA Server alone or earlier Whale products.

IAG Overview

The Whale technology provides Secure Socket Layer VPN (SSL VPN) capabilities, which basically use Web browsers to function as VPN clients. Unlike traditional VPNs, which don’t discriminate between applications (the access is all or nothing), SSL VPNs can be enabled on an application-by-application basis. For example, an SSL VPN could allow a Web application to pass but could still block Outlook Express from using the POP3 e-mail protocol.