As a Charter Member of ICSA’s SSL-TLS Consortium, Whale Spearheads Endpoint Security Standards for SSL VPN Remote Access Products.
Fort Lee, NJ, April 26, 2005 – Whale Communications, the leading SSL VPN provider, today announced that it has spearheaded the endpoint security standards in the SSL-TLS Consortium’s newly released 2.0 certification criteria. ICSA Labs ά an independent division of Cybertrust, that leads the consortium, has completed the first round of certification testing against this newly published criteria.
Whale’s e-Gap Remote Access Appliance has been certified against the new criteria by ICSA Labs. The ICSA Labs SSL VPN certification program is an independent and comprehensive process that rigorously tests, assesses, and validates SSL VPNs in a simulated, real-world, internet-worked environment on a continuous basis. Whale, which pioneered endpoint security technologies including cache cleaning, helped drive the certification criteria to ensure that the enterprises adopting certified SSL VPNs have the essential security in place to safeguard their networks.
“ICSA Labs and the consortium were able to leverage Whale’s pioneering efforts in the SSL VPN market to establish fundamental security standards for enterprises implementing SSL-based remote access solutions,” said Brian Monkman, technology programs manager at ICSA Labs. “It is the commitment of industry leaders such as Whale to the ICSA Labs SSL-TLS Product Developers’ Consortium that ensures best practices are the standard in the SSL VPN space today.”
The 2.0 certification criteria includes client-side integrity checking, and correct handling of services like OWA, file shares via SMB and Microsoft Outlook. In addition to the above requirements, testing criteria include the issue of leaking of information about the corporate network when acting as a reverse web proxy, and best security practices for multi-factor authentication. Unlike other testing organizations, ICSA Labs testing criteria are publicly posted for review by target industry groups such as vendors and industry experts.
“This round of certification criteria validates our longstanding approach of not leaving any footprints behind by clearing the cache. Having pioneered the development of this and other technologies, including our Application AwareT approach which ensures correct handling of services like OWA and Microsoft Outlook, it is rewarding to have them now recognized as must-have industry standards,” said Noam Ben-Yochanan, CTO of Whale Communications. “We are committed to ensuring that enterprises will get the necessary security when choosing a certified product. Whale will continue to augment these criteria to provide our customers with the utmost security an SSL VPN can deliver.”
Whale’s e-Gap Remote Access solutions are at the forefront of technology development in the SSL VPN market and are setting the security standard for anywhere remote access. Whale’s application aware technology, optimized for access to leading applications, also delivers the utmost flexibility. Whale’s solutions provide deep levels of security policy granularity, enhance user experience, and easily integrate and leverage existing network infrastructures. This translates into more remote access hours spent by companies’ employees and partners leading to a significant increase in productivity.
About Whale Communications
Whale Communications is the leading enterprise-class SSL VPN vendor, enabling companies to provide employees, business partners and customers secure access to corporate data and applications from any web browser. Named a leader, visionary and tier-one SSL VPN player by major analysts such as Gartner, META Group, Forrester and Frost & Sullivan, Whale’s SSL VPN products have also won numerous industry awards such as Network Computing magazine’s Best SSL VPN for 2004. Its solutions have been securing enterprises worldwide since it was founded in 1998. Privately held, Whale is funded by prominent venture firms and industry leaders, including Goldman Sachs, Soros Private Equity Partners and the BRM Group, the founding investor of Check Point Software Technologies. The company is headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey and has international offices in Israel, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
Whale Communications, e-Gap, Application Aware, Attachment Wiper, Whale and the Whale logo are trademarks of Whale Communications Ltd. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders. For more information about Whale visit: www.whalecommunications.com.
Aimee Rhodes
e-mail: aimee@whale-com.com
201-947-9177 ext. 1528