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Instant Virtual Extranet (IVE) from Neoteris offers the same kind of web application security as appliances from rivals Array Networks and Blue Coat, although the emphasis is more on secure remote local area network (Lan) access than on protecting web applications.
To this end, IVE takes the same secure socket layer (SSL) approach as the competition, but also secures remote file shares, Windows thin clients and legacy client/server applications such as Exchange and Lotus Notes.
IVE appliances are based on industry-standard Intel server hardware. For this group test we looked at an IVE Partner Access 1000 appliance, based on a 1U Pentium III server with dual processors.
However, the company has recently revamped and extended its product line to suit a wider range of customers.
At the top, the Neoteris Access 5000 Series is designed to address the needs of large enterprises with multi-way load balancing and failover clustering support, and the ability to apply access controls at group as well as user level.
The low-end Access 1000 Series is for companies looking for secure employee access to resources.
All run the same security-hardened Linux operating system, derived from the Red Hat implementation. On top of this is a custom SSL web server written to act both as a proxy and a portal to applications protected by the appliance.
This, in turn, is supported by three components that give the IVE its unique mix of functionality, starting with a set of client request handlers.
The request handlers reject any user connection that's not SSL-encrypted, then authenticate the user concerned and apply associated access policies.
Valid requests are then passed to the core content transformation software which provides for, among other features, automatic redirection of URLs, allowing applications to run unaltered even though being accessed indirectly.
Finally, Lan-side protocol connectors enable requests to be passed to resources on the protected network using native protocols: the magic bit that lets users access file shares and run legacy, as well as web-based, applications.
Installation is straightforward. The unit is simply connected to the Lan inside a firewall, then assigned an IP address via the built-in console port. The remaining configuration work is all done using a browser-based management interface.
User authentication is one of the first options that needs to be set up. As well as an internal database, there's support for external authentication using Ldap, Radius, Unix NIS and either Windows NT Domains or Active Directory. Physical authentication systems, such as SecureID, are also supported.
Resources are then identified using bookmarks. These are links to specific URLs made available to users via the IVE portal interface, to which they connect using a standard SSL-enabled browser.
Users can be authorised to create bookmarks, or they can just type in the URL required as normal.
Bookmarks can be configured to provide access to Windows and Unix file shares, again via a browser, with the normal Lan access rights respected.
Remote documents and files can then be opened and edited on the local PC, although to make changes to the originals the files have to be saved locally and uploaded to the remote server.
Alternatively, the IVE software can be configured to handle Windows Terminal Services and other thin clients.
Users can then remotely access their normal Windows desktop, files and applications via the IVE appliance.
Finally, it's possible to configure bookmarks that point to non-web applications such as Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes or any other client/server application that uses standard IP ports for communication.
A readily available Java applet is needed for this to work, to handle the port redirection.
We found the Neoteris very easy to install and configure and were impressed by the mix of security features on offer.
In many respects it competes against the Array SP, but lacks some of the scalability features, and scores more highly when it comes to general remote Lan access.
It offers a much simpler, easy-to-use and potentially more secure alternative to conventional virtual private network encryption.
Price: From £27,289.38 (£23,225 ex VAT)
Contact: Neoteris 01344 742 842
www.neoteris.com
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