VPN client facilitates secure email and network communication between mobile users and the office.
London and Karlsruhe (Germany), (5th March, 2007) – Astaro Corporation (www.astaro.co.uk), a leading provider of Unified Threat Management (UTM) security solutions, today announced the release of Astaro Secure Client (ASC) 9.0, which facilitates secure email and network communication between mobile employees and their headquarters. ASC 9.0 now provides Microsoft Windows Vista support (in addition to Windows 2000 and XP) for maximum flexibility when setting up remote access.
“With support for Windows Vista, Microsoft's new operating system, Vista users, or Microsoft customers planning to upgrade, have immediate access to a ready-to-use Vista-compliant VPN client,” said Walter Schumann, VP Sales and Marketing EMEA. “Additionally, the ASC 9.0 user interface has been visually adapted to match the new Windows operating system, maximising ease of operation for Windows Vista users.”
Astaro Secure Client (ASC) 9.0 integrates on a single platform and provides a set of security and communication functionalities, including stateful inspection firewall with adjustable firewall rules and an installation wizard to simplify configuration.
The Vista client runs as a personal firewall that differentiates between secure and insecure networks by using the "Friendly Net Detection" feature. This feature enables the client to dynamically apply a suitable firewall policy, depending upon the detected communication environment. Additionally, the client is able to use freely selectable VPN ports, allowing the establishment of IPsec tunnels, even through firewalls where the standard IPsec ports have not been opened.
Advanced mechanisms have been incorporated to maintain the secure transmission of Voice over IP (VoIP) data via IPsec VPNs, integrating bandwidth management and traffic shaping to guarantee maximum voice quality (Quality of Service). With features like advanced authentication via EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol), smart card support, and strong encryption through AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) or 3DES (Data Encryption Standard), the IPsec client is deployable in a variety of scenarios.
Initial installation of the VPN client is through a gateway-supported end user portal, which allows for download of an individual VPN package that includes client software, configuration file and certificates, and can be directly installed on the desktop PC.
Once installed, Astaro Secure Client automatically detects the available transmission mediums, without the need for manual configuration at the Internet access point. Optionally, the client can also control the dial-in process for analog or DSL modems, as well as ISDN, GPRS and UMTS cards. For hotspots, mobile users can be authenticated via automatic, script-driven logons, which increases security when connecting to the corporate network from public access points.
ASC 9.0 easily combines with Astaro Security Gateway appliances, which are able to schedule both IPSec and SSL tunnelling. The new version now also supports IPSec hash algorithms for authentication and allows for automatic execution of user-defined applications after the establishment of a connection.
Availability and Pricing
Astaro Secure Client V9.0 is available immediately through Astaro’s worldwide network of solutions partners, with licences priced at £62 per client. Upgrades from older ASC versions start at £31 per client.
About Astaro
Astaro Corporation is headquartered in Burlington, Mass. and Karlsruhe, Germany. The Astaro Security Gateway, simplifying Email, Web & Network Security, has won numerous industry awards and is protecting over 30,000 networks in 60 countries. Astaro products are distributed by a worldwide network of more than 1,000 solution partners who offer local support and services. For more information, please visit www.astaro.co.uk
Contacts
James Farquharson/Emily Monsell
Goode International, +44 (0) 1491 873 323
james.farquharson@goode.co.uk / emily.monsell@goode.co.uk