Cisco Announces Clientless VPNs

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Cisco® Systems, Inc. today announced it has extended functionality of itsindustry-leading Cisco VPN 3000 Series Concentrators with support for newSecure Socket Layer (SSL) Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). The newcapability enables customers to remotely access applications from a standardweb browser from virtually any client device. The addition of thiscapability enables increased flexibility and cost-effective remote accessoptions by concurrently supporting both SSL and IPsec VPNs on the Cisco VPN3000 Series Concentrators at no additional cost to customers. Customers are increasingly looking to connect their mobile workforce tocorporate network resources through a standard web browser from any clientdevice with optimized security. To address this requirement, Cisco isintroducing Cisco WebVPN; an SSL VPN solution, which will be integrated withthe Cisco VPN 3000 Series Concentrator in software version 4.1. With noclient software required to be installed or maintained on the remote device,Cisco WebVPN enables users to gain a highly secure connection from anybrowser-based device, such as a PC located at a client's premises. Thecombination of WebVPN and the client-based IPsec VPN solution of the CiscoVPN 3000 provides unparalleled deployment flexibility and ease of managementfor meeting the requirements of remote application access.

"Companies are looking to leverage both Remote SSL-based and IPSec VPNtechnologies to connect user communities depending on their accessenvironments and access requirements," said Zeus Kerravala, vice president,Enterprise Infrastructure, at The Yankee Group, a leading research andconsulting firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. "The combination of Cisco'sWebVPN and IPSec VPNs on a single head-end platform provides a compellingvalue proposition for networked organizations of all sizes."

The new SSL VPN software extends Cisco's comprehensive range of VPNtechnology solutions, and further advances Cisco's integrated securitystrategy of integrating security services and threat defense capabilitiesthroughout Internet Protocol (IP) networks.

"Cisco's WebVPN enables us to increase productivity of our remote workers byproviding connectivity with industry-leading security and extending thenetwork without having to install VPN software on the client," said StephenC. Smith, network manager at Keystone Mercy Health Plan, a managedhealthcare organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "Cisco'sapproach of offering both VPN technologies on a single platform with noadditional or hidden fees for these services allows for maximum flexibilityand investment protection."

With the WebVPN software running on the Cisco VPN 3000 Series Concentrator,remote users will gain access to a growing set of common softwareapplications, including web pages, file sharing, email, client-serverapplications, and other web-based applications. Users gain access throughalmost any Internet connected system running most operating systems,including Windows, Linux, Solaris or MacOS X. In addition, as an integratedservice of the Cisco VPN 3000 Series Concentrator, WebVPN takes advantage ofthe platform's simple web-based management, advanced authentication,authorization, load balancing and clustering services.

In related news, Cisco also announced today the availability of the Cisco®1711 and 1712 security access routers. These products offer customers anintegrated security and routing solution including VPN, firewall, intrusiondetection system (IDS), and dial backup capabilities for broadband Internetaccess and site-site communication.

Cisco Systems Inc.