Nokia Updates SSL VPN For Secure Mobility

The update, formally dubbed Nokia Secure Access System 2.0, boasts high availability, configuration replication and single sign-on, among other features. Released Monday, it was slated to be available to channel partners by June 28.

Steve Schall, director of product management in Nokia's enterprise solutions department, said the device is perfect for solution providers with customers that want to improve their approach to securing the mobile enterprise.

The device "uniquely positions us in the enterprise mobility space, delivering performance, reliability and security in a cost-effective package that's never been easier to deploy or use," he said. "[With the] Nokia Secure Access System 2.0 it's simple for enterprises to reap the rewards of secure mobility."

As Schall explained, the Nokia Secure Access System 2.0 can be deployed and configured in high-availability mode using the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol. In the event of an appliance failure, a second appliance automatically takes over where the first left off. What's more, the product offers strong authentication and authorization features that ensure continual secure remote access to an enterprise network during failover, he said.

To further simplify the management of multiple gateways, the Nokia Secure Access System 2.0 includes a new configuration replication feature that allows administrators to define a managed group of gateways that automatically synchronizes changes among the bunch. Schall said this feature reduces the time and effort necessary to deploy new gateways and lowers ongoing maintenance efforts across the board.

The new SSL VPN also provides a single sign-on function designed to minimize the number of times users must log in without compromising security. Other features of the solution include global functionality; session persistence, which allows users to resume work without losing data if an SSL session times out; and a client integrity scan, which performs a customizable vulnerability check to establish user identities, then automatically adjusts access privileges accordingly.

While few Nokia channel partners had seen the solution, Charles Kolodgy, research director of IDC's security products division, inspected it fully and gave it a glowing review.

"Enterprises are in search of a streamlined [but] secure remote-access solution that meets the needs of users and IT administrators alike," he said. "Nokia's Secure Access System 2.0 was designed to simplify usability and manageability without shortchanging security, and its authentication and authorization capabilities should meet any enterprises' SSL VPN remote-access requirements."