Lucent Technologies announces secure VPN solution

Lucent Technologies has today announced an enhanced version of its standards-based, secure virtual private networking (VPN) solution that makes it easy for network administrators to deploy highly manageable, scalable and secure private network connections over the Internet for remote access, intranet and extranet applications.

The Lucent VPN Gateway version 2.0 is an all-in-one, high-performance VPN solution that helps customers like AT&T Canada build highly secure and manageable VPN services. The Lucent VPN Gateway utilizes a unique, distributed architecture that includes a hardware appliance or "brick," Lucent IPSec Client software for remote users and Lucent Security Management Server software.

This server allows customers like AT&T to centrally manage all elements of its infrastructure, including hundreds of Lucent Managed Firewalls and VPN Gateways, thousands of Lucent IPSec Clients, and every Lucent RealSecure"a intrusion detection engine.

The new solution applies IP Security (IPSec) and Internet Key Exchange (IKE) industry standards and includes features that allow Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) digital certificates from Entrust^a Technologies and VeriSign^a to be downloaded to customers.

AT&T Canada will be one of the first companies to deliver the Lucent VPN Gateway to some of its large business customers who are demanding a simplified way to build manageable and highly secure VPN services, and administer multiple VPN gateways and clients.

"Until now, managing VPN networks has been a very complex and cumbersome task," said Larry Hudson, President, Operations, AT&T Canada. "The Lucent VPN Gateway enhances the way in which our customers will be able to control and administer VPN security, remote access and configuration. VPNs are critical to achieving our vision of delivering fully integrated telecommunications services to our customers. When we went looking for a partner in this area, we looked for a company with a proven record of success in delivering solutions to carriers, with products designed for high performance and high availability. These attributes are essential in delivering the level of customer service AT&T Canada is committed to in Canada and around the world. This insures the same maintenance and reliability parameters as any other component in our network. Lucent alone met all of these criteria."

"The Lucent VPN Gateway is a solution that is perfectly suited for large customers like AT&T, so they can deploy, large managed VPN services to enterprise customers," said Angus Peacey, Sales Director for sub-Saharan Africa for Lucent Technologies Enterprise Networks division. "With VPN Gateway 2.0, AT&T has the flexibility to support multiple customer zones with different authentication schemes simultaneously or download digital certificates to AT&T customers right away."

In addition to X.509 digital certificates, the Lucent VPN Gateway supports secure VPN authentication via RADIUS or via SecurIDTM from Security Dynamics.

To achieve a new level of simplicity in VPN client management, Lucent has moved most of the configuration functions to the Lucent Security Management Server. This enables a network administrator to have centralized control over hundreds of Lucent VPN Gateways and thousands of Lucent IPSec Clients. As a result of relationships with leading third-party security software vendors, the Lucent VPN Gateway now allows VPN customers to provide best-of-breed content security, such as URL blocking or anti-virus screening, over a secure VPN. The VPN Gateway integrates Trend Micro`s InterScan(R) VirusWall Anti-Virus Security Suite and Log-On Data Corporation`s X-Stop Xserver URL filtering server. ICSA v1.1 IPSec Certification is in progress for third party verified interoperability.

The Lucent VPN Gateway starts at a U.S. list price of $17,985, which includes the Lucent Managed Firewall, the Lucent IPSec Client software, the Lucent Security Management Server software, and a license for 100 simultaneous VPN sessions.

The Lucent VPN Gateway is a key component of Lucent`s VPNWorX^O, the industry `s most comprehensive solution for Virtual Private Networking. VPNWorX is a unique provider/subscriber architecture that extends Lucent`s wealth of public network service provider experience directly into the enterprise. VPNs that utilize VPNWorX products and services deliver unparalleled business-class capabilities and superior price-performance.