SSL (secure socket layer) VPN (virtual private network) security appliances have emerged as a feasible option for SMEs with offerings such as Billion's BiGuard series, now providing a cost-sensitive yet effective solution to organisational security woes.
Available from official South African distributing agent Nology, the BiGuard series (S5, S10 and S20) enables smaller businesses to cost-effectively manage remote access and security that includes mobile workers.
The security appliances, for example, offer SSL encryption and authentication for data transmission security and user authorisation.
The Billion BiGuard S5 SSL VPN appliance is recommended for small organisations, with up to five users, which require basic intranet access, whereas the S20, among others, offers complementary IPSec and SSL VPN capabilities on a single platform.
The devices also support SSL VPN concurrent sessions while firewall, stateful packet inspection (SPI), denial of service (DoS) prevention and URL filtering are all integrated to guard the network against malicious attacks. In addition, the firewall features an e-mail alert service, activated whenever an attack occurs.
"In the past, SSL VPN appliances have been quite pricey, however, with the BiGuard series, Billion is enabling smaller businesses to also benefit from the strong features that come with utilising this remote access option," comments Riaan Leuschner, managing director of Nology.
"Furthermore, SSL VPNs offer ease-of-installation, particularly for mobile users as they only need a standard Web browser to securely access the company resources over HTTPS."
The BiGuard S10 offers support for up to 10 concurrent sessions (50 users). The appliance also provides four switched Fast Ethernet LAN ports and fifth WAN port while for Internet access users can choose between PPPoE (point-to-point protocol over Ethernet), dynamic IP addressing or a static IP address.
A simple Web management interface wizard kicks off the WAN port set-up and a default SSL-VPN group. Users can then add extra groups which are used to collect different types of LAN resources together and make them available to users dependent on their log-in credentials.
Looking at authentication, the BiGuard has a number of options: users can utilise the appliance's local user database or AD, LDAP, NT domains and RADIUS servers.
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Nology distributes top-quality, security-driven broadband and networking equipment for the South African SOHO and SME market. We serve the whole of South Africa through selected wholesale, retail and service provider distribution channels. Nology is the exclusive SA distributor for the world renowned Billion range of broadband and VPN products, as well as AirLive networking products. Nology also develops value add products, software and utilities to further enhance our product offerings for the local market and to increase customer satisfaction.
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