Cisco Debuts New SSL VPN

Cisco today announced a new SSL VPN for enterprises and service providers that offers remote VPN capabilities from any web browser.

The WebVPN Services Module provides flexible network segmentation and network device consolidation, and supports the Cisco Secure Desktop (CSD) which offers pre-connection security posture assessment and eliminates traces of sensitive data.

The new module can scale to support up to 8,000 concurrent SSL VPN remote access users per module and up to 32,000 users per chassis. Its virtualization capabilities allow a physical module to act as multiple, logical SSL VPN gateways with each having its own policy and management support. This offers network segmentation of remote access based on user, location or application type.

The virtualization support combined with integration allows an enterprise customer to segment resource access from remote users and map the access requirement to an internal security zone, based on business units or user groups. Service provider customers can create new revenue streams, and provide cost-effective shared SSL VPN services by using virtualization to separate traffic by customer.

The Cisco WebVPN module will be available in July, starting at $35,000 for 2500 concurrent users. It can be upgraded with software licenses for additional users. WebVPN service module support for the Cisco Secure Desktop and clientless Citrix support is scheduled to be available in the third quarter of 2005.