SonicWALL Updates New SonicWALL Aventail 9.0 Platform To Include Enhanced Centralized Management And Remote Access Control Capabilities For Enterprises

Published 14th January 2008

SonicWALL’s advanced management capabilities are now integrated into 9.0 for the most advanced SSL VPN solution on the market...

Sunnyvale, CA — January 14, 2008 — SonicWALL, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNWL), a leading secure network infrastructure company, today launched the latest version of its award-winning SonicWALL Aventail SSL VPN remote access platform. Available starting mid-January, Aventail 9.0 solves organizations’ immediate need to provide secure remote universal access to the network. It builds on the Aventail’s remote access control platform by enhancing features in three key areas that: detect the security of the end point; protect applications through unified policy and authentication; and connect users securely to applications. Enhanced functionality in SonicWALL’s Aventail 9.0 includes integration with SonicWALL’s GMS platform for centralized management and monitoring of multiple SonicWALL devices, updated IPsec Replacement features that continue to lower the costs of replacing IPsec with SSL VPNs and Mac OS 10.5 Leopard support. More information can be found at http://www.snwl.com

“It was difficult to extend our IPSec VPN beyond IT-controlled site-to-site environments,” said Pat Beemer, IT Manager, Seattle Lighting. “After reviewing Cisco and Microsoft Remote Access Service, SonicWALL Aventail 9.0 was our clear choice for remote access control. With fourteen retail stores and 500 people throughout the Northwest and China, Aventail provides us with secure remote access from any unmanaged device throughout our distributed management system.”

Aventail 9.0 is the only secure remote access solution on the market that provides universal access to one gateway, a seamless end user experience and a centralized management model for all access methods including Windows, Windows Mobile, Linux, Mac and any mobile devices, managed or unmanaged, including SmartPhones and PDAs users.

Highlighted Features of the updated Aventail’s remote access control solution are designed to detect, protect and connect:

Detect with updated data protection: Aventail 9.0 has expanded its platform coverage for Aventail’s Cache Cleaner for Mac OS 10.5 Leopard and Secure Desktop for full support for Microsoft IE7 and Microsoft Vista.

Protect with integrated centralized management: Along with enhancements to Aventail’s licensing controls and back-end connectivity testing, Aventail 9.0 now integrates with the SonicWALL GMS platform. Now administrators can leverage the SonicWALL GMS platform to centrally manage and monitor Aventail appliances and multiple SonicWALL devices on one central management platform.

Connect with enhanced Aventail Smart Access and Smart Tunneling Capabilities: Aventail 9.0 provides IT managers with the right solution to upgrade from IPSEC to SSL VPN with the market’s leading transport mechanisms for remote access control and support for Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard). Static IP Assignment provides support for applications that require a one to one mapping of IP address to user

Tunnel Fallback provides another form of high availability for tunnel connections that is on par with what many IPsec solutions provide. Network Precedence allows for the selection of the local network or the corporate network in the event of any conflicts between resources on the local network and resources on the corporate network.

Terminating Existing Connections provides additional security for tunnel connections, ensuring that the device can not be leveraged by another user/connection to access the device while the tunnel connection is active. An additional tunnel configuration option, Redirect All-Non Local, allows the administrator to specify access to resources on the local network including printers even when the connection is set to ‘redirect all.’

Leading the market in ease of use, ease of policy, control, application reach, and end point security, enabling complete reach to all network resources with an SSL-based Layer 3 tunnel, granular policy and bi-directional access controls, Aventail 9.0 works over any type of network connection, wired or wireless and network administrators can extend remote access to all users regardless of location. Aventail 9.0 still has the market’s fastest and most advanced end point checking as well as other advanced features: Advanced Reporting, , Advanced Microsoft Active Directory Support, Virtual Keyboard, Device Watermarking, Quarantine Zones, End Point Control for mobile devices, simplified setup with Dynamic Groups, single sign-on (SSO) support with Dual/Stacked Authentication and Forms-Based Configuration, Session Persistence for roaming access, enhanced Citrix support, and NAT mode for Smart Tunneling that streamlines administrative support of IP address pools.

“This latest version of Aventail’s award-winning secure remote access solution is the first step in integrating Aventail into the SonicWALL family of products,” said Chris Witeck, director of product marketing at SonicWALL. “Aventail 9.0 was specifically built for IT administrators looking for a viable IPSec Replacement strategy and round their network security infrastructure with easily-to-manage, cost-effective network security infrastructure products. Enterprises can now rely on SonicWALL’s E-Class family of products for their entire security infrastructure.”

Availability and Pricing
SonicWALL’s Aventail 9.0 SSL VPN will be generally available starting mid-January 2008, distributed via SonicWALL’s worldwide channel of resellers and service providers. Pricing starts at $3,995 for 10 users on the SonicWALL Aventail EX-750, a full-featured SSL VPN appliance tailored to small to mid-sized enterprises; $9,995 for 25 users for the SonicWALL Aventail EX-1600, an enterprise-class solution tailored for mid-sized enterprises; and $22,995 for 50 users on the SonicWALL Aventail EX-2500, a scalable, enterprise-class solution, integrating high availability and load-balancing support.

To determine if the SonicWALL Aventail 9.0 is right for your organization, download the Stratecast whitepaper: “An SSL VPN Selection Framework: One Size Does Not Fit All”. This whitepaper addresses the wide range of security risks that organizations must consider for secure infrastructure deployments, and provides a set of benchmark criteria to help organizations find the optimal SSL VPN technology for their needs.