Granular protection and Endpoint Security in SSL VPNs are critical factors to work securely in today's distributed enterprise

Dubai- 23rd January 2008 - SonicWALL, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNWL), a leading secure network infrastructure company, announced the immediate availability of enhanced A/V protection in its award-winning SonicWALL Aventail E-Class secure remote access solutions. By combining SonicWALL's enforced client anti-virus with SonicWALL Aventail's E-Class SSL VPN, enterprise IT administrators now have a granular way to detect threats and protect applications at the device level. The combined solution allows users to more aptly enforce security policies and verify that remote access devices are secure. Additionally, IT administrators who have deployed E-Class SSL VPN, now have 24x7 visibility with Web-based reporting, one-click remediation of non-compliant desktops and a way to provide daily automatic updates with anti-virus, anti-spyware, desktop firewall, and browser protection. A step-by-step whitepaper discussing the benefits of this solution is available at www.sonicwall.com

"Remote access is a fact of life for many businesses," states Michael Suby, Research Program Director, Stratecast (a division of Frost & Sullivan).  "Positioned between users and business networks and applications, SSL VPNs represent a critical tool in the effective management of security and business risks in a mobile environment. With today's mobile worker using mobile devices as their primary form of network access, it becomes necessary for IT administrators to have even greater protection at the client level--enforcing A/V protection is part of this solution."

Protecting today's distributed enterprise and mobile workers

Traditional network boundaries are disappearing. The ubiquity of broadband access, the increasing pervasiveness of mobile devices,  the accompanying evolution of how, when and where businesses get work done and the diversity of network resources now being accessed from outside company walls are factors accelerating this change.  Users face  new challenges for controlling access to the network.  It is increasingly hard for  to restrict what users do with their networked devices and to limit ways in which users expose these devices to threats that can impact the security of enterprise resources. Threats posed by the use of mobile devices underscore that reality. An end user might use the same mobile computing device at home as in the office or use a personally-owned device for business purposes and  a corporate-owned device for personal purposes. These permutations increase the complexity of the threat profile.  

SSL VPNs, such as SonicWALL Aventail E-Class, incorporate granular protection and integrated endpoint security interrogation and are interoperable with the SonicWALL Enforced Client Anti-Virus solution. This functionality is crucial for today's mobile enterprise. SonicWALL's E-Class remote access control platform detects the security status on any endpoint device; protects applications through granular access control; and connects users securely to applications. The SonicWALL platform already includes such award winning granular access controls as: Single sign-on (SSO) support with Dual/Stacked Authentication and Forms-Based Configuration, End Point Control (EPC) for mobile devices, Device Watermarking, Quarantine Zones for remediation, EPC interrogation and Zone assignments. The combination of SonicWALL Aventail E-Class SSL VPN appliances and SonicWALL Enforced Client Anti-Virus solution provides more granular access at the device level, allowing IT managers create rules that enable the following:

  • Enforced IT security policies to verify that  all remote access devices are secure using SonicWALL Enforce Client Anti-Virus;

  • Verification  that all devices are running SonicWALL Enforced Client Anti-Virus prior to making a remote access connection;

  • Verification that devices not running the SonicWALL Enforced Client Anti-Virus solution are either limited access or Quarantine access to the SonicWALL Aventail E-Class SSL VPN.  Administrators can choose to provide a link within the Quarantine page to download and install the SonicWALL Enforced Anti-Virus Client.  This functionality provides an effective way to enforce IT security policies for non-managed devices and provides an easy way for home users to download and install an IT mandated anti-virus solution.

  • Verification  that devices connecting with the SonicWALL Enforced Client Anti-Virus solution have the appropriate client configuration prior to allowing a connection to the SonicWALL Aventail E-Class SSL VPN. 

For more details about the SonicWALL Aventail E-Class solution, please visit: http://www.sonicwall.com/us/products/solutions/113.html

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About SonicWALL, Inc:
SonicWALL is committed to improving the performance and productivity of businesses of all sizes by engineering the cost and complexity out of running a secure network. Over one million SonicWALL appliances have been shipped through its global network of ten thousand channel partners to keep tens of millions of worldwide business computer users safe and in control of their data. SonicWALL's award-winning solutions include network security, secure remote access, content security, backup and recovery, and policy and management technology. For more information, visit the company web site at http://www.sonicwall.com/.

Safe Harbor Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements regarding the benefits of SonicWALL's SSL VPN remote clientless access products. These forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the time the statements are made and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. In addition, please see the "Risk Factors" described in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, for a more detailed description of the risks facing our business. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to SonicWALL as of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement.

NOTE: SonicWALL is a registered trademark of SonicWALL, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

© Press Release 2008