CyberGuard Develops Secure Wireless Network Solution for Leading Online Retailer

Oct. 14, 2004
CyberGuard Corporation announced that it has developed a custom mobile security appliance - the sVPN or single virtual private network

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. - CyberGuard Corporation, the technology leader in network security, announced that it has developed a custom mobile security appliance - the sVPN or single virtual private network - for remote employees of a leading electronic commerce business. The Fortune 500 company began deploying 3,500 of the new mobile security devices in September.

"When its employees were at home, the company had no means to enforce its security policy and still allow people to connect to the office to get access to corporate resources," explained Bryan Bain, CyberGuard's vice president of worldwide marketing. "This was particularly problematic for employees traveling abroad to foreign markets who needed to connect from networks overseas. The organization simply could not allow such vulnerabilities to threaten its network security."

As a solution to those needs, CyberGuard developed the sVPN - a custom and highly mobile wireless security appliance - to provide remote users with securely encrypted data transfer via any Internet connection. The device isolates and protects the user from any internal threats that may reside on a local network. This feature is particularly important for employees who work as consultants and must connect to various networks, many of which may be insecure.

The mobile security appliance connects directly to the user's laptop via Ethernet, drawing power from the USB port. When the unit first boots up, the sVPN authenticates the user, at which time the device also creates an IPsec tunnel that secures all traffic. The sVPN can connect to both wired and wireless networks.

"CyberGuard has the technology and engineering expertise to design solutions that meet specific customer requirements," stated Bain. "We understand security and design it into the product. But we also know how to tailor our solutions to various environments and build in the flexibility that a large, geographically distributed corporation demands."

The sVPN devices are assigned to specific end-user laptops and cannot be used by any other individual. If the device is stolen, it is useless.