Remote Users Drive Enterprise Perimeter Security from IPsec or L2TP to SSL VPN Says Yankee Group

Business Wire, July 26, 2004

BOSTON -- Juniper/NetScreen, Cisco and Symantec on target for meeting performance and feature requirements

According to the Yankee Group report, New Remote Connectivity Solutions Plug Potential Loopholes in Enterprise Security, the market is evolving from providing connectivity using traditional client-side IP VPNs based on IPsec or L2TP solutions to providing more ubiquitous connectivity using SSL. SSL enables users to establish connections to corporate resources using any browser. Security can authenticate the end user's identity, but the downside is that an enterprise cannot ascertain whether the remote device itself is secured.

Primary research by the Yankee Group shows that product performance and security features rank ahead of both operating expenses and purchase price as the leading criteria for enterprises that are switching security vendors. When examining the TCO of perimeter gateway solutions, the most important factor is the solution's impact on the corporate security profile to preempt the staggering costs of recovering from an attack.

The Yankee Group finds that Juniper/NetScreen nails the target for customer need and vendor capability. Cisco and Symantec are also on target for meeting customer expectations and delivering according to plan. Check Point is missing the target altogether, with a substandard SSL VPN product and a strategy that does not address customer business requirements.

"To provide secure connectivity, organizations must evaluate and design one security solution that includes everything from remote employees to corporate applications," says Eric Ogren, Yankee Group Security Solutions & Services senior analyst. "The challenge is that companies must do it in a heterogeneous product world. No vendor in the market can meet all secure remote connectivity needs from anywhere, at any time and from any device."

NOTE TO EDITORS

For interviews, contact Eric Ogren, eogren@yankeegroup.com

THE YANKEE GROUP (www.yankeegroup.com)

The Yankee Group is the global leader in communications & networking research and consulting. The company helps businesses understand the opportunities, risks and competitive pressures of developing, deploying and consuming products and services that drive communication or information exchange. Now in its fourth decade, the Yankee Group is based in Boston with offices throughout North America and Europe.