FORT LEE, N.J., Sept. 2, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Whale Communications(r) today announced that its e-Gap(r) Remote Access Appliance is the first enterprise-class SSL VPN to provide companies the ability to enforce rigorous password management policies for employees working remotely.
The password management function solves a major problem with existing SSL VPN products. With the majority of SSL VPNs, users are unable to change passwords remotely. This immediately translates into increased helpdesk calls due to end-users being locked out of their applications by expired or forgotten passwords, causing a heavy burden on the IT staff. For some enterprises this is becoming a showstopper when considering SSL VPNs.
As an enterprise-class SSL VPN, e-Gap Remote Access Appliance is highly customizable to meet the needs of large enterprises with complex environments. Now offering robust password management capabilities through integration, Whale's appliance smoothly and quickly works with a variety of third-party technologies including IBM(r) RACF, Microsoft(r) Active Directory(r) and password management solutions such as PistolStar(r) for IBM products.
The password management functionality allows enterprises to require remote employees to renew passwords at dedicated intervals, ensuring the strictest level of security. It provides a prompt when a password is about to expire, enabling the employee to update it from any standard browser. Employees who forget passwords also have the ability to retrieve them securely, gaining immediate access.
"The request for password management came directly from our enterprise customers," said Dan Maher, Whale's Vice President of Technical Services. "Our ability to quickly meet new customer demands is fully attributed to the fact that the e-Gap appliance is based on a robust Open SSL VPN platform. Actually, our open platform is what drives many enterprises to prefer Whale's SSL VPN over other alternatives. Customers count on us to quickly integrate with any new application or service they might use in the future, whether it is password management, Novell(r) directories or application security modules."
Whale continues to be at the cutting edge of SSL VPN remote access technology, providing innovations that offer unprecedented levels of security and versatility. The flexibility of Whale's appliance enables large-scale enterprises to tailor it to integrate smoothly with their existing infrastructure, quickly gaining the benefits of providing cost-effective remote access. Some leading Fortune 1000 enterprises that selected Whale to provide remote access are Mutual of Omaha, Loews Corporation, Electronic Arts, Yellow Technologies and Affiliated Computer Services, Inc (ACS).
About Whale Communications:
Whale Communications, the leading enterprise-class SSL VPN vendor, is enabling companies to provide employees and partners secure access to corporate data and applications from any web browser. Its award-winning solutions have been securing enterprises worldwide since it was founded in 1998. Privately held, Whale is funded by prominent venture firms and industry leaders, including Goldman Sachs, Soros Private Equity Partners and the BRM Group, the founding investor of Check Point Software Technologies. The company is headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey and has international offices in Israel and Germany.
Whale Communications, e-Gap, Whale and the Whale logo are trademarks of Whale Communications Ltd. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders. For more information about Whale visit: www.whalecommunications.com.