Juniper upgrades address security, content distribution

Network Optimization This newsletter is sponsored by Citrix Solutions for Accelerating Applications Citrix can help your organization run HQ-fast. Learn how to make every application run faster. Click here to download today! Network World's Network Optimization Newsletter, 10/30/07 Juniper upgrades address security, content distribution By Ann Bednarz New features from Juniper Networks are aimed at letting enterprises speed acceleration of SSL-encrypted applications and take advantage of content-distribution functions now built into the vendor’s management platform. Juniper announced the upgrades last week at Interop New York, where other WAN optimization players staged their own product unveilings as well.  Juniper’s latest WX software -- WXOS Version 5.5 -- supports encrypted traffic via its new AppFlow for SSL feature. AppFlow for SSL can speed encrypted application performance by as much as 25 times over the WAN, the vendor says. It’s geared for applications such as collaboration, CRM, financial accounting and others that enterprises SSL-enable to tighten access to sensitive corporate data. Executive Guide "Data Center Decisions" Download our new Executive Guide "Data Center Decisions" to sharpen your competitive edge. This guide offers tips on dealing with server consolidation, virtualization, management, cooling and power issues. Click Here for More Information “Once you encrypt data across the WAN, it becomes very challenging for WAN optimization products to be able to optimize the performance of those applications. They need to be able to intercept the data, look at what’s going on, and optimize it accordingly. If you encrypt it, that means you can’t optimize it as much,” says Tim Richards, senior product manager for Juniper’s WX line. However, with Juniper’s AppFlow for SSL technology, enterprises can get around that problem, he says. The technology intercepts SSL-encrypted traffic by populating a data center appliance with information such as the certificate from the application using SSL and the private keys, Richards says. “Without touching the client or the server or even the branch WAN optimization box,” the system can intercept the encrypted data, decrypt it, optimize it, send it across the WAN and re-encrypt it again before presenting it to the server in the data center, he says. Also new to WXOS 5.5 is an acceleration feature geared for Server Message Block (SMB)-signed traffic. SMB signing is enabled by default on Windows 2003 servers when acting as domain controllers and helps prevent “man-in-the-middle” attacks by ensuring that data packets have not been changed between the client and server, Richards explains. “By the nature of the way WAN optimization solutions work, they are a man in the middle. But they are a kind man in the middle,” Richards says. “Still, that imposes some challenges.” Signed SMB traffic can complicate optimization efforts by requiring enterprises to disable signatures or deploy proxy servers at the branch -- sometimes forcing a tradeoff between performance and security. Juniper is looking to get around the problem with transparent SMB signing: “We can intercept SMB-signed traffic. We can preserve the SMB signing posture, or policy, across the WAN and still transparently intercept that traffic and optimize it,” Richards says. “You don’t need to change your policy or the configuration on your clients and servers, and you also maintain your WAN security and don’t have to deploy servers down at the branch.” On the content distribution front, Juniper is building certain content management features into its WX Central Management System (CMS). Juniper’s WX CMS software lets users configure and troubleshoot multiple WX/WXC platforms, as well as monitor and report on application acceleration statistics.  In the 5.5 version, IT administrators can pre-populate WXC platforms with large files such as training videos, antivirus and software updates, as well as set policies for the scheduled distribution of content. Juniper says this can eliminate the need to deploy dedicated content servers in branch offices, as well as reduce the cost of managing data replication and back-up for branch servers. WXOS 5.5 and WX CMS 5.5 software are due to be available in November. The software is available for download free of charge to customers with active maintenance contracts, Juniper says. Editor's note: Starting Monday, Nov, 12, this newsletter will be renamed "Network Optimization Alert." Subscribers to the HTML version of this newsletter will notice some enhancements that will provide you with access to more resources relevant to network optimization. You will still receive Ann Bednarz's analysis of this market, which you will be able to read in its entirety online at NetworkWorld.com, along with links to relevant news headlines of the day. We hope you enjoy the enhancements and we thank you for reading Network World newsletters.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: Ann Bednarz is an associate news editor at Network World responsible for editing daily news content. She previously covered enterprise applications, e-commerce and telework trends for Network World. E-mail Ann. This newsletter is sponsored by Citrix Solutions for Accelerating Applications Citrix can help your organization run HQ-fast. Learn how to make every application run faster. Click here to download today! ARCHIVE Archive of the Network Optimization Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE 90% of IT Managers are leaving their company at risk for a DNS ATTACK. Get the tools and resources you need to keep your DNS healthy and secure. Run a DNSreport on your domain today - 56 critical tests run in 8 seconds. Visit www.dnsreport.com to learn more. (apply coupon NWW2007NLA for a 25% membership discount) PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: security.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007