Blue Coat Systems solve WAN optimization issues

Blue Coat Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCSI), the leader in secure content and application delivery, announced a major software upgrade for its family of SG appliances for WAN optimization. The software release makes WAN optimization ready for mainstream enterprise deployments by enabling it to integrate with existing network infrastructure and operations, provide expanded clustering and failover options, operate with high levels of security and offer the industry’s only integrated WAN optimization client for mobile or micro-branch employees.

“The strategic position of branch offices closest to the end customer coupled with the continuation of centralizing servers, storage and applications is making WAN Application Delivery becoming essential for most enterprises,” said Cindy Borovick, program director for IDC’s datacenter networks. “At the same time, there have been critical factors limiting wide-scale deployments such as integration with existing network infrastructures.”

Seamless Network Integration
Past WAN optimization solutions have presented integration issues with existing networks. Previous solutions prevented or constrained important network management and traffic assessment tools, such as those based on Cisco’s NetFlow, from operating across the WAN. In addition, WAN optimization solutions often interfered with the operation of certain firewall implementations, and policy-based routing schemes. Blue Coat SG appliances now are the first in the industry to provide both transparent and translucent tunnel modes to preserve all Layer 4 and routing information and make it available to network management tools, firewalls, and routing schemes. In addition, SG appliances now provide new levels of flexibility for a wide variety of network topologies, including automatic configuration for combinations of varying WAN links using asymmetric routing.

Dynamic Clustering & Failover without Need for External Controller
As WAN optimization deployments grow, the new SGOS software can easily configure and integrate additional appliances without having to reconfigure each appliance in the cluster.  Each SG appliance is aware of any SG appliance added to a cluster and can automatically reassign workloads. Settings on existing SG appliances do not have to be changed, and the added appliances will understand their new role in the cluster.  This clustering capability offers organizations two benefits:  simplified high availability and load-balancing deployments, and support for the asymmetric routes that are common in large organizations.

High Levels of Security with Digital Birth Certificates and Built-in Encryption
SG appliances now ship with a Digital Birth Certificate unique to that appliance and containing its serial number. These Digital Birth Certificates can be used to automatically authenticate each point in the WAN optimization network for ease of configuration with a high level of security. In addition, the SG appliances now can create encrypted tunnels between points, so that data can be protected, even when the application does not offer its own encryption. For example, health care organizations could use the feature to secure the transmission of patient records and help comply with regulations and requirements.
 
First Integrated Remote Client
In addition to the new software for SG appliances, Blue Coat is introducing its SG Client software to extend enterprise security, policy control and acceleration to individual client endpoints. SG Client is the industry’s only integrated WAN optimization client. This first release focuses on acceleration of applications that use CIFS and TCP protocols. Initial trials show performance increases of up to 35 times. SG Client incorporates software technology from Blue Coat SG appliances and combines it with the company’s existing client technology. Please see the separate press release from today on the availability of the SG Client.

“With the new version of software for SG appliances, Blue Coat takes a major step in making WAN optimization ready for broad enterprise deployments,” said Jason Ng, Country Sales Manager for Malaysia, Blue Coat Systems. “Blue Coat has addressed the significant industry obstacles for interoperating with existing network infrastructure and management tools while incorporating important advancements in dynamic clustering, point-to-point security and mobility that are crucial for widespread WAN optimization deployments.”

Price and Availability
The new SG appliance software and SG Client are scheduled to ship within the next week. The SG appliance software is available as a free upgrade to existing customers with maintenance contracts. Initial SG Client US pricing is as low as $20 per user.

About Blue Coat Systems
Blue Coat secures Web communications and accelerates business applications across the distributed enterprise. Blue Coat’s family of appliances and client-based solutions – deployed in branch offices, Internet gateways, end points, and data centers – provide intelligent points of policy-based control enabling IT organizations to optimize security and accelerate performance between users and applications. Blue Coat has installed more than 30,000 appliances worldwide and is ranked #1 by IDC in the Secure Content and Application Delivery market. Blue Coat is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and can be reached at (408) 220-2200 or www.bluecoat.com.