Seattle.internet.com has learned that Seattle-based eTunnels will be going to market later this month with its latest technology: IPSec AnyWare.
According to eTunnels VP of Marketing Brian Hodges, IPSec AnyWare will be the first VPN solution to automatically detect NAT (Network Address Translation)/PAT(Port Address Translation) and reconfigure itself to traverse those devices transparently.
NAT and PAT are both heavily used by corporations and individuals worldwide. They both translate IP addresses from external, global IP addresses to private internal address space. This allows more addresses to exist internally than the company or individual has been assigned, letting them attach more machines to the Internet than otherwise possible. They are also used to obscure internal addresses from external prying eyes and provide some measure of security. Unfortunately IPSec is incompatible with NAT and PAT, preventing all IPSec-based VPNs from traversing these technologies.
“Most VPN solutions simply terminate the tunnel in front of the NAT/PAT translation device. This doesn’t require a solution to NAT/PAT, but it also leaves the data open to greater risk as it is decrypted at the edge of the network,” says Hodges.
According to Hodges, IPSec AnyWare essentially tunnels IPSec through NAT and PAT devices while maintaining the IPSec security underneath. “This allows people to use VPNs by eTunnels in most environments, regardless of address translation. eTunnels provides an innovative solution that frees the user from worrying about what
is in the middle of the network, eTunnels software automatically detects NAT/PAT and reconfigures itself to traverse those devices transparently”.
The first release of IPSec AnyWare will support tunneling through UDP (User Datagram Protocol) and will allow use of eTunnels VPNs in most situations. Version 2.0 of IPSec AnyWare will support a feature called TCP Masquerading which will essentially make the VPN communications look like an SSL based web session to the firewall so it will let the VPN session through.
Hodges believes that eTunnel’s enhancements to its VPN-On-Demand platform will have a significant impact on the Telco industry.
“In the face of increasing competition and battered stock prices, our service will allow them to differentiate their offerings, decrease customer churn, and implement VPN services within three weeks, giving them a very fast, reoccurring revenue stream,” says Hodges.
