Data Fellows provides transparent end-to-end network encryption with Framework-enabled F-Secure VPN+

Espoo, Finland, August 24, 1999 - Data Fellows, one of the world’s leading developers of anti-virus and encryption software, announces that its Virtual Private Networking software, F-Secure VPN+ 4.1, now takes full advantage of Data Fellows' F-Secure Framework.

F-Secure Framework provides F-Secure VPN+ with centralized policy-based management features, which makes the F-Secure VPN+ the only VPN client on the market that is centrally managed and totally transparent to end-users and applications, but still provides end-to-end protection both inside and outside the corporate local area network.

Most of the competing VPN solutions are based on gateway-level security, which only protects network communication when it leaves the corporate local area network. An end-to-end solution provides protection from insider attacks, which by most analysts are considered a much bigger problem than attacks by outsiders. In effect, F-Secure VPN+ allows the IT manager to extend encryption of the network traffic to clients and servers in the company Intranet in addition to office-to-office connections and extranets.

An end-to-end encryption solution has traditionally been very expensive to manage because of associated installation and configuration costs, which is why the centralized, policy-based management features provided by F-Secure Framework make F-Secure VPN+ an extraordinary product. The new version takes full advantage of F-Secure Framework services, such as installation, upgrading, reporting and alerting. F-Secure VPN+ makes it easy for the IT manager to enforce a corporate security policy. All security settings are centrally managed and updated over the network using F-Secure Framework.

“Centralized management with F-Secure Framework lowers the cost of ownership and makes it simple to start using the VPN solution, as there is nothing new for end-users to learn,” says Topi Hautanen, product manager at Data Fellows. “Furthermore, F-Secure VPN+’s status information is accessible with a web browser, which makes it easy to verify the configuration and operation either locally or remotely.”

Further, the new version of F-Secure VPN+ has many new features, such as Network Address Translation (NAT) and support for Windows 98, as well as greatly improved installation and interoperability with all major IPSec vendors.

The announced version is the fourth generation Virtual Private Network software from Data Fellows, the technology leader for secure networking. F-Secure VPN+ secures mission critical TCP/IP networking in local area networks, between remote offices, business partners, and traveling employees. F-Secure VPN+ provides tested interoperability and compliance with the IETF standard IPSec and IKE protocols.

F-Secure VPN+ 4.1 ships as client, server and gateway versions that provide flexibility in configurations and allow securing all data communications, including local area networks. The supported platforms are Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 95/98.

The price will be USD 59 per user for a 100-user licence. For a server licence the price is USD 495, for a gateway licence USD 2495, and an enterprise gateway USD 4990.