Enterprise Version of Microsoft's Flagship Firewall Solution Offers Enhanced
Manageability, Scalability and Availability for Key Business Scenarios
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today at RSA Conference
2005, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) announced the release to manufacturing of
Microsoft(R) Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004 Enterprise
Edition, with general availability to customers expected in March 2005.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
"Customers have told us they want to take advantage of ISA Server's ease
of use and application-layer filtering capabilities in their enterprise
environments, where the product plays a key role in a comprehensive
'defense-in-depth' approach to security," said Rich Kaplan, corporate vice
president of the Security Business & Technology Unit at Microsoft. "ISA Server
2004 Enterprise Edition provides unique protection for critical business
scenarios, such as more-secure remote access to Microsoft Exchange servers
through Outlook(R) Web Access and Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 RPC over
HTTP."
In addition to improving protection for the sharing of critical business
applications over the Internet, ISA Server 2004 Enterprise Edition offers
customers enhanced manageability, scalability and availability features to
better control the cost of network security.
"E-mail is the lifeblood of our business, so safeguarding the servers
that keep Microsoft Exchange up and running is of paramount importance," said
Jose A. Cordero, director of technology in the Department of Health of the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. "We are impressed with how ISA Server 2004
Enterprise Edition satisfies our stringent security requirements by providing
improved authentication, additional application-layer filtering options and
enhanced data encryption over the Internet."
For customers using Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005 for event and
performance management of Windows Server System(TM), Microsoft also announced
immediate availability of the Microsoft ISA Server Management Pack for MOM
2005. Designed to deliver enterprise-class management and to help drive down
network security costs, the ISA Server Management Pack for MOM monitors ISA
Server events and alerts; collects and analyzes performance trends and
metrics; and ultimately enables customers to manage bottlenecks, identify
capacity requirements, and proactively manage ISA Server configuration across
the enterprise.
About ISA Server 2004
"Microsoft's enterprise business customers are asking for a scalable and
manageable solution to secure critical infrastructure," said Steve Brown,
director of product management for ISA Server at Microsoft. "In particular,
customers need to protect key business scenarios." These include the
following:
-- Remote access for employees to e-mail
-- Remote access for employees to internal applications
-- Remote access for partners to data on a corporate network
-- Connections for branch offices to corporate headquarters
-- Better control over Internet access and protections from malicious
Internet traffic
-- Faster access for employees to the most frequently used Web content
The core ISA Server capabilities -- advanced protection, ease of use, and
faster and more-secure access -- that help enable these scenarios are further
enhanced by the introduction of Enterprise Edition, which delivers improved
manageability, scalability and availability. Enterprise Edition also will
enable enterprise customers to do the following:
-- Centralize management. ISA Server 2004 Enterprise Edition enables users
to manage all arrays and member servers from a single, centralized location.
-- Enforce consistent firewall policies across the enterprise. An
enterprise administrator has granular control over policy throughout the
enterprise, including the level of policy authority granted to array
administrators.
-- Increase speed and availability of Web content. By using Cache Array
Routing Protocol, a customer can efficiently share the cache database across
multiple servers, which increases the scalability of the system and improves
network performance for large deployments.
-- Balance network resources. By using the integrated Network Load
Balancing (NLB) within ISA Server 2004 Enterprise Edition, a customer can
increase uptime and optimize availability for application and Internet access.
-- Centralize monitoring and storage. With the proper credentials,
administrators can monitor ISA Server 2004 Enterprise Edition computers from
any location and access ISA Server 2004 Enterprise Edition configuration
information stored in an Active Directory(R) Application Mode (ADAM) database.
-- Scalability through unlimited SMP and NLB. Customers can build out
their ISA Server 2004 Enterprise Edition infrastructure by scaling their
network load across multiple array members, or by taking advantage of the
latest generation of symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) servers with eight or
more processors.
ISA Server 2004 Enterprise Edition is scheduled to be generally available
in March 2005. Pricing has been set at $5,999 per processor. The price listed
is an estimated price; reseller pricing may vary. More information about ISA
Server 2004 can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver .
About Windows Server System
Microsoft Windows Server System is integrated server software providing
the infrastructure for IT operations, application development, integration and
information work. Built on the Windows Server(TM) operating system and
designed with Common Engineering Criteria, Windows Server System is focused on
making it easier for IT professionals to connect and manage their IT
environments. Because Windows Server System products are integrated for
enhanced manageability and security, they help organizations reduce complexity
and lower costs. All Windows Server System products support open industry
standards including those based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) to promote
interoperability with other platforms. More information on Windows Server
System can be found online at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services
and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
This material is for informational purposes only. Microsoft Corp.
disclaims all warranties and conditions with regard to use of the material for
other purposes. Microsoft Corp. shall not, at any time, be liable for any
special, direct, indirect or consequential damages, whether in an action of
contract, negligence or other action arising out of or in connection with the
use or performance of the material. Nothing herein should be construed as
constituting any kind of warranty.
NOTE: Microsoft, Outlook, Windows Server System, Active Directory and
Windows Server are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft
Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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