Net security company Secure Computing Corp thinks it’s got the jump on firewall leaders Checkpoint and Raptor with a new SecureZone product which uses a flow-chart interface and the concept of discrete ‘regions’ to secure a company’s network. Other products still use time-consuming and error-prone manual entry tables set to set security policies the company says. SecureZone effectively supersedes the company’s existing BorderWare firewall from its 1996 Border Network Technologies Inc acquisition, though customers won’t be able to migrate existing BorderWare security policy information to SecureZone until a subsequent release. It will continue to develop and enhance the SideWinder firewall for its lucrative US government contracts. SecureZone, which includes the company’s SecureOS kernel is said to provide specific functionality for virtual private network control. Secure Computing says it’s currently integrating point products with the security software from its three 1996 buys and plans to offer an end-to-end security suite with graphical interfaces to all security database and directory information plus integration services. Over time it will acquire other companies and create partnerships that will deliver policy management and other security functionality in firmware, in ASICs that it hopes will be integrated or plug into to future systems.
