Simon Johnson, co-founder and VP technology for London, UK-based Aspelle – a spin-out from investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (DrKW) – told ComputerWire that the offline capability will be added to its Aspelle Everywhere product in April.

The move comes in response to demands from mobile device users to use SSL (secure sockets layer)-based VPNs with applications that can be used when disconnected from the corporate network. Traditionally, SSL-based VPNs have offered web-based interfaces to back-end systems, easing device management, but the inconsistency of network coverage has resulted in many mobile applications requiring an offline, client-side component.

Aspelle follows SSL VPN rival Aventail Corp in offering an offline option to its product, although the two companies’ approaches to the problem are different. Where Aventail is using Java for its client software, Aspelle is using a virtual network interface card similar in concept to that used with IPSec VPNs.

Far from lessening the inherent advantages of SSL VPNs over their more established IPSec equivalents, Johnson said that adding offline functionality to Aspelle Everywhere increases its attractiveness. We’ve tried to produce a solution that’s as flexible and adaptable to the needs of customers. Companies have the option [to work in disconnected mode] but it’s not a requirement, he said.

The new offline capability forms part of the development roadmap for Aspelle Everywhere 3.0, which was launched earlier this week. The latest version extends Aspelle’s software-based, two-server arrangement with one sitting inside the corporate network and the other in a demilitarized zone (DMZ), to include a number of important new features.

These include a terminate and repeat capability that allows an SSL tunnel to traverse complex firewall arrangements and support for both encrypted and unencrypted SOCKS, wiping out the need for clients to double encrypt if they already use an encrypted connection.

As with its predecessor, Aspelle Everywhere 3.0 was designed in close cooperation with Microsoft Corp, and is written in the company’s C Sharp language and uses the .NET architecture.

Source: Computerwire