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Microsoft Makes Whale Of A Buy
David Utter
Staff Writer
2006-05-19
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The company will enhance the secure access solution it offers by acquiring Whale Communications and its line of remote access security products.
 | | Microsoft Makes Whale Of A Buy |  |
Privately held venture-funded Whale Communications will soon swim under the Microsoft umbrella. Microsoft announced it will purchase the company for its secure access expertise and products.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Whale was established in 1998 and maintains operations around the world. They were an early pioneer in the SSL VPN market and enable business customers to permit secure remote access to corporate resources.
Whale's technology will find its way to Microsoft's existing secure access solutions in Windows Server and the Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA Server). It will integrate with Active Directory to enable administrators to set policies based on device, user, application or other business criteria.
Microsoft said that will give its customers a broader range of choices when it comes to providing secure access to the corporate network. It's also likely that it will have an impact on hardware providers like Cisco, which makes VPN concentrators for networks to handle secure connections.
Strategically, Microsoft could emphasize the cost savings associated with using its newly enhanced VPN services instead of purchasing a separate device and adding an extra software client to user systems. There could also be savings realized from not having a separate support contract with a vendor in addition to Microsoft.
Parts of many larger businesses involve mobility. In the past, that has been limited to laptops. But more advanced portable devices like smartphones running Windows Mobile have grown in acceptance in the marketplace. Being able to offer secure access for these myriad devices helps bolster Microsoft's presence with its profitable corporate market.
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Tags: Microsoft, Whale Communications
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About the Author:
David Utter is a business and technology writer for SecurityProNews and WebProNews.
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