Network Appliance, EMC refine security strategies

Network appliance will announce this week additional capabilities and partnerships for its NetApp NetCache line of Internet security appliances. Meanwhile, EMC will unveil a major upgrade to its ILM (information life cycle management) product line with a focus on adding application-aware components.

Network Appliance’s NetCache is getting a major upgrade with new security capabilities, new services, and additional flexibility. The new security capabilities include a new resale and joint development agreement with Websense and enhanced joint development agreements with Secure Computing and Webwasher, which will be included in NetCache.

New services include proxy support for the Socks protocol, a system that allows a host to access resources outside the firewall while maintaining security. New Web and application delivery services, such as stronger Windows Media 9 capabilities, will grant a new flexibility, said Chris Stewart, senior marketing manager of the NetCache product line.

Whereas NetApp is focusing on its Internet security products, EMC is offering some new products and a road map for its ILM line.

 Jon Oltsik, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategies Group, said he expects to see more storage products include backup, restore, and security capabilities as storage becomes a larger part of IT infrastructure.

“Just because storage sits behind a firewall doesn’t mean it is safe,” Oltsik said.

EMC is adding features to provide advanced protection for multiple sites and to lower the cost of remote protection. In the first quarter of next year, for example, EMC will introduce SRDF (Symmetrix Remote Data Facility)/Star, which will allow IT managers to make copies to three data centers.

On the application side, EMC is introducing application-aware ILM software through its DatabaseXtender and EmailXtender products. EMC EmailXtender works with Exchange 2003 and Lotus Notes, whereas EMC DatabaseXtender works with Oracle, PeopleSoft and Sybase to manage and archive databases and e-mail. EMC is also introducing an application-independent ILM product. The Celerra FileMover for Consolidated NAS is designed to migrate files to lower-cost storage environments and manage the data using IT-defined policies.