Prosoft Uses AEP SmartGate to Ensure Network Security
AEP’s VPN Solution Helps Prosoft Deliver Secure Information For Naval Warfare Center
The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division at Newport, Rhode Island is one of the leading Naval laboratories. They are responsible for the full life cycle of submarine and undersea warfare systems, from R&D
to systems development, to product acquisition and production support.
Professional Software Engineering, Inc. (PROSOFT) is the support provider for the Newport network operations center and the base’s network connectivity requirements, as well as the Internet connectivity for the division’s
Norfolk, West Palm Beach and Washington state satellite bases, the Naval War College, and Electric Boat division.
The Challenge
PROSOFT must ensure that secure network access to critical information is available to all who need it. This includes appropriate access for employees on base, for off-site contractors, satellite base personnel and, on
occasion, traveling base employees. These communities need access to sensitive project information and contract budget and human resources data. Most impor tantly, specific users should be permitted to access only specific databases or applications.
Initially, PROSOFT used only Microsoft PPTP and dial-up remote access for the on-base employee access. As the demands of the extranet community increased, they determined they would use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to cost-effectively expand secure connectivity capabilities.
The Solution
AEP Smar tGate® was recommended to PROSOFT at a firewall vendors training class as being a highly compatible VPN solution. PROSOFT subsequently downloaded a demo for evaluation and then purchased the server software.
PROSOFT chose AEP Smar tGate technology based on the power and flexibility of its access controls. AEP Networks application level security allows the naval laboratory to meet its stringent security demands for FIPS token authentication, while enabling precise extranet access for specific users to specific applications or databases. AEP’s suppor t of a broad range of clients was impor tant to the selection as well. With AEP Smar tPass® client suppor t for MAC, Linux, Solaris and Windows, the PROSOFT team can meet the demands of a diverse extranet community that includes all of those platforms.
In addition, the patented AEP On-Line Registration (OLR) technology enables straightforward remote approval and secure deployment from the naval laboratory’s public Web for off-site contractors and division employees working at a site that requires a validated cryptographic module.
The Result
AEP Smar tGate VPN technology enabled PROSOFT to provide secure cost-effective information access via the Internet. The scalability of the technology has given PROSOFT the ability to grow VPN access as needed. The original implementation of thir ty users has increased over time to more than one hundred, with plans for up to 500 additional users in the coming year.
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