Conclusions

• NetScreen's Summary: "By replacing slow, CPU-intensive software-based systems with high-performance ASIC-based solutions, NetScreen provides purpose-built security systems and appliances for accelerated encryption, firewall and traffic-shaping functions. Its patent-pending architecture reduces performance barriers while delivering ICSA certified stateful inspection firewall security and the highest level of data security available (3DES IPSec encryption support). NetScreen's products range from the Gigabit-performance NetScreen-1000 to the NetScreen-5, a security appliance for the SOHO market and broadband telecommuters. We believe that these advantages are exactly what a successful ISP should use to provide reliable, high performance to their clients while pricing out the competition."
  
  
• RapidStream's Summary: "Choosing the least expensive security vendor is not always the best decision. There are manufacturers offering "pieces of the security puzzle." This forces customers to sacrifice performance or features over price. RapidStream offers a family of best-in-breed class security appliances.

  RapidStream has taken an integrated approach to provide the best price/performance firewall. With our RapidCore and 9 pending patents for hardware acceleration, RapidStream helps IPRVnet to be able to deliver high performance firewall, VPN, and QoS services to our customers. In addition, RapidStream's appliance software is common throughout the product family. This reduces the training and maintenance of the various RapidStream appliances. Configurations and updates are virtually identical, from the high-end to low-end appliances.

  RapidStream's family of security products includes the RSSA500, RSSA1000, RSSA2000, RSSA4000, RSSA6000, RSSA8000 and VPN software client. Each product is targeted to a specific network environment. This provides IPRVnet the flexibility and scalability to address telecommuters, small/medium enterprise (SME), and large enterprises with different sets RapidStream appliances. With RapidStream's RapidCare, IPRVnet and their customers have the option for 8x5 to 24x7 support.

  With security being a huge issue, it makes sense to have a security network administrator at each and every site. Unfortunately, finding those experts and the cost of those experts become challenging. RapidStream developed the Centralized Policy Management (CPM) System extended to reach telecommuting workers, small offices, and large enterprises within a single, common managed service infrastructure. At a central site, the IPRVnet network administrator can define, deploy, and enforce the company's security policies. These policies can be deployed to individual RapidStream security appliances, groups, or globally. This policy management platform further reduces the administration cost of having network security administrators at each site, speeds up the deployment, and lowers the cost of delivering firewall and VPN services.

  With our proposal of RapidStream's VPN/firewall family of security products, management tools, and world-class support, RapidStream helps enable IPRVnet to cost-effectively deploy and manage RapidStream's security platform end-to-end security environment for both IPRVnet's core network and their customers."

• Rebel.com's Summary: "NetWinder provides small and medium-sized businesses with full Internet and local area network support while offering interoperability, compatibility and exceptional ease of use and performance. NetWinder is configured to meet a broad range of business needs such as Internet security, Web site hosting, business-class Internet and e-mail access, and the ability to share computing resources.

  For the ISP, the NetWinder is open, highly configurable and can be managed as a single unit or as one of many thousands. Rebel.com has built relationships with third-party vendors to deliver a complete admin and management solution for almost any environment. Additionally, NetWinder provides multi-tier monitoring and administration allowing ISP to deliver managed services beyond the firewall."

• SonicWALL's Summary: "The SonicWALL solution set more than meets the needs of IPRVnet. SonicWALL has a broad family of Internet Security Appliances that are designed for the following customers:
  • Individual mobile workers and telecommuters
  • Small standalone offices
  • Small to large branch offices
  • Large central sites

  All SonicWALL Internet Security Appliances provide an ICSA-certified, stateful packet inspection firewall, as well as additional value-added capabilities such as virtual private networking (VPN), strong authentication using digital certificates, virus protection and content filtering. SonicWALL is committed to providing highly integrated Internet security solutions, and plans to expand this array of value-added service offerings in the future.

  SonicWALL's approach to value-added services is unique. All value-added services are tightly integrated into the SonicWALL Internet Security Appliance, which means that IPRVnet can expand their service offerings without deploying additional equipment at the customer site. From the SonicWALL Global Management System (SGMS), IPRVnet can activate new value-added services—such as anti-virus—to start a new revenue stream from their customer base. This capability is unique to SonicWALL, and its value to IPRVnet should not be underestimated.

  The SonicWALL solution is also unique because all SonicWALL Internet Security Appliances share a common software code base and user/management interface. This means that IPRVnet employees need only learn one solution to address a broad range of customers. Competitive solution sets will require IPRVnet to learn two or more different security solutions, which makes the ongoing management of these services more costly and complex.

  No security solution can be deployed in an ISP environment without a robust, scalable set of management tools. SonicWALL provides the management tools, such as the SonicWALL Global Management System (SGMS), to enable the provisioning and management of thousands of SonicWALL Internet Security Appliances, in a scalable, cost effective manner.

  Finally, SonicWALL is the leader in Internet security for small to medium-sized organizations, the exact customers that IPRVnet is targeting. As of March 31, 2001, SonicWALL had an installed base of over 140,000 Internet Security Appliances. Infonetics Research also ranked SonicWALL No. 1 in unit shipments of VPN-enabled hardware for the year 2000. IPRVnet would be well-served to go to market with the products and services that have already been established as the best in class for this market."

Conclusions
Our list of test candidates may be shorter than we anticipated, but this series promises to be an interesting round up. On paper, we have a set of VPN appliances that are all appropriate for ISP deployment to broadband-enabled small business customers. By digging into each product line in a lab setting, we'll compare and contrast these solutions.

We'll look beyond obvious differences, such as list price or where processing is performed. We'll consider how IPRVnet would deliver and configure each customer premises device and client. We'll look for features that make integration particularly easy—or challenging. We'll examine the level of expertise required at the customer premises and ISP NOC. Finally, at the conclusion of this series, we'll share our opinions—and we'll ask you for yours.

—End