October 1997 edition
Contact: Alan
Earls, Editor
Software Publications, Inc.
108 Water St., Watertown MA 02172
617/926-1900 http://www.bosoft.com
Raptor Systems: Putting
Teeth in Security
by Charles E. Vermette
Protecting your corporate network goes far beyond stopping young "hackers' from jumping over your firewall. The real issue is the protection of business intelligence. An Ernst & Young survey of IT and Security Managers found that nearly 80 per cent of companies suffered a financial loss related to information security. According to the American Bar Association, companies suffering a security breach suffered an average loss in the range of $2 million to $11 million a year.
But that's not the worst of it, according to Shaun McConnon, President and CEO of Waltham based Raptor Systems (www.raptor.com),"Most companies never Find out they've been 'hacked.' They just know that somehow the competition got their hands on proprietary information. McConnon says that Raptor's success has come from the realization that security concerns go beyond secure Internet access. "With the advent mobile computing, telecommuting. and remote-office communication, anybody with a PC anywhere in the world can tap into your enterprise," he explains. "Raptor was the first company to provide authentication, encryption, and virtual private networking solutions on their firewalls to keep snoopers at bay.
Raptor addresses network security through a model McConnon calls 'the five domains of security", security of Internet access, workgroup access, mobile user access, remote office access, and management and control software that integrates security system wide. The company's flagship product is the "Eagle" family of firewalls, which include virtual private networking, suspicious activity monitoring, and multiple types of authentication and proxy software. For small and midrange businesses, Raptor offers "The Wall," a family of pre-configured software products that start at under $1000. The company's line of Eagle Mobile products serve the needs of remote users, while Raptor Axcess, the company's most recent offering, provides centralized, selective access to Web based information on a corporate intranet. Developed using open standards, Axcess is both vendor neutral and database independent--a first for an Intranet security control product.
McConnon attributes much of Raptor's success to "understanding the need for VAR's to help install and tune these solutions. We've built a world class channels organization that includes VAR's, Raptor System Integrators (RSI's), OEM's and Master Distributors such as Access Graphics, Ingram, Tech Data, and MicroAge. The company has OEM agreements with Siemens-Nixdorf, Hewlett Packard, Compaq and Data General. The company also has reseller agreements with major ISPs (including UUNet, PSI, and Digex) and telecom giants (including Bell Atlantic and Sprint).
The company's recently announced "Raptor Security Vendor Program" will allow the company "to resell and integrate best of breed technologies with Raptors already strong security offerings." The RSV program includes companies such as Entrust, Traveling Software, Integralis, Haystack Labs and ISS, Telemate, CrvptoCard, Security Dynamics, Tally Systems, CyberPatrol, IONA, and Intel. McConnon promises that the alliance with Raptor "will become a one stop shopping point for network security." The RSVP program fits in with McConnon's view of the future of network security, where the emphasis will be on "performance, high availability, ease of use, and the ability to manage the security suite easily and effectively." He predicts that in the long run, many of today's technologies will switch from add on options to embedded features."
Raptor's EagleMobile Pro, scheduled for a late year release, is a result of the RSVP alliance. Utilizing file transfer technology from Traveling Software, EagleMobile Pro will allow users to access information at rates ten to twenty rimes faster than those offered via dial up access. Entrust technology is incorporated for networks that require Entrust authentication, and Entrust/lCE will allow users to encrypt files directly on their laptops-making the data unreadable in the event of loss or theft of the unit. According to McConnon, EagleMobile Pro is aimed at the "traveling executive, business partner or telecommuter who needs both a high level of security and high level of performance."
The explosive growth of the Internet has resulted in explosive growth for Raptor. Last year's before tax profits were $1.8 million on revenues of $14.5 million. in the first two quarrels of 1997, the company enjoyed Q1 to Q2 revenue growth of 18 percent and net income growth of 35 percent. The company employs over 125 people and does business in over 50 countries. A recent IDC report names Raptor as the market share leader in Windows NT firewall sales, and a Deloitte & Touche report rates them as one of Massachusetts' five fastest growing companies. Industry accolades have poured in as well from ZD Intemet Lab, Internetwork, LAN Times, InfoSecurity News and Software Magazine. Concerned about security? McConnon offers this advice: "buy from a vendor who provides an enterprise-wide solution, and who can support the solution they provide." He also cautions against buying on price alone, warning that "price is always an issue, but weak security can be an even more expensive proposition."