In my recent research for an article that will appear in the March issue of VON Magazine, I came into direct contact with several companies I didn't know much about. One of the ones that impressed me and made me look for more detail is KoolSpan. I spoke with Tony Fascenda, their CEO and founder, and Matt Capoccia their VP of Sales. Tony's also the technical genius behind their technologies. Matt wears some other hats as well.

KoolSpan brings an interesting new approach that I see as an evolution of earlier VPN technologies. While IPSec and SSL VPNs serve a purpose and have a place, the KoolSpan approach takes that security technique to a different level.

KoolSpan's solution is broader than just VoIP or unified communications, but it provides some values that alleviate some of the enterprise VoIP deployment problems in a new, simple way. They eliminate the NAT traversal across a firewall issue completely. For anyone who's deployed advanced softphone functionality, or soft consoles, that's something you can appreciate. Because their solution includes encryption, privacy of both the signaling and voice conversation eliminates some privacy and security concerns there as well.

Here's some info from their web site:

Private Networking is the Enterprise LAN securely distributed across any network, including public networks. Users, applications, systems, and policies perform as if they were in single location, behind a single firewall. Cost benefits of users and systems being behind a single firewall are:

• Shrink infrastructure costs as no hardware replication is needed
• Reduce IT Management expenses with simple one time system configuration from one location
• Less training and support with only one user experience, always, from anywhere

Private Networks can also be established within a LAN to secure high value assets and communications across the internal network.

Private Networking decreases costs throughout the enterprise. Finally, a security solution with an ROI!

Combine Savings, Security, and Simplicity with Revolutionary TechnologyPrivate Networks can be established across any network, public or private, internal or external. KoolSpan's customers today use Private Networking to distribute and secure VOIP; to protect critical infrastructure control networks; to fortify and secure wireless networks both within the corporate environment and from public hotspots - using existing infrastructure. Customers also use KoolSpan's Private Networking to secure backbone connections, to secure high-value assets, and more.

Each customer solution benefits from the highly-flexible and easily deployable KoolSpan Private Networking solution, allowing for a high return on investment.

Private Networking depends upon the ultimate security that only KoolSpan can provide. KoolSpan delivers bi-directionally authenticated connections with 256-bit AES traffic, encrypted on a per-packet, per-session basis. Secured on each end with Smart Cards, KoolSpan's unique network layer operation (OSI Layer 2) functions completely transparent to the applications, information, and networks it protects. KoolSpan's two-factor authentication and encryption architecture is the most secure commercially available solution today

I hope you find this solution from KoolSpan as intriguing as I do.

Please joins us and listen in on my conversation with Tony Fascenda and Matt Cappocia from KoolSpan.

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