Introduction
Sawtel is an organization dedicated to improving telecommunications technologies and net safety. Its mission is “to provide unrivalled satellite bandwidth capacity and state-of-the-art wireless connectivity solutions to institutions and business in emerging markets where access to high-speed communication has previously been prohibitively expensive and undependable” (“Mission”).
Sawtel® Defender is “an extendible enterprise web cache server and secure gateway. Integrated with the Microsoft Windows® operating system it provides both the boost and control of Internet usage and policy-based of the company. Defender® offers two tightly integrated operating modes-a multilayer firewall and a high-performance web cache and spoofing server” (“Defender”). “Providing secure gateway it filters Internet packets, data lines and provides security at Application level, statefully inspects to process data crossing the secure gateway, accesses policy control, and routs traffic” (“Defender”). The cache bursts network performance and improves “the end-user experience over satellite by spoofing, accelerating, and storing frequently requested web content” (“Defender”). The secure gateway and cache can be installed separately on linked working stations or integrated on the same PC. In either installation mode, Defender® can be used to increase network privacy, reinforce existing Internet usage policy, burst Internet access, and maximize staff capacity.
This new research is responsible for safer access the Internet and therefore providing more qualified and productive work. The less problems has company’s staff with their computers, the more they work. To develop Defender® several departments of the company were used. These are Programmers’ department and Department of IT/Network Administration.
The Process of Developing through Collaboration
Department of IT/Network Administration
Data security and Internet access speed are hot topics to discuss in contemporary computerized world. It is quite clear that it is dangerous and in some way stupid to make company’s network available from the Internet without providing any firewall protection for it. Without secure gateway information can be easily stolen from PC’s as many software viruses provide hackers with free access to PCs. Someone may oppose, that if someone is afraid of giveaway of data through software viruses, someone may install Linux® OS or some other operating system except Windows® OS. But the overwhelming majority of software is created to work under Windows® OS platform (as many software viruses), so it is necessary to provide computers with this operating system installed with necessary security. The next point is that some firewalls reduce the Internet access speed because of their slow processing of data crossing it which is not very acceptable in contemporary fast world. Sawtel Defender® differs from them a lot.
The representative of Sawtel’s Department of IT/Network Administration, named Mike, was interviewed. He told us about which functions should perform good firewall and why Defender® differs from any other of the kind:
“Firewalls prevent unauthorized users from accessing your internal network by examining incoming data and blocking traffic that isn’t explicitly allowed. They also control internal users’ access to the Internet by defining and enforcing usage policies. Defender’s® firewall features include: multilayer firewall, stateful inspection, broad application support, integrated Virtual Private Networking (VPN), system hardening, integrated intrusion detection, smart application filters, transparency, advanced authentication, secure publishing, e-mail content screening, inspection of Secure Socket Layer (SSL) traffic” (“Defender”).
So Mike’s words are proving that multifunctional platform of the Defender® firewall makes it the best thing to choose if IT/Network administrator wants the network to be stable, controlled and possessing high-speed access to the Internet.
Concerning web-cache and spoofing Mike said that Defender® clearly improves network performance due to its enhanced characteristics and design created to perform faster access with better network policy and security:
“Caching and spoofing can significantly improve satellite network performance, reduce traffic and latency, and improve user experience by providing faster access. These functions also save valuable network bandwidth by locally storing and serving the most frequently requested content. Defender’s caching and spoofing features include: faster satellite response time, high performance web cache, scalability, distributed and hierarchical caching, active caching, scheduled content download, streaming media support, programmable cache control” (“Defender”).
It is clear that Defender® reduces not only the danger of unauthorized data access or Internet packeting, but it serves faster Internet access and easier control over it.
Programmers’ Department
But there’s no computer device or equipment that can work without program shell. That’s why, developing of Defender® was a team work. Programmers’ Department joined the working out of the device. They developed program shell making the integration of Defender® to Windows® OS possible. The representative of the Programmers’ Department, named Derek, was interviewed on the topic. He told about benefits provided by program shell worked out to be installed on Windows® OS:
“Defender is built on Windows technology for advanced security, performance, and management. This provides a range of benefits, including the ability to manage Defender users, configurations, and rules with the Windows Active Directory™. In addition, the powerful support for mixed operating system environments that Defender provides allows it to act as the only Windows Server in a network, when necessary. Defender can be integrated in a single server, an array of servers, or deployed in a modular fashion using separate machines for each component while sharing administration and policy” (“Defender”).
The fact the Defender® is a multi-workstation device is clear from the words said above. It supports many necessary benefits that are surely to become helpful for IT/Network administrator. For example, Defender® supports network access to the computers linked in one network, therefore, reducing the time needed by the administrator to provide all the necessary measurements for secure gateway, Internet surfing and fast access to the Internet at all the computers in the network.
Also, Derek mentioned, that Defender is available in two different versions:
“Defender® comes in two versions. Sawtel® Defender 1 is a stand-alone server supporting a maximum of four processors. Sawtel® Defender 2 is designed for larger-scale deployments, supporting server arrays, and computers with any number of processors” (“Defender”).
It means that Defender® can become very popular device as it supports different types of networks, providing the high-level service and work for all of them. As little networks with no more than 4 PCs in them will be protected, as large compound ramified networks with great number of computers in them.
Collaborative Effects to Reach Production
Both of the Departments made their best to develop an almost perfect device for network services. Team work has brought its best results. IT/Network Administration Department made Defender® perfect from the view of network performance. It provides all the necessary functions that device of the kind should perform. All the aspects of secure gateway and network security are included and perfectly performed by Defender®. Programmers’ Department made Defender® compatible with Windows® OS what is sure to make it very popular at the IT-market where overwhelming majority of software is produced for Windows® platforms. Besides, Defender® was developed to be used both in small networks, and in ranged ones. These collaborative efforts of two departments made this device extremely high-qualified from both sides.
Summary
Sawtel® Defender is the best way to choose to provide network security on the necessary level. It performs all the functions that are to be provided in the network of high security level. It is clear that in contemporary fast, computerized life, when every piece of information concerning every person may be accessed from the Internet, high-leveled security of private and enterprise network must be provided. Access to a PC may be performed in different ways – via software virus or some scripts obtained from web-sites or actions performed by PC user. To avoid these tries of unauthorized access will take too much time and efforts of the network administrator, though necessary level of protection can be failed to provide manually. Therefore, some security gateways will be in-hand. But mostly they perform good protection with low Internet access, what is also a bad habit today. As world is progressing every moment, low Internet access speed may influence on some important details. For example, a lot of business meetings are now held via video conferences which needs high Internet speed. And if the Internet access speed will be reduced not only by lags which are sure to happen if the Internet channel is overloaded sending so many packets as via video conference, then reducing the Internet access speed also by firewalls may cause packets’ loss and some important information will be lost forever which is inappropriate for successful enterprises. So the network administrator is to solve a hard question – what to choose – high Internet access speed or high level of security? Sawtel has the answer:
“Don’t be forced to make the unnecessary “either/or” choice between security and access speed. Get Sawtel® Defender and enjoy both world-class security and enhanced performance and productivity” (“Defender”).
It will be essential in work, it will make an easier life and it will increase staff productivity level. Why is it necessary to sacrifice something? If the matter concerns security and some important details, nothing must be dropped out. High network policy, gateway security, good performance and fast Internet access are the things of great importance nowadays. And there’s no need to omit some of these points. Defender® proved that using it, no point will be sacrificed and the performance of its functions will be as high as it is marked by its developers. Integrating Defender® in the network is the best way to see it running like clockwork. All the provided features make Defender® one of the best firewalls and web cache and spoofing servers, don’t they? And using of it in local or enterprise network is essential for best performance and security. Team work of two big departments of Sawtel company proved it. High Internet access speed, best performance, gateway and firewall security of high level are not the things of which the network administrator can avoid caring. And Defender® is sure to help them in their responsible work.
Works Cited
“Defender”. sawtel.com. Web.