Forum Systems latest XML Gateway targets SOA Federation

Looks like Forum Sentry, the pioneer and leader of XML Gateway and XML Firewall technology has announced its latest product that now addresses the growing need for handling not just XML/Web services traffic, but also HTML/Portal traffic. From a technology standpoint, this is not a revolutionary jump, but a gradual evolution of the XML Gateway that now handles HTTP/HTML-header information, which is by far easier than looking deeper into the XML packets. However, the business implication of this is significant since companies can now use a single platform for HTML and XML processing.

Continuing to set the benchmark for securing Web services, key new capabilities available via Forum Sentry include:

• HTML Portal Virtualization – Deployed in a “proxy” setting, Forum Sentry removes the identity and security burden from Web sites and portals. Leveraging Single Sign On (SSO) functionality across existing infrastructures, Forum Sentry’s non-intrusive, agentless design accelerates security and identity on a dedicated device – without requiring code changes to backend Web applications and services, or additional capital expenditure costs.
• Central Cookie and SAML Processing – Forum Sentry authenticates and authorizes both portal- and Web services-related identity tokens – the cornerstones of Federated SOA. Credentials are shared – regardless of where the services reside – throughout the entire transaction, producing an enhanced, seamless user experience without compromising security.
• Federated Two-Factor Authentication – Promoting greater security, Forum Sentry requires two pieces of information for identity verification of internal and external partners. It removes the complexities so often associated with token sharing across portals and Web services, while still enforcing the highest levels of authentication and authorization.
• Protocol/Document Attribute Mapping – Promoting greater ease of use, HTTP/HTML header information can be mapped into messages and documents. User information from HTTP can be transferred into a SOAP or XML message for usage elsewhere in the network – independent of protocol – enabling SOA Federation across both XML and HTML traffic.

For more details, see: Forum Systems Drives SOA Federation for Enterprises and Government Organizations