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This post is deepening the ability of StoneGate Authentication Server to integrate transparently with existing user bases with a technique called dynamic user linking.

The idea is to be able to pull information about user profiles from a wide range of directory servers and use dynamically these information to populate user accounts in StoneGate Authentication Server.

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written by RoarinPenguin - 1,535 views \\ tags: AD, Authentication Server, Feature Previews, MobileID, Secure access to cloud, SMC

Let’s start to analyze some of the important features of StoneGate Authentication Server, beginning with the concept of ergonomic authentication.

The concept of ergonomics is defined in Oxford Dictionary as “The study of people’s efficiency in their working environment”.

In StoneGate Authentication Server we applied this definition to innovative authentication methods, to make them designed for human beings.

Ergonomic Authentication means to offer authentication methods based on several factors of strength, without impacting on the user’s natural way of using common devices he’s using daily, such as his mobile phone or smartphone or tablet. Continue reading »

written by RoarinPenguin - 1,362 views \\ tags: Authentication Server, Feature Previews, MobileID, Secure access to cloud, SMC

SMC 5.3.1 is now publicly available and FW/VPN 5.3.0 is also published as controlled shipment. I wanted to conclude the StoneGate 5.3 feature previews by listing the other significant enhancements that are introduced in version 5.3. More details can be found from SMC and FW Release Notes and product manuals.

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written by Tero Jantunen - 1,437 views \\ tags: 5.3, ADSL, Certificates, Dynamic routing, Feature Previews, firewall, SMC, SNMP agent, VPN, WiFi

Version 5.3.1 of StoneGate Management Center includes a brand new functionality which enables Stonesoft to become a player in Identity Management and Authentication arena: StoneGate Authentication Server. Built to answer the pressing need to secure the access to the cloud (no matter if it is a private or public one), StoneGate Authentication Server is completely integrated in StoneGate Management Center from configuration, usability and backup/restore standpoint.

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written by Tero Jantunen - 1,052 views \\ tags: 5.3, AD, Authentication Server, Feature Previews, MobileID, Secure access to cloud, SMC

StoneGate Firewall 5.3 contains a new integrated Anti-Spam feature that complements the StoneGate UTM feature portfolio. The Anti-Spam feature has been developed in-house and contains a lot of different algorithms and tools for spam detection. It suits well for example small MSSP customers that have a single firewall and own email domain.

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written by Tero Jantunen - 1,042 views \\ tags: 5.3, Anti-Spam, DNSBL, Feature Previews, firewall, SMC, UTM

Internet Key Exchange (IKE or IKEv2) is the protocol used to set up a security association (SA) in the IPsec protocol suite. StoneGate FW/VPN 5.3 introduces the support for IKEv2 (in addition to IKEv1) in VPN configuration. IKEv2 includes the support for IKEv2 Mobility and Multihoming Protocol (MOBIKE). MOBIKE enables transparent recovery for VPN clients if the IP address of the VPN client or the IP address of the gateway to which the VPN client is connected changes in the middle of an open VPN connection.

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written by Tero Jantunen - 1,186 views \\ tags: 5.3, Feature Previews, IKEv2, SA, SMC, troubleshooting, VPN

In StoneGate 5.3, you can now predefine the policy to be installed on the firewall engine after it has contacted the Management Server for the first time. With this small enhancement the administrators can make sure that the devices start working in a planned way right from the beginning without the need of someone waiting at HQ to be ready to upload the correct security policy for the device once it is deployed.

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written by Tero Jantunen - 874 views \\ tags: 5.3, automatic policy push, Feature Previews, Initial configuration, Policy, SMC

StoneGate Log Server can be configured to forward StoneGate Firewall/VPN and IPS logs in Common Event Format (CEF) to ArcSight. This streamlines and simplifies the integration of StoneGate product family event logs with the Arcsight Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution. Stonesoft is one of the first security vendors to offer full CEF support.

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written by Tero Jantunen - 1,036 views \\ tags: 5.3, ArcSight, CEF, Feature Previews, Log forwarding, logs, SMC, Third-Party Monitoring

To make the mass deployment scenarios even more convenient from the administrator point of view, StoneGate 5.3 introduces a new “Create Multiple Single Firewalls” wizard. With that wizard the administrator can create hundreds of Single Firewall and Internal Gateway elements. In the end of the wizard, you can optionally upload the initial configurations to be available for Plug & Play installation.

The end result is that the administrator can set up hundreds of Firewalls ready to be deployed in a few minutes. And the appliances can actually be delivered directly to the remote office – the administrators don’t even need to open the appliance boxes before they are deployed.

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written by Tero Jantunen - 892 views \\ tags: 5.3, Feature Previews, firewall, Plug and play, SMC, Wizard

StoneGate 5.3 introduces really nice tools for mass deployment scenarios. One of them is so called Plug & Play Installation. It basically means, that administrator can prepare the firewall elements in SMC in advance and publish the configuration to be available in Stonesoft Installation Server. Once the appliance is shipped to the remote office, anyone can just plug in the network and power cables. The device will automatically contact to Stonesoft’s Installation Server and retrieve its configuration from there. After that it can automagically establish the initial contact with the correct Management Server, receive its initial security policy and start working. Here is a short video how the process actually goes:

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written by Tero Jantunen - 956 views \\ tags: 5.3, Feature Previews, Installation, Mass deployments, Mass Security, Plug & Play, SMC, Videos