RSA Unveils New SecurID Appliance

RSA Security next week will use its security conference to roll out a new enterprise scalable version of its SecurID Appliance.

SecurID Appliance 2.0, which scales up to 50,000 users and will be available in North America in March, is preloaded with RSA Authentication Manager 6.1, the enterprise software that powers RSA SecurID two-factor authentication.

RSA said the appliance will provide enterprises with stronger security for remote access servers, IPSec and SSL VPNs, wireless access points and terminal services.

The new version follows the release last April of the Bedford, Mass.-based vendor’s first version of the SecurID Appliance, which was aimed squarely at small and midsize businesses.

That product was scalable to a maximum of 250 users, but customers were clamoring for a box that would support more users, said John Worrall, senior vice president of marketing at RSA.

Dan Wilson, vice president of vendor relations at Accuvant, a Denver-based security solution provider, said he wasn’t even able to sell the first version of the RSA appliance because he does not do business with smaller clients. Wilson added that he is looking forward to getting the opportunity to sell the new appliance.

“We deal almost exclusively with larger clients. Our average RSA deals support between 1,000 and 2,000 users, so, yes, I would now be interested in this appliance,” Wilson said.

One solution provider said although customers liked the SecurID appliance introduced a year ago, it didn’t play very well in the market because of its limited scalability and its inability to replicate. For those reasons, the new version is much needed and will be easier to sell, said Kurtis Kreh, vice president of sales for Irvine, Calif.-based iSmart Connect.

RSA SecurID Appliance 2.0 is available in preconfigured bundles for 10, 25, 50, 100, 150 and 250 users, or via a-la-carte pricing. Bundled list pricing ranges from $4,000 for a 10-user bundle up to $34,000 for a 250-user bundle.