Blue Coat Expands URL Filtering Options To Give More Flexibility To Proxy Customer
UNNYVALE, Calif., December 5, 2005 — Blue Coat® Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCSI), the leading provider of proxy appliances, today announced it has expanded its URL filtering database choices for the ProxySGâ„? appliance, adding seamless support for Websense Enterprise v6.1, Optenet Web Filter and Digital Arts Japan iFilter. Optenet Web Filter and iFilter are new to the ProxySG appliance; it has supported earlier versions of Websense Enterprise and now supports the latest release, version 6.1.
Blue Coat ProxySG appliances now support nine commercial URL filtering databases worldwide, giving customers unprecedented flexibility to use the URL filtering database that best suits their needs. In addition to supporting third-party databases, Blue Coat also provides its own popular WebFilter database, which has been proven by independent testing to be the most comprehensive in the industry.
“Web filtering must be performed on a proxy appliance to achieve the granular control and flexibility necessary for enterprises in a rapidly changing world,” said Chad Hoggard, security manager for Holland America Line. “I believe it’s important to select the platform first and then have the choice of the best URL filtering database to meet the specific needs of the enterprise.”
The Power of the Proxy
The use of URL filtering databases on proxy appliances is growing rapidly among enterprise customers seeking performance advantages and granularity of control. The ProxySG appliance can accelerate Web content filtering performance by as much as ten times over server-based solutions.
Rather than simply allowing or denying URL requests, the ProxySG appliance can enforce more complex criteria, such as allowing a Web page but denying certain types of graphics, streaming media or animations. The system can also uniquely strip and replace active content and filter MIME and file types.
The ProxySG system is a specialized, dedicated appliance that goes far beyond general purpose servers in its ability to function as a control point for policy, performance, and protection throughout the distributed enterprise. For example, the same ProxySG appliance that provides Web filtering also delivers spyware protection, instant messaging controls, bandwidth optimization, P2P file sharing controls, and other proxy services.
Blue Coat’s proxy appliances have the ability to strike the optimal balance between user empowerment and IT control. Because a proxy terminates application protocols, it has the comprehensive understanding of the user-to-application interaction and its context. As a result, proxy appliances provide IT with the power to define, enforce and audit intelligent policy controls over user/application interactions. By distributing proxy appliances at key points in an enterprise infrastructure – the data center, the gateway and regional/branch offices – organizations can create a robust system architecture to protect, control and accelerate Web communications.
About Blue Coat Systems
Blue Coat helps organizations make the Web safe and productive for business. Blue Coat proxy appliances provide visibility and control of Web communications to protect against risks from spyware, Web viruses, inappropriate Web surfing, instant messaging (IM), video streaming, and peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing – while actually improving Web performance. Trusted by many of the world’s largest organizations, Blue Coat has shipped more than 25,000 proxy appliances. Blue Coat is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and can be reached at (408) 220-2200 or www.bluecoat.com.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Blue Coat Systems’ expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future, and including statements regarding the capabilities and expected performance of Blue Coat Systems’ products. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based upon information available to Blue Coat Systems as of the date hereof, and Blue Coat Systems assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These and other risks relating to Blue Coat Systems’ business are set forth in Blue Coat Systems’ most recently filed Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 2005, and other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.