Ingrian Secures iNotes Email

Ingrian Networks on Tuesday added support for IBM's Lotus iNotes Web Access to the lineup of security applications supported on its security appliance, enabling iNotes users to securely exchange email via the Web and store it after the fact.

Along with the support for Microsoft Outlook Web Access that Ingrian announced in July, the company now covers the two most popular Web-based email systems. Both applications run on Ingrian's hardware platform, which includes a homegrown operating system optimized for security functions, says Franklin Jones, VP marketing for Ingrian, based in Redwood City, Calif.

Ingrian's Web mail security applications work by employing the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, which is supported on most browsers, to establish an encrypted session between the remote user and the Ingrian platform.

Ingrian likewise establishes an encrypted tunnel between its platform and the back-end Web servers, so email is encrypted end-end. Additionally, the appliance examines traffic as it passes through, discarding anything it deems to be harmful, such as modified cookies, Jones says.

The platform offloads from the Web mail server security functions including encryption, authorization and -- through a deal Ingrian has with Netegrity, Inc. -- authorization. Users can also opt to store certain email in encrypted form on the mail server, with the keys stored in the Ingrian appliance.

Email security is garnering more attention of late, as companies come to realize the amount of sensitive information flowing back and forth via the ubiquitous medium and the need to keep up with new legislation such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

While solutions like Ingrian's keep email secure in transit and, optionally, while stored on the mail server, they do not address security once a user opens an email and stores it locally on his own PC. In that regard, Ingrian faces competition from companies including Omniva, which makes software that gives users control over who can read and manipulate an email message even after the recipient opens it.

Support for iNotes is now included in the current version of Ingrian's OS and is available at no charge to customers with support contracts. Ingrian's appliances range in cost from $19,995 to $44,995 depending on configuration.