Teros to offer Web services security

Teros, a security device maker, announced on Monday its expansion from Web applications into Web services, in an effort to ride the wave of two popular trends.

The privately held company is hoping to boost its HTML-based applications security business and grab a piece of the growing XML-based Web services security market with a single device. Meanwhile, Teros is also hoping to attract chief technology officers who are looking to consolidate their security equipment and vendors.

"Two-thirds of our enterprise customers have also approached us about providing protection for their Web services," said Greg Smith, senior director of product marketing with Teros. "And there is one clear dynamic that is happening. CIOs want to consolidate the number of devices and vendors they are using."

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Later this month, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company plans to market a new version of its Secure Application Gateway, which will let customers use a single hardware-software device to simultaneously secure their Web applications and Web services. The starting price for the appliance is $25,000.

Previously, Teros' gateway appliance addressed only HTML-based Web applications.

"Ninety percent of the time, we find XML and HTML applications are running side-by-side, and that drives the need for a unified approach," Smith said.

He said that Teros marks the first company to offer a security appliance with dual functionality in addressing both Web applications and Web services, rather than having separate software or hardware for each.

One analyst notes that there are other companies offering products that can do much in the way of security.

"Technically, Teros is the first to offer a unified appliance. But Check Point says they can deal with all protocols at the firewall," said Charles Kolodgy, IDC research director of security products. "People are basically using their firewalls for XML."

Teros contends while there are existing products today that can provide security for an either HTML Web applications or XML Web services, none is designed specifically to do both.