Netilla is introducing a line of Secure Sockets Layer gear that protects only one application at a time as remote users access servers across the Internet.

Called Secure Gateway Appliance-C, the hardware supports only Citrix when it is released Oct. 1, but the company says other models of the hardware will support three or four more applications over the next six months, possibly including Microsoft Terminal Services.

The SGA-C gateway allows remote users to access Citrix applications from individual Internet-connected PCs using just a Web browser and to protect the traffic back and forth to the Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server using SSL encryption. It does not allow accessing any other applications including Web applications.

Netilla and other SSL remote access vendors already support Citrix and many other applications - in some cases virtually all applications - but the company says it is trying to meet a common need of specific customers. Some businesses with tight IT and financial resources may need to protect just a certain class of applications, such as those supported by Citrix, says Reggie Best, Netilla's CEO. SGA-C can meet these needs at a price lower than appliances that support a broader range of applications.

This may in fact be attractive to some users, says Robert Whiteley, associate analyst with Forrester Research, but perhaps not for long. SSL devices tend to be pricey for smaller businesses that fit the profile of the potential SGA customer, he says. As SSL remote access gear grows in popularity, vendors will likely come up with lower priced appliances that support a broad variety of applications, he says.

Citrix itself might also come up with a simple method to protect traffic using SSL, he says.

SGA-C costs $5,000 for a box with a license for 25 simultaneous users and $6,500 for a box with 50. AEP charges $7,000 for a box with a 50-user license for its AG 60 device. Aventail charges $10,000 for its EX 750 appliance with a 50-user license.

Best says that the SGA-C simplifies setting up SSL connections for Citrix vs. setting them up with Netilla's full-featured NSP appliance.

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