Blue Coat Systems (BSC), a leader in WAN Application Delivery and Secure Web Gateway, has unveiled its Blue Coat ProxyClient, its next version of WAN optimisation client software.

ProxyClient software extends integrated application acceleration, Web security and policy control to remote or mobile enterprise users, regardless of location, said an official spokesman.

It includes byte caching, an important WAN optimisation technology, and location awareness to optimise application performance for remote users and provides centrally managed Web filtering with anti-spyware and anti-phishing protection.

The base ProxyClient software with WAN optimisation will be available free of charge to customers who purchase ProxySG appliances. ProxySG customers licensed with Blue Coat WebFilter software will get the addition of remote web control added-on to the ProxyClient free of charge.

ProxyClient software is the first integrated client that enables enterprises and organisations to extend security, policy control and application acceleration to remote employees.

The combination of functionality in the software enables companies to establish controls over networks they do not own, including the Internet, ensuring performance and protection for the remote user.

Since mobile and remote users comprise a significant and growing portion of all employees, a unified platform that extends application performance, security and policy control to users in any location is an emerging IT requirement.

The policy-based acceleration in the ProxyClient software enables dramatic performance increases for remote applications. Tests show performance increases of up to 35 times improvement in user wait times, and bandwidth usage.

In one evaluation, a 10 megabyte Power Point file took 104 seconds to download without the benefit the ProxyClient software, but only three seconds with the ProxyClient software enabled. The built-in Real Time Performance Indicator graphically displays acceleration results.

The addition of byte caching technology in the ProxyClient software improves performance by up to five times over the existing SG Client software. The new byte caching technology complements already existing application acceleration technologies in SG Client software: protocol optimization for CIFS and TCP, as well as client-side object caching and compression.

In addition, location awareness enables the ProxyClient software to automatically apply appropriate WAN optimization, depending on whether the user is inside a branch office and benefiting from acceleration provided by a ProxySG appliance or working remotely.

Web Filtering, Anti-Spyware and Anti-Phishing to Protect and Manage Remotely
While enterprises have put considerable emphasis on protecting and managing Web access for users located at headquarters, once a user leaves corporate headquarters the user’s laptop computer is largely unmanaged.

The protection from malware, governance of acceptable usage policies and management of various applications has not been available to apply to employees using corporate computers or resources remotely.

ProxyClient uses Blue Coat WebFilter technology to enable centrally managed URL filtering to protect all company-owned computers—including those operating remotely— from Internet threats and abuse.

The organisation can enforce acceptable usage policies for users in any location and provide protection from known or likely spyware or phishing sites. ProxyClient makes use of the unique Blue Coat Dynamic Real-Time Rating (DRTR) service to make real-time assessments of URL requests for brand new or previously undiscovered Websites and categorise them as spyware sources, phishing, pornography, gambling or some other possibly dangerous or inappropriate Website.

“Blue Coat sees the WAN optimization client as an integral part of its WAN Application