Forefront Edge Security and Access Frequently Asked Questions

The Microsoft Forefront comprehensive line of business security products provides greater protection and control through integration with your existing IT infrastructure and through simplified deployment, management, and analysis. Forefront is a comprehensive solution that helps provide protection for the client operating system, application servers, and the network edge. For more information, visit the Microsoft Forefront site.

Customers today are being challenged to address the business need for faster, easier, and more broadly available remote access to corporate applications and data by a growing base of mobile workers and partners. At the same time, application-layer security threats continue to rise, and organizations are exposed to exploits and attacks from many different sources. Balancing the tensions among security, application functionality, and broader access requires a flexible solution that provides rich application security and granular policy-based access.

Microsoft has developed a strong solution within the Forefront family of security products that brings together secure socket layer (SSL) virtual private network (VPN), IPsec VPN, application protection, end point security, and strong granular policy controls, so companies can extend access to all users and to all network resources securely.

The Forefront edge security and access products—Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006, and Microsoft's Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007—provide enhanced network edge protection and application-centric, policy-based access to corporate IT infrastructure from virtually any device and any location.

ISA Server 2006 and IAG 2007 are available in appliance-based and software solutions (Note: IAG 2007 is offered only as an appliance through our OEM partners). Visit the How to Buy page of the Forefront edge security and access site for detailed information on pricing, licensing, and hardware solutions.