Windows IT Pro is the leading independent community for IT professionals deploying Microsoft Windows server and client applications and technologies.
  
  
  Advanced Search 


October 18, 2004

Rev Up Security with ISA Server 2004

This sample back-to-back firewall configuration shows you how
RSS
View this exclusive article with VIP access -- click here to join |
See More Internet Articles Here | Reprints | Or sign up for our VIP Monthly Pass!

Are you looking for a way to significantly enhance security for your Internet-facing Microsoft applications and services? If so, take a look at Microsoft Internet and Security Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004, which makes a quantum leap beyond its predecessor, ISA Server 2000. ISA Server 2004 provides a network firewall that performs both stateful filtering (at the Open System Interconnection—OSI—model's transport layer 4 and below) and stateful application-layer (layer 7) filtering on all installed interfaces.

Many organizations have an existing firewall infrastructure but still want to obtain the security benefits that ISA Server 2004 provides. The ISA Server 2004 firewall is extremely flexible and has a number of viable deployment options. One of the most common and most secure of these options is a back-to-back firewall configuration, in which a traditional packet filter­based hardware firewall on the front end provides basic stateful filtering to protect the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the firewall and the LAN interface, and an ISA Server 2004 firewall on the back end provides both stateful filtering and stateful application-layer inspection to protect core business resources.

Filtering remote access to Microsoft Exchange Server services is a popular ISA Server scenario, and several of the firewall's new technologies provide a unique level of protection for Internet-facing Exchange services, especially Microsoft Outlook Web Access (OWA). If you're interested in placing an ISA Server firewall behind an existing packet filter­based hardware firewall, this scenario provides a good example of the required procedures. Figure 1 shows a high-level view of the back-to-back firewall design. Key features of the network and firewall topology include the following: . . .


Already a VIP member?
Please log on to view the full article

Why become a VIP member?

VIP-only online access
VIP CD delivered twice a year: offline access to the entire Windows IT Pro article library
Monthly issue of your choice of Windows IT Pro or SQL Server Magazine

Subscribe Now
Top Viewed ArticlesView all articles
Command Prompt Tricks

One reader shares his tip for setting up the command prompt to reflect a remote path. ...

WinInfo Short Takes: Week of November 9, 2009

An often irreverent look at some of the week's other news, including some more Windows 7 sales momentum, some Sophos stupidity, Microsoft's cloud computing self-loathing, more whining from the browser makers, Zoho's "Fake Office," and much, much more ...

Understanding File-Size Limits on NTFS and FAT

A general confusion about files sizes on FAT seems to stem from FAT32's file-size limit of 4GB and partition-size limit of 2TB. ...


Security Whitepapers Reducing the Costs and Risks of Branch Office Data Protection

Solving Desktop Management Challenges in Healthcare

Solving Desktop Management Challenges in Education

Related Events WinConnections and Microsoft® Exchange Connections

Bail Out Your Exchange Environment

Continuous Application Virtualization: An Answer to Exchange Recovery Problems

Check out our list of Free Email Newsletters!

Security eBooks Spam Fighting and Email Security for the 21st Century

Understanding and Leveraging Code Signing Technologies

A Guide to Windows Certification and Public Keys

Related Security Resources Introducing Left-Brain.com, the online IT bookstore
Looking for books, CDs, toolkits, eBooks? Prime your mind at Left-Brain.com

Discover Windows IT Pro eLearning Series!
Clear & detailed technical information and helpful how-to's, all in our trademark no-nonsense format


Windows IT Pro Home Register FAQ for Windows WinInfo News
Europe Edition About Us Contact Us/Customer Service Media Kit Affiliates / Licensing  
SQL Server Magazine Office & SharePoint Pro DevProConnections IT Job Hound
Left-Brain.com Technology Resource Directory asp.netPRO ITTV Windows SuperSite 
 
 Windows IT Pro is a Division of Penton Media Inc.
 © 2009 Penton Media, Inc. Terms of Use | Privacy Statement