ZapNote: Sarvega

Traditional network devices and appliances are ill-equipped to deal with XML and Web Services traffic since they fundamentally inspect packet-level data, rather than the content-level data that XML and Web Services represent. A new breed of network device is needed to deal with the unique challenges of handling XML on the network. XML switches, unlike their IP counterparts, are pieces of hardware equipment that provide deep XML-aware processing of network traffic at network wire speeds

Sarvega XPE 2000 Switches provide the specialized processing and intelligence required to transparently offload complex and expensive XML processing from IP-based server infrastructure.

Startups tackle XML traffic

“In the last three months or so we’ve seen a number of startups emerge, addressing these challenges,” said Ron Schmelzer, a senior analyst at ZapThink. “And it is likely that we’ll soon hear more from Cisco Systems, Lucent, Nortel, and 3Com.”
According to Schmelzer, content inspection is an intensive task, particularly when it comes to avoiding latency. In a report issued in July, Schmelzer calls this new class of products “XML proxies,” or hardware and software solutions that listen for XML traffic on the network. He added they can operate as an XML gateway or as applications on the network.

Read more at: InfoWorld

XML – Chance für Startups

Tools, die den XML-basierenden (Extensible Markup Language) Datenverkehrs absichern sollen, entwickeln zur Zeit hauptsächlich junge Unternehmen. Laut Ron Schmelzer, Analyst beim mit den Themen XML und Web Services beschäftigten Marktforschungsunternehmen ZapThink, haben jedoch Hersteller wie Cisco, Lucent, Nortel und 3Com ähnliche Produkte in der Pipeline. Sie basieren auf Techniken, die SOAP-Pakete (Simple Object Access Protocol) analysieren. Die Pakete enthalten XML-Daten, die über das Transportprotokoll HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) transportiert werden.

Read more at: ComputerWoche (German)

“XML Expert: Ron Schmelzer”

This week, Stephen Ibaraki, I.S.P., has an exclusive interview with, Ron Schmelzer, an internationally renowned expert in XML and XML-based standards and initiatives. Ron is the lead author for SAMS XML and Web Services Unleashed.

Excerpt: “XML will increasingly become part of the everyday aspect of technology. In fact, it will soon become invisible. Just as TCP/IP and HTTP have become part of most of the applications we use these days, so too will XML and Web Services. Right now, they are top of mind as we resolve some of the lingering issues that prevent widespread use. However, once these issues are resolved, we can expect XML and Web Services to survive and become part of the every day framework of our lives.”

Read more at: CIPS News from National

“XML’s Nasty Little Secret”

As if IT security pros didn’t have enough to worry about, a new study warns that firewall and routing platforms cannot intelligently process XML content.

This is huge, as XML is the backbone of Web services protocols. The study, run by ZapThink, estimates that XML represents 2 percent of network traffic today, but will increase to 25 percent by 2006. Others say XML will comprise 60 percent of network traffic by next year, and more startlingly, the Web services security industry will grow from $40 million today to $4.4 billion in 2006.

Read more at: TechWeb

XML Proxies: Why Current Network Protocol-based Firewalls and Routers Can’t Handle XML

Look in the network closet in any good-sized company today and you’ll find a wide assortment of network gear: firewalls, switches, gateways, routers, hubs, bridges, the list goes on and on. Each of these devices essentially either directs or secures the packets that form the automobiles on the streets and …

XML Proxies

As the use and proliferation of XML and Web Services spreads throughout the corporate IT environment, so too will the demands on optimizing the performance of the XML data and applying enterprise-wide XML policies. Increasingly organizations are seeking to find solutions that can transparently monitor XML traffic on the network and apply business rules or corporate IT policies such as security, routing, performance, management, transformation, or end-point connection provisioning. Enterprises will implement XML Proxies, which can be either hardware Network Appliances,software Proxies, or software Firewalls, as a transparent layer over current LAN and WAN traffic, monitoring and acting on XML data as dictated by pre-configured rules.

XML Proxies

As the use and proliferation of XML and Web Services spreads throughout the corporate IT environment, so too will the demands on optimizing the performance of the XML data and applying enterprise-wide XML policies. Increasingly organizations are seeking to find solutions that can transparently monitor XML traffic on the network and apply business rules or corporate IT policies such as security, routing, performance, management, transformation, or end-point connection provisioning. Enterprises will implement XML Proxies, which can be either hardware Network Appliances,software Proxies, or software Firewalls, as a transparent layer over current LAN and WAN traffic, monitoring and acting on XML data as dictated by pre-configured rules.

“Study: Routers, Firewalls Can’t Handle XML Traffic”

If the lack of native security in Web services protocols isn’t enough to concern users, research firm ZapThink on Friday also warned users that firewall and routing platforms lack the ability to intelligently process XML content. Not surprisingly, a new class of technology and products has risen up to fill this void. ZapThink calls them XML proxies, add-ons to firewall and network environments that have the ability to monitor XML traffic and apply business rules and IT policies such as security, routing, performance, management, transformation, and connection provisioning.

Read more at: InternetWeek