The gateProtect rule set offers a high level of protection against the transfer of unwanted data by forbidding any access through the firewall. Wanted data can only pass through the firewall after it has been configured. In this respect, gateProtect has introduced a number of functions which make it easier to create standard environments safely. These include single sign-on, xUA, DMZ, NAT, application level options; data traffic statistics and unpermitted access through the firewall are also recorded.

Most modern firewall systems support proxy-based user authentication. This means that only those services which work with proxies such as HTTP or FTP can be issued to specific users. The gateProtect firewall has rule-based Extended User Authentication. This allows any number of services to be assigned individually to one user or a group of users. If a user logs on to the firewall from a computer, all the assigned services for the computer in question are enabled.

gateProtect offers the most commonly used forms of current site-to-site and Road Warrior VPN connections via IPSec and SSL. Wizards and the eGUI® technology help with the management and set up of these connections. In addition, the firewall generates external configuration files when the VPN connections are created. These files can be used for setting up single click connections and also for site-to-site connections when importing on the firewall at a remote site. Furthermore, gateProtect offers an IPSec and SSL site-to-site solution with X.509 certificates which can work in bridge mode as an option. For a normal bridge, two or more network cards are linked to form a logical network. gateProtect not only allows this for network cards but also for VPN-over-SSL connections. This makes it possible to treat remote computers as if they were in the local network.

Another special feature of the gateProtect solution is the prioritisation of data packets in the VPN tunnel with QoS. This is important for time-critical applications where a delay would not be desirable. For example, gateProtect makes it possible to use VoIP via a VPN tunnel for interference-free telephone calls, irrespective of the utilisation of the tunnel for RDP or data download, for instance.

Bridging makes it possible to introduce firewall functionality into an existing local network. The part of the network that requires protecting, for example the servers, are physically disconnected from the rest of the network and re-attached via a bridge on the firewall. Then access restrictions, proxies and virus scans can be set up between the physical networks. It is not necessary to make any changes to the networks themselves.
In addition to the local network cards, gateProtect also allows a VPN tunnel to be linked into a bridge. This special features makes it possible for the gateProtect firewall to create a logical network covering different locations on the Internet.

A virtual LAN allows several logical networks to be operated in a single physical network. To do this, every data packet carries a flag on the basis of which it is assigned to a VLAN. The gateProtect xUTM appliance recognises this assignment. This means that rules can generated on the firewall for these virtual networks in exactly the same way as for normal networks. gateProtect relieves the administrator of any special management of these VLANS and improves efficiency.