CIOIN

French operator Orange has expanded its cloud computing portfolio with Flexible SSL, a remote access service that allows users to connect with enterprise resources securely, it said on Monday.

Flexible SSL allows users to connect via, for example, Wi-Fi, 3G or fixed broadband networks using desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets, according to Orange Business Services. The service is based on the Junos Pulse platform from Juniper Networks, and can scale from about 10 to thousands of users, so it is a good fit for both smaller and large enterprises, Orange said.

Just like many other vendors of cloud services, the operator hails the ability to start using Flexible SSL without having to make any up-front investments.

Orange isn't providing any details on how much the service will cost.

The interest in managed security services is growing, driven by the proliferation of security threats, growth in the use of mobile devices, and the shift to the cloud, according to market research company Infonetics.

It's often cheaper for companies to pay a service provider to manage their security than to do it themselves, and with the growing complexity of security solutions, this outsourcing trend will continue, Infonetics said in its "Managed Security Services and SaaS" report, which was published recently.

Thanks to growing interest, Infonetics expects the security-as-a-service segment of the managed security market to more than double between 2011 and 2015.