Application Control Engine (ACE)

Identify and Manage Web 2.0 Applications

FaceTime's Application Control Engine™ (ACE™) enables security and network solution providers to embed application filtering technology to accurately identify and manage real-time and Web 2.0 applications on the network. ACE employs patented technology to enable high-performance application scanning and detection of more than 4,000 distinct applications and over 40,000 social networking widgets - regardless of port, protocol, or evasive technique used to traverse the network. Based on the same technology integral to FaceTime's Unified Security Gateway, the ACE SDK allows solution providers to easily extend their offerings to help customers manage Instant Messaging, Peer-to-peer file sharing, Social Networking, Web 2.0, Voice-over-IP, Anonymizers, IPTV, Multimedia, Games, Virtual Worlds, and Unified Communications.

As revealed in the research report, The Collaborative Internet: Usage Trends, End User Attitudes and IT Impact, commissioned by FaceTime and based on an independent study by NewDiligence, 62 percent of IT respondents reported eight or more Internet applications installed on their enterprise networks – representing a 300% increase over the first study in 2005. Further, they noted that about one-third of end users continue to download the applications they want to use on their desktops, regardless of company policy - and these applications are used about equally for business and personal reasons.

Traffic from Web 2.0 and consumer based applications dominates many enterprise networks today. While many Web-based applications can be identified and blocked by a URL signature, newer Internet applications are often not browser-based and therefore require specialized handling to effectively identify and classify them. As more and more applications leverage evasive techniques to communicate, the problem of identifying these applications with existing UTM, firewall and other gateway products presents a challenge for IT.

Only from FaceTime

FaceTime's U.S. patent for classifying and identifying network traffic flows forms the technology foundation for ACE. Available only from FaceTime, this technology provides unparalleled accuracy and application coverage through active monitoring and dynamic correlation of network, content, traffic and other session characteristics. ACE creates a profile of both the specific application in use along with the unique feature being executed (e.g. a file attachment sent via Instant Messaging) allowing ACE Program Partners to deliver granular policy and control over real-time applications within their products. Purpose built for today's applications, the engine includes built-in support for daily auto-updates of new applications provided by FaceTime Security Labs.

ACE provides controls for over 4,000 real-time applications – for a complete list visit www.applicationsguide.com.