Rather than requiring each application on the network to comply with the latest XML-based security specifications, compression algorithms, and business process standards, most organizations will seek to implement centralized intermediaries that will handle these tasks on behalf of the applications. Hardware XML Network Appliances can fill the role of the XML and Web Services intermediary in a credible way.
Forum Systems has produced a hardware appliance that aims to fill the role as Web Services Proxy as and XML "Application Firewall" by processing XML network traffic and applying security, routing, and transformation operations to the data in a transparent manner. They see the XML Network Appliance as an increasingly important device that will become crucial to the acceptance and growth of XML use within the enterprise. Forum has correctly reasoned that security is the primary and most immediate market for these XML Network Appliances.
