VPN / Remote Access
Remote Access
Remote access is
increasingly becoming the way in which businesses are
required to work. With sales people, hospital
staff and other remote workers requiring access to the
same functions they have at their workstation, remote
access provides the solution to this. It enables
workers to access information ‘at work’ quickly and
conveniently without compromising security.
The perfect
example is sales people who very often are away from the
office environment but require the same functionality as
the office. Remote access enables them to connect
to head office to exchange email and upload and download
information as and when required.
There are a
variety of solutions available to enable work to be
completed at another location as though you are still in
the office. The four commonly used methods are:
-
Dialup
Remote Access Service (RAS);
-
Remote
Control;
-
Virtual
Private Network (VPN);
You will be able
to choose the method that is best for your company and
some of the factors that will be taken into account are:
-
Performance
-
Security
-
Cost
-
Quantity of
Workforce using remote access
-
Predicted
frequency of use
Dialup
Remote Access Service (RAS)
This is an inexpensive set up as it requires only a
modem attached to your server and remote PC. It
can be connected using a normal telephone line or an
ISDN line. Once completed it enables you to
connect to email server, documents and files as if the
user were in the office.
Remote control
This is an advance upon the basic RAS connection and can
be installed with the correct remote control software
both in the office and remote PC. An example of
this is Symantec PC and the user is actually able to
view copies of what is on the office PC through a window
on the remote PC.
This best serves
a small business with fewer than 5 people as the office
PC must be on at all times whilst the remote user needs
to access it.
Virtual
Private Network (VPN)
The virtual
private network uses a more secure strategy for the user
so that access is quicker and safer when connecting to
the head office. It permits secure, encrypted
connections between the remote user (through a public
infrastructure) and the company’s private network.
The aim of the
VPN is to provide an organisation with the capabilities
of a VPN using leased lines but at a lower cost. This
is where the public infrastructure (internet/public
telephone system) comes into play and the VPN can be
utilized by using the internet as an example of this,
where the remote user can connect from a variety of
locations and many users can connect at any one time.
VPN can greatly
benefit a company if the structure and design is
adequate. It can:
-
Improve security
-
Improve
proficiency
-
Provide global
networking opportunities<
-
Provide
broadband networking compatibility
-
Reduce
operational costs
-
Reduce time
parameters for remote users
-
Provide extended
geographical connectivity
As a VPN can
grow to accommodate many users from various locations,
the scalability is an added advantage that VPN’s have
over the typical leased lines and the cost does not
increase in proportion to distance as it is irrelevant
where the remote user is in geographical terms. The VPN
allows the user to access information, files, email etc
as if the user is at the office based PC and the privacy
and security remains intact despite the amount of users
that are connected.
There are
several ways in which the VPN keeps the data secure:
-
Encryption
-
IPSec
-
Firewalls
Encryption
This very basically takes the data from one computer and
prior to sending to another computer, encodes the
information into such a format that only the receiving
computer will be able to decode it.
Firewall
This offers a strong barrier between the private network
and the internet. Firewalls can be set up in order to
restrict the type of data that passes through, the
number of ports that are open at any one time and which
procedures should be allowed through. A firewall should
be in place prior to implementation of a VPN.
Click here to contact us regarding Remote Access
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