Increase Productivity and Ensure Security with SSL VPNs

In today’s business environment, where consumerization of IT has resulted in the popularity of the concept of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), employees, partners, customers, contractors and guests want remote access to business applications anywhere at any time. Though ensuring remote access helps enterprises to increase productivity, it is highly necessary that enterprises make sure that security and compliance are equally maintained. With security breaches being a serious issue, enterprises must ensure secure remote access so that authorized personnel can quickly access the resources and applications without compromising on security. That is where Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) come useful.

 

A VPN is defined as “a network that uses a public telecommunication infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide remote offices or individual users with secure access to their organization's network.” Simply put, VPNs allow organizations to send and receive data across shared or public networks by creating a private or secure network over the public network. That means with VPN, public networks get all the functionalities, security and management policies of the private network but at a much lower cost.

 

Traditional VPNs rely on IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) to establish a secure tunnel between the two endpoints. However, today mostly SSL VPNs (Secure Sockets Layer Virtual Private Networks) are used. This is because apart from offering versatility and ease of use, SSL VPN does not require the installation of specialized client software on the end user's computer. The versatility and granular control for a range of users from any Bring Your Own Device - BYOD and any location is what SSL VPN offers the clientele.

 

Here is a look at some of the benefits of using a best of breed SSL VPN solution.

• Anytime, anywhere browser-based secure remote desktop access, enables increased productivity for employees, partners, tenants, customers, contractors and guests

• Up to 3.2 Gbps throughput, 128,000 concurrent users and 500,000 users on a single access gateway appliance for maintaining security and driving productivity at scale

• 256 virtual SSL VPN portals on a single appliance, customizable to the security and usability preferences of multiple tenants and communities of interest

• Per-user policy engine for identity-based access to URLs, files, networks and applications

• Controlled access from managed and un-managed devices including desktops, laptops, tablets and smart phones

• Cross-platform support for a range of operating systems and browsers

• Range of access methods including Web, Layer-3 and client-server connectivity

• High-performance 1024, 2048 and 4096-bit SSL encrypted communications

• Endpoint security including host-checking, cache cleaning and adaptive policies

• Supports a range of AAA and dual-factor authentication schemes

• No pre-installed clients; eliminates firewall and network traversal issues common to traditional VPNs

• Familiar CLI and WebUI for ease of configuration and management 

Thus, SSL VPN offers greater levels of security, a greater range of access methods, a broader range of device support and the ability to provide differentiated, identity-based access tailored to the needs of multiple communities of interest.

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Secure Remote Access

Managing Risks with Business Continuity Planning

Every business enterprise is created with the sole aim of gaining profits from the business. However, this legal entity is a risky affair and is prone to disruptions. Business disruptions can come in from various sources including natural ones. In the technology driven world today with radical environmental changes, the risk to the continuity of business is even more. The unplanned events may leave lasting impressions on both small and medium enterprises as well as global organizations. The brave heart entrepreneur and business enterprise thus needs to be always prepared to face the disruptions and keeps options ready to ensure business continuity come what may.

Today, as part of   smart business operations, enterprises opt to have in place strategies for business continuity as part of operations management.  The business continuity planning (BCP) is meant to identify an organization's exposure to internal and external threats and prepare the assets to provide effective prevention and recovery mechanism for the organization, while maintaining a competitive advantage. Wikipedia defines the business continuity plan as a road map for continuing operations under adverse conditions irrespective of this being natural or man-made.

For enterprise that are totally technology dependent any small system errors and bug in the complex programs can bring their entire business to a standstill.  Thus the business continuity strategy works to provide a framework for resilience building and tends to protect the interest of key stakeholders. Traditionally what the business continuity plans looked at is methods to protect the business in face of physical damages to equipment, products and disruption of services. However, with the globalized business world so driven by technology, even the absence of the key staff can cause equivalent effects on the business.

Today the business continuity planning strategies should be one that would help global enterprises face emergency situations without loss of productivity and profit. The technological innovations have paved way for new age enterprises to provide remote desktop  access to their distantly located employees and key personnel. Such remote access solution is best if it can facilitate enterprises with:
 

• Anytime, anywhere access for employees to familiar workstation  and business critical resources

• Real-time and secure access gateways to the corporate network and critical data  for the partners and vendors

• Performance consistency for the entire workforce

• Automated VPN provisioning

• Cost-effectiveness and global redundancy

Enterprises make use of remote access and BYOD solutions to increases the mobility of the workforce and ensure business continuity. But along with the increased mobility they also need to cater for cost-efficient performance of the corporate network infrastructure. Load balancers play a major role in disseminating process requests of the workforce across the wide networks irrespective of the device and location.  The modern day innovative load balancers help enterprises to leverage on the multi-core processing and ensure a scalable business continuity planning through cost-efficient performance. 

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Server Load Balancing

Tablet Access

Load Balancers And Their Role in Global Environment

A technological innovation over the period has facilitated the business enterprises with digital workspaces. The corporate offices work through highly networked environment and use large number of software applications for the day-to-day operational requirements. Further with globalization, these enterprises have also expanded globally with distantly located regions. However, real-time connectivity between all the far-off offices and remotely working project teams are maintained with the help of dedicated servers.

The technological enhancements further made it possible for the offshore teams, outsourced vendors and remote workforce to access the corporate network irrespective of the distance and device. Such anytime anywhere access to the various applications, files and folders from the office workstation and business critical data and information taxes the servers and the network when loaded with increasing demands. Added to this the BYOD apps available only increases the load on the servers and clogging of the network leading to reduced speed and performance. Under such circumstances, load balancers help the enterprises in easing out the situations.

Load balancers are generally used in heavy traffic laden computer networks like the Internet and corporate networks of multinational companies. Defined as a computer networking methodology load balancing helps to distribute the workload across multiple resources to achieve optimal utilization with maximum throughput, and minimum response time. , and avoid overload. Dedicated hardware, software and servers carry on these functions. The software program helps to track the front-end client’s access services and forwards requests to the back-end servers to enhance website performance as well as reduce the burden of a particular server.  

Further with most of the global enterprises having distantly located project teams working either in offshore locations or forms a part of the mobile workforce, providing them with remote desktop access and to the corporate data becomes very important. Networks of large corporate houses or small and medium enterprises or data centers with vast amount of data and application storage and transfer resort to use of load balancers.

For the new age enterprises load balancers  offers essential benefits such as:

●  Minimized load on individual systems with reduced response time
●  Maximum network utilization
●  It enhances reliability and improves user satisfaction.

However, with issues relating to web securities, the load balancers intelligently routes the hypertext transfer protocol traffic to servers which are involved in controlling access to websites. Besides these also scan the traffic for any spyware, phishing attacks and malicious components entering the network thus ensuring an efficient system of business continuity planning. 

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Server Load Balancing

SSL VPNs

Ensure Complete Secure Remote Access with SSL VPN Solutions

Quickly gaining popularity as serious contenders in the remote-access marketplace Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Virtual Private Networks are driving corporate success and increasing employee productivity and remote connectivity. As a remote access tool, it provides remote workers with a secure access to enterprise resources via the Internet by encrypting all communications between company networks and remote user machines. As VPN is the easiest place malicious attackers to get into a network, it is therefore important to have an effective VPN security policy to protect your company's critical technology assets.

Prior SSL VPN, remote desktop access needed administrators to install, configures, and maintains special software on the users’ computers. With VPNs being expensive and complicated to operate, remote access was only offered to a few corporate employees earlier. With SSL VPN all the limitations and concerns of remote access were done away. Offering security and control with unmatched safeguards for taking care of business-critical information, SSL VPN allows any computer with a Web browser to be used for remote access, with the SSL VPN technology

How it works

The next generation of VPN service, SSL VPN (Secure Sockets Layer Virtual Private Network) is available primarily for system administrators. SSL VPN functions to a great extent like traditional VPN, but adds additional connectivity and compatibility, utilizing the same encryption technology used by web sites to protect sensitive information. SSL VPN transmits data through an encrypted tunnel to a VPN concentrator, giving the appearance that the user is on the local network, regardless of the user's actual location. With integrated compression, connection pooling and hardware-accelerated encryption, there is fast performance for each user, even under the heaviest load.

Secure Remote Access

A secure RDP remote access VPN extends the perimeter of your network to the remote endpoints. An SSL VPN has been an entry point for security threats to enter the network. The ubiquity, versatility, and clientless nature of the SSL VPN provide significant business benefits and cost savings. With VPN or virtual private networking, there is a safe way for mobile workers to connect to the company's local area network to access their essential resources.

SSL VPN provides secure, protected access to resources, and ensures that the only traffic that goes through the encrypted tunnel is traffic that is approved by system administrators. The SSL VPN technology facilitates easy migration and makes it easier to deploy remote access solution than IPSec. Its balance of flexibility and function makes it exceedingly competitive.

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BYOD 

Tablet Access 

Unplanned PTOs- Ensure Business Continuity with Remote Access Solutions

When most enterprises talk about business disruptions, they equate it to major-scale events or catastrophic disasters such as H1N1 outbreak, earthquake, volcano, hurricane, power failures, or terrorist attacks. Hence, they engage in a form of business continuity planning (BCP) to protect against interruptions that disrupt continuous business operations. Even IT system crashes, communication failures and supply chain problems are included in the list of business disruptions. However, what these enterprises fail to surmise is that even events considered as minor and mundane can result in losses. Bad traffic, seasonal snowstorms, and even employees taking the occasional unplanned PTO (paid time off) are often categorized as mundane events. However, these mundane disruptions cost businesses money – a fact that even enterprises are not aware of. Let’s look at the impact of a mundane event like unplanned PTO on an enterprise’s bottom line.

PTO or Paid time off is a bank of hours that an employee uses at his/her discretion. Employees take unplanned PTOs in order to take care of an issue at home such as a sick child or waiting for a delivery or contractor. Here employees take PTOs to deal with some personal issues. However, there are situations where employees are forced to take PTOs for no personal reasons. Take for instance, seasonal snowstorms, bad traffic, transit strikes and so on where employees have no option but to be away from the office and work. These are events that can (and do) happen on any given day and prevent employees from getting to the office.

Unlike planned PTOs informed in advance and accounted for in the budget, unplanned PTOs affect an enterprise badly. These unplanned PTOs result in losses, which are greater than most would imagine. This is because employees take PTO without prior notice and therefore it may not be possible to adequately back fill their role. This results in neglected tasks and delayed critical business processes. Hence, what enterprises must do is not only develop business plans for critical as well as minor events but also deploy RDP remote desktop access solutions to ensure business continuity. Such a move would help save revenue by allowing employees to get to work, even when they cannot get to the office.

In the absence of remote desktop access solutions, the so-called ‘mundane’ events are not so mundane at all.

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BYOD

Mobilize All Applications with Advanced Desktop Solutions for BYOD

In this technology driven environment, many workers want tablet access to business applications, often from personal devices. Apps have become quite important in the last few years, making our work and life much simpler and easier. Enterprises may have numerous applications, but the security and cost implications of mobilizing every application can get daunting.

Many organizations are exposed to problems such as security gaps, compliance issues and rising IT complexity without proper solutions in place. To enable tablet remote access to personal iPad or Android devices, enterprises need a RDP solution that can be installed in the corporate network and integrates with Active Directory or similar to establish user credentials for secure access.

With a good appliance solution you can have Remote Desktop access that will make you more productive and generative, allowing an employee to work from anywhere and at any time. Deploying such a solution will enable tablet remote access for employees, and also allow enterprises to get a cost-effective solution that is fully secure and fully under IT control and at the same time provides full application availability, supports a bring your own device strategy and is simple to deploy, manage and use.

The BYOD phenomenon can make a tremendous difference and along with a good appliance solution that facilitates Remote Desktop access, employees can be more productive. These bring your own device solutions provide an efficient, cost-effective means to support tablets in the enterprise while preventing data leakage and providing full application availability. 

The appliance-based solution that you invest in must be enterprise owned and operated and not open the corporate network to third party networks. It must allow Tablet remote desktop connectivity to the end-user iPad and Android devices using SSL. A conventional PC work environment must be allowed to all employees unlike server-based computing. All employees enterprise-wide must be provided with complete application availability without any need for new hardware or software, licenses or application environments.

As tablets and remote devices are “off-network”, security and compliance policies on office PCs must be extended and maintained. This way data never leaves the network, never mixes with personal data and never exists on remote devices. It must leverage the existing desktop, application and security infrastructure. Look for a solution that is cost-effective and can be set up in as little a few hours and is capable of achieving ROI in the time it takes to set up alternate solutions.

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Server Load Balancing

Business continuity through remote desktop access solutions

Our modern day business world is evolving and is becoming much more advanced and globalized, with multiple teams working across various time zones. As a result of which, the traditional 9am to 5pm job set up is becoming or rather has become obsolete. That is not all. The customary meeting taking place in boardrooms or conference room too are being replaced by online collaborations and conversations that today is an easy task with the help of remote access solutions and SSL VPN tools. Remote access through VPN solutions helps business persons to manage their business anytime from anywhere.

Business continuity is an essential element of every corporate set up. As business continuity planning today is a crucial aspect of every business, it is imperative that companies invest in enterprise class remote desktop solutions that assist in leveraging technologies that are secure and scalable. Compliance too is an important factor as to why government agencies mandate sensible BCP Government mandates. Also the regulatory compliance needs several organizations to have auditable, secure admission to critical data even when there are unforeseen events taking place.

Unplanned PTO is one of the many kinds of business hindrances. There are a few employees who opt in for PTO when there is no other choice to be away from the office and yet continue their work. The other reason that can be listed that, employees are required to handle some household issues as well. Hence, an employer might as well consider that opting in for a PTO day is the best possible solution to keep the work on. On the other hand, unplanned PTO might also impact on a company’s bottom line.

Therefore, when employees take an unplanned PTO it practically might not be possible to cover up an entire day’s work responsibilities. The outcome could be in the form of accumulated tasks that are neglected for an entire day and might also delay in critical business processes. Planned PTO is accountable for the budget, whereas unplanned PTO impacts the company revenues. It is estimated based on the yearly productivity, total employee count and the average count of the PTO’s taken by each employee per year.

Today leading solution providers have come up with business continuity through remote desktop access solutions. Regardless of the type of solution that you might choose, you need to ensure that it results in increasing the overall productivity and helps in file access. Advanced remote desktop solutions help to resolve business bottlenecks and helps in business continuity planning with its secure remote access to office desktops and computing devices. It provides a secure and simple access to the desktop platform and has a simple-to-use architecture. The solution is perfect for workers who need to attend their personal and professional tasks without neglecting either of them.

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Application Delivery Controller

Remote Desktop for the Globally Bound Organization

Technological innovations that led to telecommunication devices, networking infrastructure and related software applications have today enabled organization to remain connected worldwide.  Understanding the value of quick decision making for a profit oriented business environment has paved way for the furthering of innovations. This has given birth to a concept of networked corporate environment with remote accessibility. 

Deploying the remote desktop access technology makes it feasible for the remotely located workforce to access their files and folders or any other critical information from their desktops and corporate database. This facilitates the management with quicker decision making capabilities. Further as organizations move to become global entities, the number of mobile workforce and remotely located teams only increases making remote access an indispensable part of the corporate operational strategy.

However, for the organizations to maximize the benefits of remote desktop appliances it becomes necessary to understand the scope of the Internet and the ability to access the desktop. The desktop sharing applications help professionals access and share their workstation from any location and any device.  Today's advance BYOD technology helps the workforce to share and access desktops from any hand held device such as smart-phones, iPads, notebooks or laptops.  The program that allows to bring your own device and connect to a distantly located computer is dependent upon Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) besides others.

The ability to access and control the workstations remotely is advantageous for the business houses and corporate sectors. The remote desktop access appliances facilitates IT industry to  streamline operations and costs and provide their clientele with a much needed good backup support. In an era when teleconferencing, online business meetings and virtual offices make up the business scenario, remote desktop protocol enhances corporate communication, boosts productivity and mitigates the effect business disruptions. 

The widely networked environment challenges organizations with cyber attacks from unknown and forbidden entities forcibly making their way through the networks. Such attacks on sensitive data bring in the requirement of implementing SSL VPN solutions that will provide safety and security of the critical data. Being a web browser-based network, this technology makes it possible to access the corporate data from any computer system. However, this requires encryption of all communications between the corporate network and the remote desktop so as to provide the remote workers with a secure access to the corporate resources.

The development of  mobile devices with cutting edge technology and the appliance based remote desktop access solutions by the leading service providers has facilitated the global organizations to extend the virtual and physical offices beyond boundaries. This has also led to an energy efficient and secure data access with unmatched returns on investment for the organization.

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Business Continuity Planning

SSL-VPNs - Striking the Right balance for a Networked Environment

In an age of globalization,  technological evolution has enabled the corporate houses with multinational offices and workforce to stay connected. The success of  global corporate is dependent on high productivity levels of its  multinational workforce and is driven by the remote connectivity factor. However, with remote connectivity comes in  crucial factors such as a widely networked environment and secure access to all the vital business information.

In order to drive in corporate success through increased employee productivity, the organizations needed to provide their widely distributed teams remote desktop accessibility. However, remote accessibility also provides ways and means for a forced entry into the network  for forbidden and unknown entities to pursue malicious attacks on sensitive data. This brings in the requirement of implementing safe SSL VPN solutions that will provide authorized users secure access to the critical data.

Initially with remote access across networks  being expensive and complicated to use, access was given to only a few corporate employees. However, with the development of SSL VPN technology, a web browser-based network access was possible from any computer system. The remote workers were provided a secure access to the corporate resources through the Internet by encrypting all communications between the corporate network and the remote desktop.

As SSL VPN technology gained popularity to provide remote access to the remote and mobile workforce, through any cloud based device, it blends in flexibility and function making organizations extremely competitive. Further, system administrators also made use of Load balancers in an attempt to maximize the available resources and enhance the performance of the applications across the network.  the server load balancer provides  99.99% application uptime,  data center scalability, and  increases the efficiency  of the network by offloading the web and application servers besides providing  uninterrupted delivery of critical business applications.

Today’s growing SSL VPN market offers organizations a wide range products to choose from. A number of factors that needs to be considered before buying the SSL VPN device include security, user experience and cost. However, with setup and management of these devices being easy, authentication certificates is not  essential for this technology products.

The increasingly mobile workforce of the present day organizations demands for an enterprise-class SSL VPN remote access solution that would enable anytime, anywhere secure remote desktop access to business applications and resources even through BYOD options. Organizations thus look out for SSL VPNs that does not require pre-installed clients, provide  encrypted connectivity, scalability and price performance while striking the right balance between productivity, security and compliance.

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Business continuity