The MegaPath Connectivity Blog

How Secure, Reliable SSL VPN Service Works

There’s no denying that this has been the week for iPad news domination.

Good, bad, or indifferent — people are certainly talking about the iPad! I can’t think of any news source I’ve seen this week that didn’t include some mention of Apple’s new mobile device. Fast Company featured a story this week called “Apple iPad Launch by the Numbers” that provides a good glimpse at the growing trends toward relying on mobile devices to tap into whatever information sharing and use, or interactive conversations we want, whenever we want. The flexibility is just so powerful. It’s that same on-the-fly usefulness that applies to people who access and rely on your organization’s network for the applications and information resources that are most critical to their work or business. The trend towards more users connecting into your network using a variety of personally owned or business-provided devices at any time, from anywhere presents complex, multi-layered security issues for the IT leaders tasked with managing these critical capabilities. We definitely know that the trend isn’t going to reverse itself — not hardly. Can IT leaders restrict access to critical network resources to an ‘approved list of devices’?

Remember the old story of the little Dutch boy who poked his finger in the dike to plug a leak? Whew! — then a new one sprung up, and another, and another until he ran out of fingers. How did that work out for him?

A better security method for proactive IT organizations is to embrace the realities of a burgeoning population of mobile wireless users, and engineer your network with practical, scalable means to provide secure remote access to the critical resources your mobile users need. This is moving away from a ‘nice to have’ into a necessity. Managed SSL VPN services are designed to securely enable user access methods by defining control policies and combining them with end point control and policy zones. This type of flexibility defines the type of access environment a user experiences — essentially providing even your most far-flung iPad-toting globetrotters with reliable connectivity and information sharing, while ensuring that your network hums along without compromise. Done right, this SSL VPN-enabled secure connectivity can even be a competitive advantage.

To learn how MegaPath SSL VPN services work, start here.

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Enterprises and SMBs today face many of the same issues, and one of the biggest issues they both face  is making sure business communications are safe and secure.  With the increase in mobile workforces, and with more customers and partners wanting to do business online, VPNs need to be scalable, flexible and manageable.  Also, the people who need access to your business network need it from wherever they are, on whatever device they have available.  Luckily, SSL VPNs are a solution that can meat all of the above requirements.  Here are several reasons you should consider SSL VPNs as a solution for keeping your business better connected.

• Reduced Costs - Web based access that doesn’t require a preloaded software client on the desktop will reduce desktop support costs. The ease of use factor will also cut down on calls to your Help Desk.
• Increased Flexibility – SSL VPNs allow anyone to connect to any network resource at any time, using any device.  All you need is a web browser and an Internet connection.
• Granular Control – SSL VPNs secure the person, not the device.  Customers,  Business Partners, Road Warriors, Flexecutives and Telecommuters can all be granted access to the specific network resources they need, and this access can also be finely tuned to allow certain levels of access control based upon how they are communicating with the network.
• Eased Administration – When you work with the right partner, your SSL VPN platform will be managed by security professionals who are available 24/7/365, and who are ready to offer assistance as needed anywhere around the globe.
• Increased Protection – SSL VPNs can be delivered as part of a security platform that can also protect against viruses, worms, spyware and malware.  Just make sure your SSL VPN partner is ready to deliver this level of security.
• Remote Connectivity – SSL VPNs are ready built to handle remote access by definition.  This remote connectivity can be occurring at an airport on a Blackberry,  using a public WiFi hot spot via a laptop, or at a client’s office on a borrowed PC. 
• Business Continuity- Natural disasters, bad weather, and technologies outages do sometimes occur.  Giving the people you need to communicate with access to an SSL VPN can help you mitigate the effects of such occurrences on your business, and help you avoid business disruptions.

SSL VPNs offer your business the opportunity to lower costs, increase security and be ready for anything.  Maybe most importantly, your users will love it.  I’ve been using VPNs for years, and I know that I’m glad to not have to deal with the IPSec clients anymore (one on each PC, Mac or Linux box I use), and to know that now I can check in wherever I happen to be.  I bet your users will appreciate this flexibility, too.

Internet Security issues have been getting a lot of press lately.  Facebook, Twitter and LiveJournal have been the targets of recent attacks, and CNET points out that not keeping your security up to date could be part of what is enabling such activitiy.  SMBs and Enterprises should take this time to review their security profile, and make sure they have considered these 10 managed security services.  By working with a service provider that can offer managed services such as these, you know you have a team of professionals working 24/7 to mitigate and respond to any security threats.

1. Managed Firewall: Detect and block suspicious network traffic
2. Intrusion Prevention: Proactive protection against known and emerging threats
3. Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware: Comprehensive real-time network protection
4. Spam Tracker: Detect and manage spam on end-user desktops
5. Web Filtering: Manage employee Internet access with White list/Black list and content filtering
6. Site-to-Site IPsec VPN: Securely share files, applications and resources among fewer than 5 locations
7. Site-to-Site MPLS VPN: Securely share files, applications and resources among 5 or more locations
8. Managed SSL VPN: Securely connect retail owners to their franchises, and workers to corporate applications in case of disaster
9. Personal Protection Suite: Managed protection for your entire workforce
10. Secure Payment Processing: Secure, PCI Compliant connectivity to credit, debit and gift card processors

There is an interesting article on NetworkWorld (also avaiable on over on ComputerWorld) that talks about what plans you should be making for your WAN.  It points out that MPLS and Ethernet are widely deployed and are clearly mainstream solutions, and that most enterprises are now supporting remote access via tunnelling, whether that is SSL or IPSec.  If you aren’t already using these tools, the article recommends you should look into them.  The article goes on to point out that SIP Trunking is gaining traction with business in a big way, and that most business should be looking into how they could be better utilizing managed services.

Of course, with one phone call to the right partner, you could speak to experienced experts on all of these topics, who have been deploying these solutions succesfully for years.