The MegaPath Connectivity Blog

Snow plow by Petr Kratochvil

There is word of another Winter Storm heading for the middle of the country, with this article saying that all my friends back in Maryland could be looking at another 12″ to 20″ inches of the white stuff.  While weary of all the snow this winter, the wise among them are still working away.  This is because they developed a  business continuity plan, and took advantage of broadband technologies to stay open, and keep their business going, even when their staff can’t get into the office. 

When Mother Nature decides to blanket a few states with snow and ice, the end result can be Snow Days, where liberal leave policies need to go into effect.  But just because you can’t get out of the house doesn’t mean you can’t make use of a Virtual Private Network to get needed work done.  So, as another blizzard seems to be in the making, I would propose that this is a great time to look into teleworking and other business continuity options that your business can implement to keep connected, even when you can’t get the car out of your driveway (unless your car happens to be a snow plow).

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.

With the end of the year coming up fast, it seems like it is a good time to take a look at what 2010 has in store for us.  Several trends in business connectivity have developed over the last year, and will continue to further evolve in 2010.  Here is a list of 10 topics you should take into consideration as you do your planning for next year.

SIP Trunking - VoIP really exploded this year, due both to the increased functionality and the cost savings it offered to so many companies.   In 2010, combining SIP trunking with MPLS and security is going to really take off.

Managed Security - Everyone knows that security is vital in today’s business climate.  In fact, in many instances it is mandated.  More SMBs and small enterprises, who don’t necessarily have dedicated IT staff, will be outsourcing this function to a partner whose 24/7/365 NOCs will monitor and ensure that communications integrity is maintained.

Extended Workforce - Several events over the last year, including the H1N1 flu pandemic and various disasters, highlighted the need for the workforce to be able to access corporate communications from their home offices.  Telecommuting will see large scale adoption in 2010. Make sure you work with a partner who can reach your team wherever they are, and with DSL, Cable, Satellite and Wireless options.

Enterprise Social Networking - Facebook and Twitter exploded in 2009, and the communication capabilities they offer will invade the workplace in 2010.  Look for various offerings in both internal and cross-company social networking in 2010, and make sure your network has the security and connectivity necessary to meed the demands of these applications.

Cloud Computing – We’ve been hearing about this one for a while, but I expect 2010 will be the year many companies move to adopt this technology.  With Google and Microsoft both prepared with web applications, and with many companies having broadband connectivity in place, it seems like this is the year this might all come together.

Business Ethernet - Ethernet has always been a simple, high speed bandwidth option used for the LAN. In 2010, we will see large scale adoption of Business Ethernet for the WAN by SMBs and Enterprises due to the new economics that allow you to leverage these large pipes for a low cost.

Enterprise Video - Telepresence, Video Conferencing, Video Surveillance  and Video Training will all see a major push in the next year, as businesses leverage these technologies to save costs, increase revenues and keep their workforces up to speed.  It is vital that your network partner be ready with QoS enabled across many bandwidth options so you that you can be sure the video gets through loud and clear.

Extended Enterprise - People now work wherever they happen to be.  In 2010, we will see more adoption by Enterprises of systems and policies that allow people to access anyone, from any location, on any device, at any time.  Managed SSL VPNs will enable businesses to realize such a goal, while lowering costs and ensuring the security of sensitive data at all times.

Wireless Data - The application of wireless technologies to business communications will continue to grow.  For years now, businesses have leveraged wireless voice applications to great success. In 2010, we will continue to see more deployment of data applications across wireless networks, both 3G and 4G.  Wireless data technologies can enable rapid provisioning of communications to a store, offer an excellent option for backing up wireline communications, and can be used by your mobile workforce to access corporate data on devices such as Netbooks.

Payment Card Security - Securing credit card transactions will be the focus of a great deal of activity in 2010.  The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) will continue to evolve (PDF), and changes in areas like wireless networking will need to be implemented in 2010.  All levels of merchants should be working with a PCI DSS Validate Service Provider (PDF) payment card extranet partner to make sure they are ready for the changes in the coming year.

It the time of year when we start to see more and more lists.  Santa is finalizing the naughty and nice list, people will be working on lists of top songs and movies of the year, and children are preparing lists of what presents they would like to receive this holiday season.  If you run a business, I can think of one very important list you should take a look at, and that is the MegaPath Business Continuity Planning checklist. 

Businesses need to be ready to handle any contingency that could affect their continuity, especially at this time of year, when so much business is transacted.  Whether the issue is the H1N1 virus, a bridge disrupting your employees ability to get to work, or a natural disaster that effects a large geographic area, you need to plan ahead so that you know you can keep in contact with your partners, suppliers and customers no matter what.

To help you be ready, the friendly business continuity experts here are at MegaPath have put together the following list, which you can use to make sure you are ready to keep operating, no matter what.

MegaPath’s Business Continuity Planning Checklist

Designate a team: An effective business continuity plan should involve input from Management, the Chief Security Officer, the IT department, Web developer and Human Resources. These key departments have the ability to ensure the company runs smoothly in times of crisis, while taking into account the needs of their employees. 

Identify key personnel: Determine which executives and employees are critical to operating the business (and supporting customers) that need to have access to key systems and information at all time. A business continuity plan must ensure these employees receive the highest levels of support, even during the most disruptive events.

Plan for spikes: Before an emergency occurs, businesses need to plan ahead for increased network bandwidth and secured remote access requirements. Implementing scalable solutions will enable organizations to add increased user licenses to the VPN and Internet connections in real-time.

Choose a flexible secure communications solution: There are many to choose from, but a SSL VPN is one of the leading solutions to provide flexible, remote access, which is essential to any business continuity plan. This technology enables access – via a Web browser – to sensitive corporate and customer data that exists on an enterprise network from remote locations. The SSL solution should be redundant and scalable to account for the increased spike in traffic, as well as integrated into the overall Disaster Recovery plan. 

Create a single entry point:  Create a business continuity portal for employees and partners. If the company has an Intranet, this site becomes command central from which employees can access information – HR policies, emergency contacts and a “click here to access SSL VPN” feature. As this Intranet would become the main source of information, it is vital to ensure that it is fast and reliable for employees no matter where they are located.

Coordinate a secondary back-up site: Should the primary site be unavailable, companies should have a real-time mirror of data housed at a secure facility. If configured correctly, organization’s can provide an automatic failover between locations, so that any forwarding is seamless to employees as they conduct business with no impact to productivity.

Replicate non-real time data: In the event that the secondary site is unavailable, organizations should plan for multiple layers of failover.  If users cannot access real-time data via the back-up location, a third- tier facility with updates, but not real-time data, can provide most of the necessary tools to keep the business operational until the secondary facilities come back online.

Ensure access from any device: With mobile devices and air cards now permeating the executive suite and key employees, IT departments can leverage these tools to ensure complete connectivity in times of emergencies. However, organizations must first conduct a thorough review of remote access policies in order to protect the data these devices are accessing.

Pre-arrange “on-the-fly” meeting capabilities: In the event of an office closure, employees still need to communicate internally or with external parties (i.e. suppliers, customers). Providing Web and audio conferencing to remote locations and offsite workers keeps the communication lines open, especially with those unaffected by the office closure.

Review number of sites and VPN gateways: Businesses need to have multiple channels for employees to gain access in case of fail over. Conducting a yearly audit will provide a complete picture of your network and the ability to address problem areas before a disaster strikes.

Test, test and retest:Typically, companies today test their Disaster Recovery facility (ies) and remote access policies about once a year. These “fire drills’ enable companies to see how the current system is working, especially when employees are accessing information from remote locations (i.e. from home, a relative’s house, and hotel). Once complete, those in Management, IT and Human Resources can modify their business continuity plan accordingly.

I know some people in the San Francisco Bay Area who are glad they can telecommute to work right now.  With an event like the closing of the San Francisco-Oakland bridge, we are all reminded that things beyond our control can sometimes come about that keep us out of the office.

With a solution from the the right partner, this doesn’t mean, however, that we can’t keep working.  Through telecommuting, you can still keep in touch with your team, your customers and your partners, even when you can’t drive across the bay.