Remote Access
Remote access is one of the most important, yet possibly most overlooked, tools a company can use to reduce costs while both enhancing and simplifying its operation for employees and customers. Design and deployment of remote access systems is one of many services offered by CyrusOne that can be hosted in its Enterprise Data Center. CyrusOne often designs remote access systems that use VPN technology, providing users with access to their systems and applications in a highly reliable, secure and cost-effective manner.

What is it?
Remote access technologies provide access to a company’s core information systems and applications from remote locations. Here are some examples of how it can work:

• A salesperson orders an out-of-stock item and learns the anticipated delivery date while at the counter with a customer.
• A project manager modifies critical project data and instantly updates personnel at several remote offices.
• A telecommuter works from home, saving the cost of office space at company headquarters.
• A user in one part of the world works on a project with a team located clear across the globe.

What are the benefits of remote access?
A well-coordinated remote access plan brings your business closer to your customers and more customers to your business. When you put essential information into the hands of the people who work most closely with your customers, they have the tools necessary to build better customer relationships and reach more prospects. Other benefits of remote access include:

• Real-time, instant access to information from almost anywhere
• Improved productivity and less downtime waiting for responses
• Greater flexibility away from the office
• Reduced costs
• Enablement of workflow during a business disruption or disaster

How do most companies use remote access now? Unfortunately, the majority of businesses are not taking full advantage of the many benefits they could achieve with more judicious use of remote access. In fact, most of those companies that employ remote access make it available only to support technicians and a few key personnel.

Why hasn’t remote access become more widely accepted?
With so many potential benefits, what is holding everyone back? A general lack of understanding regarding remote access technology, security concerns and confusion on the business benefits of remote access are just a few of the reasons remote access hasn’t become more widely accepted.

What are some of the technology issues?
Currently, analog and ISDN dialups are still widely used throughout corporate America. The downside associated with these technologies involves long -distance charges and slow connection speeds. Even if the application has an intuitive graphical interface, most users find analog connections too slow and frustrating. While ISDN provides greater throughput than dial-up, some applications require downloading of large amounts of data and faster speeds. ISDN may also result in long-distance charges.

Are there any better technologies available?
Because of the issues described above, many companies are now migrating to an Internet-based platform to take advantage of faster, lower-cost technologies such as cable modems and digital subscriber line (DSL). Cable modems and DSL technologies provide remote users access to more bandwidth, and thus greater speed. The Internet platform is secured through the use of a virtual private network (VPN), which creates a secure connection by “tunneling” through the Internet and securely transmitting the information so that only authorized users can view it. There has been considerable improvement in remote capabilities and costs during the last few years as VPN technology has matured. As a result, the VPN market is expected to triple by 2006, according to market researcher IDC.

What are the advantages of VPN?
VPN technology provides remote users fast, secure access to a company’s core systems – applications, databases, etc. The data in those systems is encrypted between two end-points (routers, firewalls, servers or VPN devices) from the time it leaves the corporate network until it arrives at the home worker’s desktop. VPN is gaining greater acceptance as the technology becomes more reliable and more robust with greater security features. Which brings us to the issue that most companies are troubled by today - the security of their confidential data transmitted through the Internet.

How are security concerns being addressed?
Obviously, information is the lifeblood of most companies, and internal information must be kept especially confidential. Maintaining security while still allowing employees the access they need is an ongoing challenge. Fortunately, there are several ways a company can address these issues. First, a company must develop and enforce a comprehensive security policy. Second, security technology should be layered so that a single breach does not give an intruder unlimited access. Finally, security systems must be regularly audited to ensure only those that require access have access.

Are there other technologies that support remote access?
Several technologies have been developed that allow bandwidth-intensive or highly secured applications to be accessed remotely. Two of the most common are Citrix® and Windows Terminal Server®. These technologies allow most of the application processing to occur in a single location, passing small amounts of information to the remote user. A Citrix or Terminal Server can be loaded with specific applications and set up in a limited access area of a company’s network. Each user securely logs on to the limited access area, and then authenticates to the Citrix or Terminal Server.

What makes these technologies effective is that the user experience is very good since the application is presented in a native or original format within the browser window. IT organizations appreciate these technologies because they do not require the application to be rewritten for a new transmission technology. Maintenance is streamlined because support technicians update the application
once (on the server), not on every desktop that connects to the server. Access to applications can be accomplished via user policy on the server. Only the application has access to the database through a firewall or some other security tool. Citrix and Terminal Server also work well as key components of a business continuity or disaster recovery plan. In sum, these technologies provide satisfactory data -rates to a number of users when bandwidth is limited. Because more applications are now browser-friendly, the learning curve is shorter and users enjoy greater flexibility and access.

How does remote access fit into Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans?
Without question, every company should have a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plan. While most IT budgets are tight, the evolution of remote management technologies has allowed IT organizations to get a two-for-one bargain by delivering a single solution that supports both remote access and disaster recovery. During a major disaster, most companies
will work with a limited staff, and Citrix and Terminal Server can be used as part of a Business Continuity or Disaster Recovery solution to provide the necessary
application functionality while users access their systems through secure remote access technologies utilizing VPNs. Under this scenario, users don’t necessarily need to be at the same location as the servers. Users could work from home or from temporary corporate office space as long as they have an Internet connection.

What’s the best way to configure a remote access system?
Products can be combined to provide the necessary functionality. For example, a VPN connects to a remote access network using Citrix or Terminal Server to provide access to databases or applications. In this manner, a user has secure access to an application or database and the data is encrypted from one end-point to the other. This same configuration works for remote or branch offices. Furthermore, a company could have remote offices or branch offices connect to a business continuity or disaster recovery site via a VPN tunnel. If their primary site went down, access to the backup site would be available.

Will the opportunities for remote access continue to expand?
According to research firm Cahners IN-Stat, more than 32 million people will telecommute this year. There has been steady growth of 7% each year for the last decade. With the rise of DSL and cable modems, this number should greatly increase over the next few years. In addition, Yankee Group estimates that 75% of U.S. households currently have access to either cable modem or DSL service and by the year 2005 this number could be as high as 85%.

What’s the bottom line?
Remote access has never been faster or more secure, making it easier than ever for companies to take advantage of the growing trends toward telecommuting and business continuity. As more households and branch locations become capable of supporting the technology, it’s time for companies to consider remote access as an integral part of their business philosophy. With servers in hardened secure data centers, users can work at remote offices or from home and still have access to core corporate information. This flexibility becomes increasingly important as users seek to conduct business online in front of customers using laptops, PDA’s and other portable devices. Customers will appreciate and begin to expect that their suppliers have access to all required resources needed to complete a transaction in a timely, service-oriented manner.

CyrusOne provides custom data center solutions used by the most demanding and successful companies. Its 65,000 square-foot Enterprise Data Center in Houston and its highly trained technical team offer businesses local and customized hosting, colocation and management services within a secure, redundant environment. For more information, on CyrusOne, please visit www.cyrusone.com or call 713-821-1260.