* Mobile IP VPNs suit field workers
Last week I mentioned the thorny job of securing remote and mobile workers as tangible enterprise network boundaries dissolve.
Fiberlink, long a provider of mobile services aggregation and security services, recently shifted its business model to focus on managed mobile security services. Note that Fiberlink does still aggregate access services and sells endpoint security services to match (as do its main competitors iPass and GoRemote). But the company will now also sell security services to you even if you don’t purchase its access services.
Alongside wired connectivity services, Fiberlink, GoRemote and iPass aggregate the following wireless services into their service bundles:
* Fiberlink: Wi-Fi, 1XRTT, Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO).
* GoRemote: Wi-Fi, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) [Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) were announced in February, but there’s no indication the services are available yet].
* iPass: Wi-Fi, 1XRTT, EV-DO.
Now, as you have likely noticed, there is a hierarchy of mobile users, depending on their degree of, well, mobility. Of those who are wireless, some are stationary, while some are literally in motion.
Why does this matter? Certain support solutions work better for different user populations, depending on their work habits. Most of the “mobile” users we have discussed so far are away from their desks, but tend to sit and work, then move, and sit and work.
For the worker in motion – such as field workers – there’s the product category of mobile application gateway, also known as the mobile IP VPN. It’s similar to an SSL VPN, in that it offers very granular access control. But these products tend to run UDP at the transport layer to speed response times and support internetwork roaming across different Layer 1 and 2 network technologies. Roaming shields applications in motion from spotty coverage and prevents lost productivity by keeping users from having to frequently restart their devices and sessions as they move from one type of network coverage to another. This is a particular advantage for users who are truly in motion much of the time.
Among the products in this category are NetMotion Wireless Mobility XE, IBM WebSphere Everyplace Connection Manager, ipUnplugged Roaming Gateway and Ecutel Viatores Mobile IP VPN. Many of these products support some degree of endpoint security or compatibility with anti-virus and firewall vendors or are currently poised to gain full endpoint security capabilities.
