Answering your remote access questions

Anybody looking at Secure Sockets Layer remote access gear at some point has to consider the list of possible features that surround the core technology.

The vendors all do the basics: let remote users come over the Internet securely to reach corporate resources using just a Web browser. But what are the authentication options supported by these appliances?  Do they support handhelds? What Web browsers and Web browser versions do they support? What range of applications do they work with? Can the device alter access rights based on its assessment of how secure the remote computer is?

The list could go on and on, and digesting the answers would be imposing. There is a report out that does some of this work for you. Called “SSL VPN: What to Expect Next” the Stratecast Partners paper looks at 13 remote access vendors and summarizes their features in five feature categories.

It also looks at how the market for this gear will grow and what types of new features vendors are likely to add, either through their own product development or via alliances with partners.

Some other things the report addresses include a prediction that most or all of the major network service providers will offer SSL remote access services. It also says vendors this year will add traffic management features to their appliances to improve response time for end users.

There’s more in the report by Stratecast research program manager Michael Suby, but to read it you have to buy it. To do that, contact: Matt Kellogg at mkellogg@stratecast.com or call 530-893-1134.