VPN vibe at N+I

If you are traveling to NetWorld+Interop 2003 in Las Vegas next week and want to find out about the Secure Socket Layer remote access gear you might see, check out the SSL VPN Hot Spot area of the show floor.

This area will feature displays and demonstrations by a smattering of vendors and service providers, including Array, Aspelle, Aventail, NetScaler, Nortel and SafeWeb. The VPN Hot Spot will also feature educational sessions.

Also at the show but not at the Hot Spot, are AEP Systems, Check Point and Neoteris.

Remember there are several advantages to SSL remote access, including the fact that it uses standard Web browsers for the remote machines to connect with the central site. Therefore, there is no remote client software to maintain separately. Also, pretty much any machine can access the central Web resources.

But the technology doesn’t give users full network-layer access, so depending on what remote users need to do on the corporate network, an IPSec VPN may be in order.

Not all the SSL VPN vendors are the same. Some have supplemental client software that allows more access to the network. Others have varying authentication support. Kicking the tires on these boxes is a good idea.