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If a disaster recovery plan does not include remote access, "business
as usual" is virtually impossible, warns business continuity
expert Tim Clark, partner with The FactPoint Group in a new white
paper on the subject. The goal in disaster recovery is to keep core
business functions operating under all circumstances. For this reason,
says Clark, remote access is key to disaster recovery, because typical
business disruptions keep employees and other users away from the
office and the local area network (LAN).
"The inability to operate normally or provide access to critical
resources can hurt revenue, damage a company's reputation, or mar
the corporate brand," says Clark. "This is why it's so
important for enterprises to anticipate and plan for potential disasters,
and why responsibility for disaster planning requires the involvement
and commitment of both technology and business sides of an organization."
According to the paper, one technology has emerged as the leading
solution for remote access: SSL VPNs, because of their inherent
security, granular access controls and ease of use. With an SSL
VPN, all users can access network resources from any Web-enabled
system. The specific benefits of an SSL VPN for disaster recovery
outlined in the white paper are:
· SSL VPNs are clientless
· They work from any Internet browser
· They operate at the application layer (not the network
layer)
· SSL VPNs enable fine-grained access controls
· They have strong end point security
·SSL VPNs provide strong encryption
To meet the requirements of a disaster recovery plan, the SSL VPN
must also be able to scale quickly and easily, advises Clark. With
a disaster, whether something as critical as the avian flu or something
as basic as a snow storm, the number of remote users can instantly
spike by the hundreds or thousands. The solution should have adequate
capacity plus failover capability to ensure it can handle the increased
traffic and have no downtime.
SSL VPN market leaders, such as Aventail, are making it easier for
companies to prepare for such spikes. Earlier this month, Aventail
launched its Spike License Pack, which works like an insurance policy
toward any future eventuality requiring an instant increase in remote
users. In addition to being an ideal part of a company's overall
disaster recovery plan, the Spike License also works for companies
that experience seasonal spikes, such as accounting firms during
tax season or retailers during the holidays.
To access a complimentary copy of the white paper, "The Remote
Access Imperative in Disaster Recovery" by Tim Clark of the
FactPoint Group, go to: www.aventail.com/disasterrecovery.
About The FactPoint Group
The FactPoint Group ( www.factpoint.com) is a boutique market research
and consulting firm in Silicon Valley specializing in the early
adoption of new technologies. The FactPoint Group has been producing
world class research, analysis, and consulting since 1993 and continues
to help enterprise software vendors and enterprise customers sell
and use new technology solutions. Tim Clark is co-founder and partner
at FactPoint. Recently, his research has focused on disaster recovery,
utility computing, network security, sensor networks, open-source
licensing, enterprise blogs and wikis, and Web services. Previously,
Clark was senior analyst with Jupiter Media Metrix and Net Market
Makers. Before becoming an analyst, Tim was a reporter and editor
for 24 years, working as senior editor and columnist for CNET's
News.com, where he covered e-commerce and Internet security.
About Aventail
Aventail is the best-of-breed remote-access company. Aventail delivered
the first SSL VPN solution in 1997 and today is a market leader,
delivering the easiest to use and control remote-access solution.
Aventail Smart SSL VPN appliances provide users with transparent,
clientless access to more applications from more devices via any
network environment. For network managers, Aventail delivers a single
secure access gateway for all users, internal and external, to all
network resources with complete security. With more than two million
end users around the globe, Aventail is the SSL VPN of choice among
mid to large-sized organizations worldwide, including AT&T,
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Chicago Housing Authority,
DuPont, Radiology Ltd, James Richardson International, Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Overlake Hospital,
IBM Global Services, and hundreds more. For more information, go
to www.aventail.com.
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