Managed Services

SSL VPN

Now that practically all "knowledge workers" have personal computers, and Internet access is widely available, businesses are looking to realize the productivity gains throughout the organization by expanding their remote access programs beyond the traditional user groups - executives and customer-facing employees in the field. These seasoned 'road warriors' are also trying to access the network from more and more places, often using untrusted devices, pushing the boundaries of IPSec VPN technology. For these reasons, businesses are turning to Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) VPNs to provide greater flexibility and portability for different types of remote access users.

ACM's SSL VPN addresses this growing need and serves as the perfect adjunct to our client-based remote access VPN service. Moreover, SSL VPNs allow you to extend your remote access program to new users and provide different levels of access, security and portability to various subsets of your remote user population.

Here are a few types of users and situations where ACM's SSL VPN is the ideal solution:

• Occasional users who just need to retrieve email and access the corporate intranet
• Day Extenders who need to log on to specific applications from their personal (unsupported) PCs
• Sales reps and consultants who need to download product information from customers' and partners' offices, through firewalls that do not permit IPSec traffic
• Executives who need to view web-based applications from public (untrusted) PCs at hotels, airports and conferences.

Easy Access For All

Since our SSL VPN service is fully managed, and our "as seen" pricing model means you only have to pay for those who use it, it makes sense to give it to every employee who may someday need access to corporate resources. And it's easy to do, since there's no software to permanently install and maintain on users' PCs and they only require a username and password to access web-based or client/server applications. If they need access to additional resources, a Microsoft Windows client is available that provides full access to the corporate LAN. It's so easy to use that support calls are rare, but if you need help, our skilled NOC technicians are available 24/7 to assist you and your users anytime day or night. We take care of everything, so your users can stay productive by accessing applications and corporate resources from places and devices never before possible!

Best-in-Class Technology From Aventail®

ACM has partnered with Aventail® the market leader in SSL VPN technology, to provide customers the portability, simplicity, manageability and security required for your SSL VPN solution.

Portability - Armed with a browser and any kind of Internet connection (dial-up, broadband, Wi-Fi, corporate LAN, etc.), a remote user can access his or her corporate resources with ease. Whether employees are using an Internet kiosk, a public HotSpot, a customer's or partner's network or their home PC, they can stay in touch and work from just about anywhere.

Simplicity - ACM's SSL VPN service makes remote access simple. All users need is their username and password and an Internet browser, and they're ready to go. There's no need to worry about additional equipment at remote sites or special client software on remote PCs. It's easy to deploy, easy to use and easy to manage.

Manageability - You can make granular policy decisions based on application, company, groups and individual users. In addition, it leverages best-in-class Aventail® technology to ensure that you will have performance and scalability that your business demands.

Security - SSL technology is the Internet's most widely used public key infrastructure technology, featuring DES, 3DES or RC4 encryption to safeguard your data. In addition, ACM's SSL VPN solution combines proxy technology, policy management and strong authentication. The Aventail-powered proxy technology means remote users never have a direct network connection to the resource they are trying to access. The policy management allows network administrators to define policy and control access down to the user and resource level. Finally, user authentication can be as simple as username and password or as sophisticated as Digital Certificates or other common tokens.

ACM's SSL VPN features three access methods using state-of-the-art technology from Aventail®. All or some of these can be made available to different types of users and, when combined, Aventail's Smart AccessT technology automatically determines and uses the right access method, so your users don't have to think twice about how they access the corporate resources they need. By offering a transparent remote access experience and access methods to handle all possible scenarios, ACM's SSL VPN gives you the best of both worlds: ease-of-use and complete control over access authorization and security.

Our flexible SSL access methods include:

SSL Browser-based: ACM offers secure access to internal Web applications and file servers using a standard browser. This is well-suited for clientless remote access from kiosks and other untrusted access points and for business partners who need secure access to a defined set of Web resources.

SSL Java Agent: The SSL Java Agent is designed for users who need clientless access to a broad range of thin-client applications such as Citrix, and to client/server applications such as Microsoft® Exchange, SAP, and Lotus Notes. Users can access a broad range of applications transparently. SSL Java Agent works just like our browser-based service, only we automatically send users the Aventail® OnDemand Java agent-without any manual downloads or extra steps by the user. It is perfect for users accessing the network from machines that aren't managed by the IT organization-for example, users accessing the network from their home PCs, or any place where a lightweight VPN makes more sense.

SSL Windows Client: The SSL Windows Client uses the Aventail® ConnectT Microsoft® Windows client that provides authorized users with secure access to any resources on the corporate LAN. While it does require an initial download, the SSL Windows Client service is not a traditional VPN client - it provides the "in-office" experience with an even higher level of transparency and simplicity for users, so they gain unlimited mobility and complete integration with the Windows desktop. It is ideal for situations where users need full application access and IT wants to support secure access with strong desktop security, including split tunneling control and personal firewall detection. The common use case is corporate laptops.