By Simon Quicke6 August 2008
Network specialist Masergy has taken the wraps off its remote
access product opting for an embedded service that removes the need for some of
the more traditional demands of an SSL VPN.
The cloud-based service works by offering the user access to
a server which has the remote access product sitting on it removing the need
for the user to have security applications sitting on their laptops or
desktops.
Stephan
Tallent, solutions architect for remote access and senior sales engineer at
Masergy, said that the demand for remote access was growing with the
combination of fuel costs and green incentives encouraging people to work from
home.
But he added that traditional concerns over security had held some companies
back because of fears over the integrity of the device they were connecting to
the server from.
“A lot of companies are carrying on with SSL which has been
diluted as it has been out into the network. There is a solution pieced
together from five to six different tools,” he said.
He added that the “metrics are changing and right now
teleworking is the way to go”.
Other hosted players backed up Tallent’s view that interest
had grown and the market was ripe for resellers to push online services.
Dan Smith, partner programme manager at Nasstar, which
offers hosted desktop services, said that the market for cloud-based applications
was now established in the customer’s mind and expanding as a result of the flexibility
it offered.
“It taps into the green debate and it is a different way to
work and it is something that companies should look at doing rather than a
straight-forward hardware refresh,” he said.
