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DirectAccess Usurps VPN for Windows 7
By racer48 | January 28, 2010
Microsoft has unveiled DirectAccess for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008, programs that remotely connect users to their office as if they were right there. Establishing two-way connectivity with the user’s enterprise network, this software keeps them connected to their office, creating a connection whenever the user’s PC – provided it’s enabled by DirectAccess – is online.
As the workforce transforms, with the information age evolving at an incredible rate, the needs of an organization adapt accordingly. More and more, workers are working from remote locations, the advances in internet technology offering them the ability to work from an off-site location – home, business meeting abroad, etc.
The mobility of our modern workforce has helped lead to the success of those companies driving our economy, with new technologies facilitating the constant productivity of employees whose presence at the work place is no longer a necessary element in the operations of an efficient and profitable enterprise. By 2011, the number of remote employees is expected to have increased by 30.4 percent (IDC, “Worldwide Mobile Worker Population 2007-2011 Forecast,” Doc #209813, Dec 2007).
While technology has created an explosion of wireless communication, with the internet acting as the backbone for those advances, corporate security – namely, firewalls – obstruct the accessibility of those resources native to the office. This creates a number of problems, not the least of which being access to the network from those IT professionals tasked with managing the corporation’s network.
In the past, VPN (Virtual Private Network) has been the solution employed for that purpose. However, as any IT professional will tell you, the use of a VPN can prove difficult. VPN requires users to wait for authentication, a process that can see the end user waiting for what has commonly amounted to several minutes. If the connection to the internet fails, the VPN connection will be severed, requiring the user to repeat the authentication process. With alternatives providing even less functionality and additional hurdles to overcome, VPN has become the de facto solution, its issues notwithstanding.
Overcoming the challenges inherent to VPN, DirectAccess immediately creates a bi-directional link between the user’s computer and the office’s network. Using Windows 7, the DirectAccess client detects its connection to a network. The DirectAccess client will then connect to an intranet website designated during the initial configuration of DirectAccess. The process is seamless and automatic. Unlike VPN, which needs authentication with each use, DirectAccess authenticates the computer before the user even tries to access the network.
Easier to use than VPN, the efficiency of DirectAccess is a godsend to the productivity of an company’s workforce. With a transparent connection to their business network, employees will no longer find themselves drudging through the bothersome process that has soured many on the use of VPN. Using DirectAccess, the data on the company network – intranet, applications, file-shares – is accessible wherever the employee finds an internet connection for their laptop, not just from their home connection.
Geek Choice, a leader in on-site technical service, prides itself on educating the public about those advances in the tech field that will help improve their computer experiences. If you have any questions about DirectAccess, give us a call at any time at 1-800-GEEK-HELP (433-5435). Our technicians are here to help you. We can also help you with Virus Removal, Spyware Removal, a Slow Computer and general computer repair.
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