iPass secures remote links

New service offers secure high-speed connections to enterprise apps for home workers

Network access provider iPass has launched a home broadband service that is designed to make it easier to deploy, manage and secure high-speed connections to enterprise applications for home workers.

IPass European technical director, Ken Green, said the Home Office service would allow staff to be more productive by giving them the ability to access back-office corporate apps automatically, without having to “dig under the covers to reconfigure system settings”.

“We send the user a wireless router pre-configured with all the policies to integrate with things like personal firewalls and antivirus packages,” Green added.

The service is available to 95 percent of the UK population over 8Mbit/s DSL lines, according to iPass.

Butler Group analyst Mark Blowers said that if the service enables firms to provide staff with home access to applications without adding to the administrative burden on the IT department, it would be widely welcomed.

The pre-configured wireless router protects corporate data using WPA and WPA2 Wi-Fi security protocols, and the iPassConnect client can be installed on user’s mobile devices and laptops over the broadband connection by IT managers. This supports remote helpdesk and administrator analysis and diagnosis tools, as well as usage and performance reports.

Other benefits for IT managers are consolidated billing and access to iPass’s online tools and information portals.