Secure Mobile Access Using SSL VPNs

Secure Mobile Access:

Remote access has become increasingly complex. It?s no longer about traveling executives wanting access to e-mail or data while on the road, but rather about employees, partners, and customers demanding access from a wide range of environments and Internet-capable devices. Increasingly, mobile workers want access to corporate resources from mobile devices, such as smartphones and wireless PDAs.

These devices are powerful mobile computers with the ability to access a wide variety of information on your network, through both Web and client/server applications. Businesses today face the challenge of effectively securing mobile access and providing access only to those resources appropriate for particular users and devices. Aventail offers an SSL VPN with features specifically designed for mobile devices that address common challenges faced by organizations.

The Aventail- Smart SSL VPN, which incorporates the Aventail Secure Mobile Access Solution:

Uses industry-proven methods for user authentication and data encryption. Supports mobile access for both handheld devices and notebook computers on a single security platform, unlike competing approaches that require two independent mobile access architectures.

Accommodates the specific needs of mobile device users by providing a user interface tailored for small devices.

Customizes access to information so that it is appropriate for the particular device used for access.

Provides two forms of secure mobile access with one form allowing any device with a Web browser to access information and the other form providing a small client that can be downloaded via a Web session, which enables full client/server interaction.


Includes a comprehensive management and administrative tool that allows you to control secure mobile access with a high degree of granularity.

With the Aventail SSL VPN, one security architecture protects all forms of remote access, including access from handheld devices and notebook computers. If you are already using secure mobile devices that have their own communications architecture for applications such as push e-mail, however, you can use Aventail Secure Mobile solutions to extend the range of applications and data available.

The ways that mobile and remote workers are accessing corporate resources continues to expand. Remote access used to consist mostly of dial-up connections. Now, remote access encompasses a wide range of networking options, including home networks, public Wi-Fi networks, and 3G cellular networks. At the same time network connectivity options are increasing, the types of mobile devices used for access are expanding as well.

Company-issued laptop computers were once the primary means of remote secure mobile access, but now workers also want access to corporate resources from home systems, public terminals, and a variety of mobile devices, such as wireless PDAs and smartphones. Although organizations provide many such devices for their employees, it has become common for individual users to purchase their own mobile devices for both business and personal use.

Practically every mobile phone now has a micro browser, which can potentially be used to access corporate resources. In addition to access provided by mobile phones, more powerful smartphone and PDAs today offer complete multi-tasking operating systems, have highly capable browsers, include full-featured e-mail clients, and can support sophisticated client/server transactions. The leading mobile device platforms include Linux, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, RIM Blackberry, and Symbian.

The challenge enterprises face is how to most effectively secure communications from all of these different devices, address the multiplicity of networks used, and tailor resource access according to user identity and the security level of both the device used for access and the given access environment. Any security solution must also include stringent secure authentication methods, use proven encryption algorithms, limit what enterprise resources can be accessed from particular devices, and provide an effective and immediate means of disabling access in the event that a user loses his or her mobile device.

As an organization, there are a number of secure mobile access options available to you, each with their strengths and weaknesses. This white paper discusses some of the most common remote access approaches and shows that?for many companies?an advanced SSL VPN architecture can accommodate the widest range of devices used for accessing the network. Supporting virtually any type of mobile device requires that specific provisions be made in the SSL VPN to accommodate access from handheld devices. Currently, the Aventail Smart SSL VPN, which includes Aventail Mobile technology, is the only SSL VPN that incorporates such provisions.