According to an official press release from the big boys in Redmond, WA, using Windows 7 along with Windows Server 2008 R2 will grant you usage of Microsoft DirectAccess: “a new feature … that gives users the experience of being seamlessly connected to their corporate network any time they have Internet access … without connecting to a virtual private network.”
The new feature also allows a server admin to manage the machine (think Automatic Updates and Group Policy settings) without forcing the user to login to the VPN.
DirectAccess is said to be secure but the first question that popped into my head was: “yeah, but how secure…?” (After all, it is Microsoft we’re talking about and VPNs are put in place for a reason.) According to Microsoft, “DirectAccess helps ensure that organizations can meet regulatory and privacy mandates for security and data protection for assets that must roam beyond the corporate network.”
So, I suppose by limiting the types of data that a remote user can access, you can provide a better security experience… as opposed to just granting access to pretty much anything on the network.
What say you, faithful readers? Leave your comments below…
In the meantime, here’s a little more information regarding the type of security in use with DA:
“DirectAccess uses IPsec for authentication and encryption. Optionally, you can require smart cards for user authentication. DirectAccess integrates with NAP to require that DirectAccess clients must be compliant with system health requirements before allowing a connection to the DirectAccess server. IT administrators can configure the DirectAccess server to restrict the servers that users and individual applications can access.”
(Image courtesy of 4sysops.com)
