The Neoteris Instant Virtual Extranet Access 5000 is a hardware/software appliance that gives your companys employees ubiquitous access to network-resident applications and resources without sacrificing security. Whats more, you can attain this kind of secure remote access without having to deploy or manage any client software or modify any of your applications.
The Access 5000 provides secure access to Web-enabled applications, e-mail software (including Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange), telnet, and SSH hosts. The device sits between your companys servers and the Internet, usually behind a firewall.
Unlike traditional extranet solutions, the unit does not require that servers be installed on a demilitarized zone, a protected area of your network that is separate from your intranet. Also, you dont have to install any client software. Instead, the Access 5000 allows secure client access from any Web browser through Secure Sockets Layer.
The solution comes in three configurations: the Access 1000 (available for $9,999), the Access 3000, and the Access 5000 (which we tested). The 1000 is the standalone version. The 3000 can be deployed in two-unit clusters for fail-over protection and load balancing; it implements group-based policies for users through a link to external directories such as LDAP, Microsoft Active Directory, and Radius.
The 5000 includes all of the features listed above and adds a multiunit clustering capability, SSL and GZIP acceleration for enhanced HTTP performance, and dual Gigabit Ethernet interfaces for maximum throughput.
We found the installation process disarmingly easy. Since administration is very straightforward, and client access requires nothing more than pointing to the correct URL and logging on, we were up and running in a matter of minutes.
On our tests, we connected to a local Access 5000 and one deployed at Neoteris (we connected over a 512K connection, and the Access 5000 was hosted on a T1 line). We accessed Web pages, Lotus Notes, and Outlook Web Access and found performance to be very quick. For dial-up users, the Access 5000 includes HTTP acceleration and GZIP compression.
Any company looking to implement or improve its remote-access solution should give this product serious consideration.
