With its head office in Ghent, Itineris (http://www.itineris.net) specialises in software solutions for utility providers (water, gas, electricity) based on Microsoft Dynamics AX. They provide IT-related solutions to a number of leading clients such as GDF Suez, Eneco, E.ON,
with business premises all over the world.
Itineris has consultants in the US. However, they work from anywhere: from the West Coast to the East Coast. Until recently, employees used a Juniper SSL VPN to connect with the corporate network. This cumbersome process could be made much more efficient by implementing Microsoft DirectAccess technology. We use this ourselves at Orbit One and we therefore supported them in the implementation.
This Microsoft DirectAccess technology has plenty of advantages compared to a classic VPN:
- It offers 100% transparency for users. As soon as their laptop is connected to the internet, safe access to the corporate network is created in the background. They no longer need to take any separate actions or type in passwords.
- The IT service does not need to provide training or answer helpdesk questions, "it just works".
- Because the laptops automatically connect (even when the user is not signed in), it is easy for the IT department to install updates remotely, perform checks and determine whether the anti-virus and other security settings are up-to-date.
- Users who never come into the office can still perform all operations without any problems. For example, a user can change their Active Directory password remotely, without lock-out problems. This is possible because the laptop is already connected to the corporate network, even before the user signs in.
- DirectAccess is incorporated in Windows 8, so no installation is necessary for the clients.
- The technology is extremely fast, as an administrator, you can choose what traffic/websites run through the DirectAccess tunnel and what goes directly through the internet. As a result, the users do not experience the technology as something that slows them down, which is often the case for classic VPN connections.
Orbit One worked with Itineris for an optimal configuration, tests and documentation (how-to-guide, troubleshooting).
Are you interested in faster remote working? Contact us!