Secure Access to Critical Applications is a barrier to remote worker productivity. Allowing people to VPN from nonupdated/ unprotected home computers drastically increases your risk of cybersecurity breach. In addition to the security issues, Virtual Private Network (VPN) access is frequently license-based, so limitations in the licensing may prohibit staff from working remote in an emergency. There are a few solutions to resolve these issues.
Single Sign On (SSO) and Multi Factor Authentication (MFA)
SSO/MFA applications such as Okta, Clearlogin, DUO, and Azure Active Directory Premium P1 manage and secure user authentication into web based applications, and allow developers to build identity controls into applications, website web services and devices This provides access control to web based applications such as Salesforce, Office 365, Quickbooks, and ADP with an extra layer of security. These solutions also provide the ability to give access based on user role and to provision and shut down users quickly. These applications range in price from $3 – $18/user per month and the provisioning timeframe is 2 weeks to 45 days based on complexity.
One common challenge to these solutions is access to onsite file servers and legacy based applications. Filesharing can be addressed with File Sync applications such as Box, ShareFile or OneDrive but if you have a heavy reliance on a number of legacy premises-based applications you might be better served looking at a Desktop as a Service solution.
Virtual Firewall
Many are concerned that personal computers might be used for business purposes. Without the ability to test for vulnerabilities or active malware, do personal devices increase risk to the organization? To address this risk, advanced remote access solutions create a virtual firewall between the personal computer and the corporate network, scanning files as they traverse both environments. With per user costs below $2 per month and a $200-$300 piece of equipment at HQ, you can allow your employees to use their home computers with confidence. This solution takes about three weeks to deploy.
Secure Internet
If VPN isn’t the issue and security is the primary concern, there are cloud-based security solutions designed to protect devices connected to a company’s configured local area network (LAN) and wifi network by preventing those devices from accessing known malicious or unwanted websites when using internet service. These solutions work by blocking domain name system (DNS) lookups for malicious domains. These cost about $60 per circuit and can be provisioned in under 24 hours by some providers.
Desktop as a Service (DaaS)
Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is a cloud computing offering that enables businesses to deliver cloud-hosted virtual desktops to any device, from anywhere. DaaS solutions provide complete hosted desktops for applications and email securely delivered over the web. Desktop as a Service is a bit more complex because it can host legacy applications and as such the cost are higher and the provisioning times longer. You can expect these solutions to run $30-$80/month per user and take 30-90 days to deploy.
ARG is happy to meet and discuss your specific requirements and help find the right solution for your organization.
