For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

TechRadar™ For IT Infrastructure And Operations Professionals: Branch Office Technologies, Q2 2009

Core Technologies Ripe For Consolidation And Centralization

by Chris Silva, May 26, 2009

As businesses look to IT for the efficiencies, savings, and streamlining that will improve the bottom line, consolidation of branch office infrastructure represents a distributed but easy-to-optimize area of IT infrastructure. All the technologies included . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: SSL VPN Appliances, Q4 2006

Juniper Networks Leads The Pack, But Aventail And Citrix Are Closing In

by Robert Whiteley, December 8, 2006

Forrester evaluated leading SSL VPN appliance vendors across 57 criteria and found that Juniper Networks maintains its SSL VPN leadership thanks to its superior reverse proxy technology and focus on secure mobility. Aventail trails close behind with its . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Caymas Systems Introduces NAC To The SSL VPN Appliance Market

The Forrester Wave™ Vendor Summary, Q4 2006

by Robert Whiteley, December 8, 2006

Caymas Systems is the smallest and least well-known vendor in this evaluation, but we recommend that enterprises short-list this vendor. Why? Because its Identity-Driven Access Gateways provide an innovative combination of remote access — both SSL and . . .

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F5 Networks Provides The Best Policy In The SSL VPN Appliance Market

The Forrester Wave™ Vendor Summary, Q4 2006

by Robert Whiteley, December 8, 2006

F5 Networks has been heads-down on integrating its FirePass SSL VPN solution into its modular TMOS architecture, which runs on products like its flagship BIG-IP application acceleration device. The result is a competitive solution, but the integration . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Juniper Networks Leads The SSL VPN Appliance Market

The Forrester Wave™ Vendor Summary, Q4 2006

by Robert Whiteley, December 8, 2006

Juniper Networks is the clear leader in the SSL VPN market. Although its solution has enjoyed a much more comfortable lead in the past, Juniper continues to maintain its success by focusing on superior client access, endpoint security, and reliability. . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Citrix Systems' App Performance Is Tops In The SSL VPN Appliances Market

The Forrester Wave™ Vendor Summary, Q4 2006

by Robert Whiteley, December 8, 2006

Citrix Systems has been one of the fastest rising SSL VPN appliance vendors. Its solution — with technology from several acquisitions — has culminated in one of the highest performing solutions. Although it still lacks the additional threat protection, . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Cisco Systems Offers The Most Integrated Security In The SSL VPN Appliance Market

The Forrester Wave™ Vendor Summary, Q4 2006

by Robert Whiteley, December 8, 2006

Cisco Systems has been a player in the SSL VPN market for several years, but last year's introduction of its ASA 5500 Adaptive Security Appliance moved Cisco up several rungs on the SSL VPN appliance ladder. But Cisco differs from Leaders like Aventail, . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Microsoft Brings Application Optimization To The SSL VPN Appliance Market

The Forrester Wave™ Vendor Summary, Q4 2006

by Robert Whiteley, December 8, 2006

Microsoft has moved quickly and efficiently into the SSL VPN appliance market with its acquisition of Whale Communications, now a wholly owned subsidiary. Whale's Intelligent Application Gateway places Microsoft among the top SSL VPN vendors and provides . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Nortel Networks Smoothly Integrates IPsec Into The SSL VPN Appliance Market

The Forrester Wave™ Vendor Summary, Q4 2006

by Robert Whiteley, December 8, 2006

Nortel Networks currently lags behind the other eight vendors that we evaluated, but only by a narrow margin. Its strength is in marrying network-based technologies and a well-integrated IPsec and SSL VPN product. Borrowing from its successful Contivity . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Aventail Is The Best Standalone Solution In The SSL VPN Appliance Market

The Forrester Wave™ Vendor Summary, Q4 2006

by Robert Whiteley, December 8, 2006

Aventail is perennial No. 2 in the SSL VPN market. Its solution provides market-leading functionality for clientless access, policy control, and mobile device connectivity. It lags No. 1 Juniper Networks only because it lacks a broader security story, . . .

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Enterprise Remote-Access IPsec VPN Adoption In 2006

by Robert Whiteley, June 15, 2006

In March 2006, Forrester surveyed 735 landline decision-makers at North American and European enterprises on their adoption plans for remote-access IPsec VPNs. Overall, remote-access IPsec VPN adoption remained relatively stable since 2005. We found that . . .

Managed Mobility Support Is Getting Attention

by Brownlee Thomas, Ph.D., April 25, 2006

Until just two or three years ago, employees who traveled often for work mostly did their own shopping for mobile devices and service plans, and expensed them. IT support was limited — allowing email and personal information management (PIM) synchronization . . .

IT Supports More Remote-Access And Mobile Technologies

by Brownlee Thomas, Ph.D., April 6, 2006

To enhance and ensure competitive edge, most corporate IT groups now support a larger mix of fixed and mobile broadband technologies that let employees easily — and securely — access email, calendars, common applications, and corporate information from . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

2005 Enterprise Remote-Access IPsec VPN Adoption Trends

by Robert Whiteley, October 14, 2005

In May 2005, Forrester surveyed 653 telecom decision-makers at North American and European enterprises about their adoption plans for remote-access IPsec VPNs. We found that the business services industry and the finance and insurance industry are the . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Remote Infrastructure Monitoring

Be Cautious About End-To-End Service Delivery

by Thomas Mendel, Ph.D., March 7, 2005

Interest from $1 billion-plus companies in offshoring remote infrastructure monitoring and management services, particularly to India, is growing rapidly, mainly driven by vendor promises of huge cost savings as well as improvements in service quality. . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

A Clear Strategy Will Help IT Effectively Support Remote Workers

by Brownlee Thomas, Ph.D., August 24, 2004

Large-scale telecommuting programs that require IT to provide remote support to hundreds or thousands of remote workers create big challenges that aren't likely to get easier with the proliferation of new telecom technologies and increasing network security . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

SSL Is The Future Of Remote Access VPNs

A Market Overview Of North American Remote Access VPN Appliances

by Robert Whiteley, June 22, 2004

Remote connectivity is crucial for enterprise productivity. Today's enterprises are providing this connectivity with IPSec remote access VPNs. However, 2003 saw significant uptick for SSL VPNs as an alternative, which shifted the focus from network to . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Choosing Between IPsec and SSL Remote Access VPNs

by Jim Slaby, July 31, 2003

Giga expects IPsec and SSL to co-exist as remote access VPN technologies for at least the next three years, with enterprises initially adopting SSL only for those remote users not well-served by IPsec, e.g., day extenders working on employee-owned PCs.

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Beware Security Holes in SSL VPN Remote Access Appliances and Services

by Jim Slaby, May 13, 2003

Giga clients with high security risk aversion should consider proscribing SSL VPN remote access to sensitive applications from kiosks and guest PCs in the absence of mechanisms to erase sensitive data that can be left behind, e.g., temporary files.

Remote Access for Developers: Few Viable Options

by David Friedlander, John Meyer, April 24, 2003

IT organizations must acknowledge that the asynchronous development model is only suitable for certain types of development tasks. It works best for maintenance mode work, or when only one or two branches of code need to be modified at a time.

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

SSL Remote Access VPNs Offer a Disaster Recovery Option

by Jim Slaby, March 18, 2003

Enterprises should consider tactical deployment of SSL VPN remote access technology as an element of any disaster recovery plan that relies on employees temporarily working on home PCs and Internet connections.

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Reducing the Costs of WANs and Remote Access

February 15, 2003

Ways to cut costs for WANs and remote access services include buying gray market gear, adding another vendor to your WAN equipment mix or exploiting lower cost WAN and remote access technologies and carrier services.

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Options for Remote Access to the Lotus Notes Client

by David Friedlander, Jonathan Penn, November 12, 2002

Companies that need to deploy a number of desktop applications to remote users should focus on Citrix MetaFrame or other server-based computing solutions. If remote access to Notes is the only requirement, either Webmail or iNotes should be deployed.

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Check Point's Addition of SSL-Based Access Portends a VPN Sea Change

by Jim Slaby, September 19, 2002

Check Point's announcement reflects its understanding of how enterprise VPN remote access requirements are evolving. Giga clients should likewise recognize that no single VPN technology is capable of effectively supporting all of these requirements.

When Time Is of the Essence: A Business Case for Deploying Mobile Applications

by Carl Zetie, August 20, 2002

Efficiencies reported from active rescheduling range from 10 percent to 20 percent higher productivity, with correspondingly lower levels of inventory and capital equipment such as delivery trucks.