During the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations need to quickly move office workers to work from home.
IT professionals providing teleworking capabilities need to find reliable and secure ways to connect home offices with corporate applications. In doing so, they must consider multi-platform connectivity, as well as: provide multi-factor authentication, global availability, prevent unauthorized access, and enforce security policies.
One of the solutions that helps to cope with these tasks is Barracuda CloudGen Firewall with the additional option of Advanced Secure Remote Access - an add-on available from version F18 and higher. The solution can be deployed as an appliance, virtual application, and also as a cloud instance in Amazon and Azure.
Smart solutions for endpoints
With the Barracuda Advanced Remote Access add-on, several options are available for organizing remote connections to corporate resources and applications:
- Network-Access-Clients in the context of VPN - organization of VPN connection for Windows, MacOS and Linux with performance and functionality much higher compared to standard IPsec client software.
- The SSL-VPN portal allows remote users to access corporate resources by following a URL and entering their network credentials. This option is optimal for organizing access to company resources, regardless of the user's location or the installed operating system.
- The CudaLaunch app is designed to quickly deploy remote connectivity on BYOD and mobile devices. Available for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
Each Barracuda CloudGen firewall supports unlimited VPN clients for basic remote connections with no additional investment required.
Where to begin?
A virtual trial version of Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is available for download here , active for 30 days.
How do I deploy the solution?
Deploying traditional remote connectivity solutions can be complex, requiring additional time and resources. Barracuda SSL VPN and CudaLaunch clients are self-configuring and require no additional resources beyond the URL required to install the application and enter company credentials.
The CudaLaunch app is available for download in the app stores for Microsoft, Google (Android) and Apple (macOS and iOS). For complete transparent network access, the user downloads and installs the VPN client. VPN clients are configured automatically after logging into the SSL-VPN portal and uploading the automatically generated configuration file. Technical documentation describing the step-by-step process of installing the solution is available in the public domain .
How do I apply security policies for remote devices?
The Barracuda Network Access Client provides centralized management of network access control and security policy enforcement for remote workers connected to the corporate network.
Policies can include antivirus status, OS system updates, and other endpoint settings. Only after the pre-configured rules have been executed, the client is allowed access to the corporate network of the company.
How is the bandwidth optimized when connecting a large number of employees at the same time?
The organization of remote work for a large number of employees at the same time can significantly reduce the bandwidth of the channel to the service, and the request for an increase in this indicator by the service provider can take time and be expensive. Barracuda CloudGen Firewall Remote Access solutions use ultra-secure and reliable Network Architecture Protocol (TINA), which uses traffic compression techniques to make the best use of available bandwidth.
Where to buy or get advice
Company Softprom - the Value Added Distributor of IT the Barracuda Networks'.
Learn more about vendor Barracuda Networks at ROI4CIO.