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SOLUTION
Broadband access can be used to enable a variety of remote office solutions. The basic configuration is the traditional "office in a box" solution which provides a complete home or remote office network to connect one or more PCs, printers and servers. Closer integration with the corporate network can be implemented by using a secure Virtual Private Network solution. Similarly, integration with the corporate telephone network can be achieved with an Internet telephony or VoIP solution.
Office in a box
SMC's "office-in-a-box" solutions provide all the features needed to set up a remote or home office. These features include:
- Built-in ADSL modem or external connection to existing DSL/ Cable modem
- 4- or 8-port Ethernet switch for desktop connections
- Optional wireless support for flexible connections throughout the premises
- Optional print server support to allow all devices to share a local printer
- Built-in stateful inspection firewall and VPN pass through support for secure access into the corporate network
Virtual Private Network
The "office-in-a-box" solution is fine for workers needing Internet access for web and email. If access to company shared resources at a central location is required, then a Virtual Private Network or VPN solution would be more appropriate. A VPN allows company resources such as file servers, print servers and mail servers to be accessed over the Internet using secure encrypted tunnels.
Remote and mobile workers can connect back to their central office securely by using a VPN software client on their laptop or PC. When used with a broadband connection, the broadband router must be able to handle the VPN client traffic in a special way. This is known as VPN pass-through. At the central office end, a VPN server is used to terminate the VPN client sessions and allow authenticated access to the company resources.
Internet telephony
Many Internet service providers are now offering telephony services that allow their users/subscribers to make very cheap, if not free, on-net calls within the provider's IP network, or the Internet. They also operate or have access to gateway systems so that they can route off-net calls to the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN).
A company whose remote workers make extensive use of telephones can gain major benefits from Internet telephony. Typical examples would be: technical support organizations, national and international companies with many offices or workers located in different countries. A typical application is to allow small businesses or home workers to use their broadband internet connection for making voice calls. End user devices can be a mixture of: IP telephones, VoIP software equipped PCs, or ordinary analogue telephones attached directly to the user's voice router.
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