Protecting the remote workforce will be enterprises’ prime focus in 2021, according to a recent survey of IT leaders.
IT teams struggled in the early days of the pandemic, rushing to meet the urgent need for widespread remote access. Connecting users often came at the expense of other factors, such as security, performance, and management.
To select a suitable remote access solution for your business, you need to think about a variety of factors. We’ve talked to several industry professionals to get their insight on the topic.
Adam Greenwood-Byrne, CEO, RealVNC
As the world abruptly shifted to a predominantly online working culture, remote access has become an even more essential part of a business’ overall strategy. Making the right decision when it comes to your remote access software provider can be tricky, but there are a few main things to consider when taking your pick.
Prioritize security – In the wrong hands, remote access can spell disaster for a business. Ensuring your vendor has robust security practices, supports compliance with industry standards, and is transparent with their policies should be a given.
Ease of use – It’s unlikely everyone using the software within your organization is going to be an IT expert, so keep usability in mind when testing your options. If the software is too complex, it could lead to low adoption from users.
Compatibility – Many large enterprises still use several legacy systems as part of their infrastructure, along with multiple newer operating systems across departments. Establish exactly which systems you need to support and make certain that your software of choice works seamlessly across all of them.
Most vendors offer a free trial, so make sure to take full advantage of this and test all functionalities important to your use case with different prospective users.
Morey Haber, CTO & CISO, BeyondTrust
Selecting a remote access solution for your business requires a few critical business decisions and use cases as part of the selection process.
Here is a list of questions which might be useful when choosing a remote access solution:
- Who will be the primary users: help desk, employees, vendors, contractors, auditors, etc.?
- Will the solution be hosted in the cloud, in the end user’s data center or DMZ, or be present in an isolated or air gapped environment?
- What platforms are supported? Unix, Linux, Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, Raspberry PI, etc.?
- What level of security and encryption does your business expect? i.e. FIPS 140-2?</…….
Source: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2021/02/08/select-remote-access-solution/