Remote Access

Posted by Richard Thomas on 25 September 2009 | 0 Comments

Tags: open source, openvpn, security, remote access

I mentioned in the post about our phone system that we can access our phone system when working remotely. In fact, we can access our entire computer system when working remotely. We have full access to our file server, phone system, mail system, printers, and other IT services when away from the office. We use a very good piece of security software called OpenVPN to accomplish this.

OpenVPN is an open source Virtual Private Network (VPN) solution. A VPN is a completely private computer network that runs over other, larger networks (the Internet for example). When you are running a VPN, any traffic that passes over it is separate from the network it is using for transport. Other people cannot access the traffic on a VPN which makes them ideal for setting up secure access between different networks or between computers.

OpenVPN is an SSL encrypted VPN. SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer and it is the standard method of encryption used on the Internet. Whenever you login to a secure site such as your bank, you are almost certainly using SSL encryption to keep your information secure and private. The security is enhanced by using a combination of server/client certificates and a username/password combination. If you don't have the correct certificates installed on your remote computer or don't have the correct username/password combination then you will not be granted access. Essentially it is a two-factor authentication scheme.

OpenVPN will run on Windows as well as Linux. It can also be installed on Windows Mobile based phones/PDAs. It needs to be installed at both ends of the link - that is inside your own network and on the computer(s) you will be using remotely.

Being Open Source, OpenVPN is freely available. Setting it up can be a little tricky but then that is the one of the services we can provide you.