Universal Policy Enforcement: Gap-Free Protection for Endpoints and Networks

iPass has a vision for providing trusted mobility by protecting remote and mobile connections through deep integration between authentication, authorization and endpoint security tools. We call this vision Policy Orchestration, and we're making it a reality through our Universal Policy Enforcement solution.

The Mobile Viewpoint

The world's gone mobile in a big way. Nearly everywhere you go today, you see people using, PDAs, notebook PCs, wireless hotspots and other mobile technologies to stay in touch. Your employees most likely already use a variety of these mobile connectivity solutions. That's good news. A mobile workforce is more productive and helps give you a distinct competitive advantage, as now work can take place anywhere, anytime.

Eyes Wide Open

The bad news is that keeping these mobile devices connected often increases your company's exposure to internet-based security threats. As a result, your IT department is left with a juggling act that becomes more difficult to manage with the emergence of each new access method, device platform and point security tool. Workers want convenient, ubiquitous access to the Internet and the corporate network. At the same time, IT needs cost-effective ways to manage and protect your company's information assets.

To meet these competing requirements across multiple access methods, many IT organizations make compromises. Despite the growth in viruses and worms, some sacrifice security in favor of easy access, leaving themselves vulnerable to tremendous business costs from viruses, worms and spyware. Companies that can't lower their security standards are forced to deny their users access via new and convenient albeit riskier connections such as Wi-Fi hotspots and home broadband links connected to home Wi-Fi LANs. These companies miss out on the benefits of increased workforce productivity and the competitive advantage that "anywhere, anytime" access offers.

Focusing on Trusted Mobility

Enter iPass' new Universal Policy Enforcement solution. Based on services delivered through the company's unique Policy Orchestration initiative, Universal Policy Enforcement solves the problem of delivering trusted connectivity to a distributed and mobile workforce, without compromising endpoint or network security, user productivity or management control.

Based on your access policies, Universal Policy Enforcement can restrict Internet and VPN connectivity to known and approved endpoint devices that have operational, up-to-date security software. It can also update, install and launch compliant software onto these devices on the fly, as part of the connection process. And while iPass' leading virtual network offers extra built-in security features, Universal Policy Enforcement performs these important tasks over any Internet connection, including public hotspots, home broadband connections, or 2.5G and 3G networks that are not part of the iPass footprint.

The Universal Policy Enforcement solution reduces the risk of Internet-based attacks on remote and mobile enterprise devices as well as network security breaches caused by devices that have become infected. Multiple iPass service capabilities work together to restrict Internet access to policy enforcement hosts, check for policy compliance, take corrective action to update endpoint devices and only then grant or deny full Internet access or VPN access. An innovative one-time-password mechanism forces users to access the VPN only through iPassConnect, closing potential backdoors that might circumvent iPass policy checks.