SecurePB
Remote Network Access Anywhere JCI's Mobile Deployment Solution
Simple, Secure, Multi-Network Access
The challenge of remote access is to provide full coverage, high data speed, and robust security at a fair and predictable cost.
JCI's mobile deployment solution provides a cost-effective balance of speed, coverage and security by utilizing multiple data transport backbones and multiple nested security protections. This allows JCI to optimize the user's experience by making trade-offs between the coverage, speed, and cost offered by each different transport.
The JCI backbones include 3G cellular (EV-DO), 2G Personal Handy-phone Service (PHS), over 5,000 Wi-Fi hotspots, worldwide dial-up, corporate LANs, and home ADSL broadband.
JCI simplifies the end-user's task of accessing this wide variety of transport options through a powerful yet easy-to-use interface called b-Access. b-Access includes a laptop client that shows the user all key information, including security and connectivity, in a highly intuitive and readily visible "heads-up display" interface. The user no longer needs to open a new window to see the status of communications. Nor does the user need to learn different operations and passwords to make a network connection on cellular, Wi-Fi, corporate LAN, hotel broadband, home broadband link or dialup. The b-Access client shields users from this complexity while giving them constant visibility to network and security status.
Security features in the b-Access client include an embedded stateful packet inspection firewall to control traffic and communications ports, integration with antivirus software to ensure up-to-date definitions, integration with popular VPNs to ensure a secure communications "tunnel", and black list / white list controls to manage overall operation of applications on the laptop. Although described as client features, this comprehensive security package operates in conjunction with the SecurePB server to ensure central control and management capabilities.
The SecurePB service includes several additional client-server features to enhance application performance in the mobile environment:
- General traffic optimization
- Application-specific optimization
- Application persistence
General and application-specific optimizers compress and restructure the traffic flow to improve application responsiveness and user experience. Depending on the nature of the traffic and the application, a variety of techniques are used, including image compression and protocol modification.
Application persistence ensures delivery of all data traffic by maintaining sessions that "survive" network interruptions, changes in transport service, or even laptop events such as suspend-resume. For example, a user could suspend a computer when boarding an airplane and resume it on arrival, or disconnect a cellular network and connect to Wi-Fi, and application persistence will cause a download in progress to continue right where it left off at the interruption.
The b-Access client greatly simplifies the IT department's configuration and management of laptops for mobile workers. By focusing on a single client for all mobile network access and security, one initial configuration for new equipment can be created, and one process can update all laptops when any changes are required. From this focal point the IT department can ensure that each mobile user is securely accessing the services that are most appropriate for their application and current location.
