It is no secret that with the covid-19 pandemic and social distance requirements, companies have had their employees work from home. As simple as it may sound, working from home requires the employees to be able to access company systems remotely. For organizations that have not had any remote infrastructure setup this falls upon network administrators and engineers to put a working mechanism as quickly as possible.
With remote access, first priority is security since employees may be accessing the systems through various provider networks. This may include 3G, 4G, FTTH and others. As a network administrator you need to identify the right architecture with the best possible security measures. Information needs to be encrypted throughout the setup.
VPN setup is the simplest way to setup remote access. If you have a network firewall, you might need to check if it has a VPN feature and at what security level is it’s capabilities. Speak to you vendor if you must. Well known vendors of Enterprise network firewalls with secure VPN capabilities include Cisco, Fortinet, Sonicwall, Sophos, Juniper and Palo Alto. Employees will need to be trained on how to use the VPN and guidelines on what not to do. Training will not be easy as you might need to conduct it online.
It is now more important than ever for network professionals to quickly adjust to this new environment. Organizations that were traditional in nature will now be looking to deliver services online and have their employees online as well. This might actually be an opportunity to show case your expertise as an IT profession.
