Computer Security Technology Ltd

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March 18, 2020

We have experienced a recent surge with clients requesting remote access solutions to mitigate for the Covid-19 virus impact.

Our recommended solution has always been the “Pulse Secure” option, and remains to be the solution that we encourage clients to invest in, especially in times of economic uncertainty such as we’re currently facing.

This Pulse solution provides near seamless agentless remote working for staff, whilst at the same time includes a raft of features that protect your organisation from data loss and cyber-attacks.

Remote access opens-up a potential ingress route for cyber threats as well as an egress path for the loss of sensitive information. The challenge we have recently witnessed is a rapid and urgent need to stand-up remote access for all staff, with the security aspects being de-prioritised or inadvertently overlooked.Below are a few suggestions on standing up a remote access solution and why we recommend Pulse Secure:

  1. A Clientless VPN is the most adaptable as it means staff are not tied to a specific laptop, pc or mobile device. As long as they have a working web browser, then they can remotely access network resources.

  2. A Client based VPN will bring the most similar experience to working “as if in the office”, with the least amount of disruption. However, this lacks the flexibility of point 1 above. A solution that can offer both 1 and 2 is the best option for meeting all of an organisation’s needs with the flexibility to swap between the two choices.

  3. The security of the remote host device needs to be free from threats and in a safe state, so as to ensure that the remote host machine does not compromise the Corporate LAN. It’s a good practice to pre-validate host remote device at the time of connection: Example - checking that the remote host has active anti-virus, up-to-date security patches and is not simultaneously connecting to another internet resources.

  4. The policy regarding what and where data can be accessed also needs specific decisions. Example: if you use the clientless VPN (option 1) and do not apply usage controls, you could find yourself in a position where sensitive business information is copied to a non-corporate asset, which is unprotected and unmanaged.

  5. Capacity planning can be problematic, as providing remote access for all staff at the same time for a long period will be expensive. The better option is smaller base usage option that can expand rapidly as and when needed without the long term committal cost. This is embodied in the ICE “In Case of Emergency” feature of the Pulse solution.


Please feel free to contacts our sales department for more information on 020 7 621 9740 or info@cstl.com