How mobile users can securely access local and cloud applications
Alexander Kukulchuk, CTO of Cross Technologies | 06.04.2021
A few years ago, the issue of efficient and flexible access to resources and applications was not as complex as it is today. Applications and other resources were usually located in one place, such as the company's headquarters. Users rarely, if ever, took their devices outside the office. Remote access was only possible through office computers with the appropriate configuration and protection. Solutions using VPN tunnels could provide such a connection.
However, we live in a different world. Not only have the bahamas whatsapp data and applications changed significantly, but also the users who need access to them. The resources and applications that a user needs to do their job today are rarely in one place. Technologies are deployed in data centers and private and public clouds. The variety of technology delivery models - SaaS, PaaS, IaaS - further complicates the problem. If you represent the deployment graphically, you will often find that the diagram contains many separate islands of data centers and parts of the cloud infrastructure that are not always connected.
Let's look at it from the perspective of a user who needs access to resources and applications. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, user behavior had changed significantly. Today, many of them are mobile, so they need access from multiple devices - at least from a computer and a smartphone. The trend of using personal devices for work (BYOD) will become increasingly widespread. Resources need to be quickly accessible, they must be understandable for the user, and also must be constantly at hand, otherwise the employee's productivity will significantly decrease. In the new reality, when you can work from home, a cafe or an office, the device for work is more vulnerable in terms of data security. Even before the coronavirus, the management of many companies tasked IT departments with providing users with the necessary level of productivity and mobility, as well as flexible work formats, instead of prohibiting and restricting access, as was the case in the past. Due to the pandemic, the organization of workplaces began to change even faster.