Author Archive

Helen Holzbaur

Digital Government

VPN devices show strength on security

VPN devices and software employ multitier encryption, authentication and access control to establish secure Internet tunnels between remote sites, field offices and headquarters LANs. VPNs reduce network support and hardware requirements, eliminate expensive dedicated lines and cut telecommuting costs. A single VPN hardware server attached to the office network removes the need for maintaining modem banks and remote-access servers.

  • By Helen Holzbaur, GCN
Digital Government

Firewalls for NT survive tough battering

"NSTL bombarded seven top-selling NT firewalls with nearly 300 forms of attack and found no significant security loopholes." Related pages: Report Card A late entry in firewall assessment gets kudos for performance, speed. Every network manager worries about security, not just to keep out hackers but to keep erroneous information from flowing through the network.

  • By Helen Holzbaur, GCN
Digital Government

Remote-access servers protect your net

Now that most offices have at least one road warrior, the trick is to make network access efficient enough that users won't be tempted to construct their own back doors. Connecting modems to computers inside the firewall invites disaster. Few users worry about this kind of security breach, and the network administrator cannot see a hacker entering from behind the firewall until it's too late.

  • By Helen Holzbaur, GCN