I'm no expert on MS Windows, but if I understand this feature correctly Microsoft appears to be taking advantage of features inherent in IPv6. If DirectAccess works the way I would make it work, then it should be available to anybody running any OS.
Namely, IPv6 already has end-to-end encryption -- one of the major reasons VPNs are used. Combine this with a decent certificate management system (integrated into Active Directory of course) and you also have client authentication -- the other major reason to use VPNs. These two enhancements should make it easier and more secure to provide direct access to company resources for remote clients without the hassles caused by typical VPN systems. In other words, it's a "VPN" dedicated to that specific session between client and service. I'm just speculating. I only heard about this feature last week from an MS Windows 7 demo and haven't had any time to investigate how it /actually/ works. But if it works as I think it does, then it's friggin' brilliant. On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 2:27 PM, Esther Schindler <est...@bitranch.com> wrote: > > Microsoft demonstrated DirectAccess for its new OS, Windows 7. DirectAccess > is a way to give mobile users more convenient access to the network without > having to fire up a VPN connection. On the user side, we get to eliminate > VPN connectivity issues, while on the admin side, well, what does that mean? > I want to talk to sysadmins who have been testing Windows 7 so we can get a > good look at what sysadmin headaches, if any, are being eliminated by this > new feature, and then again, what new headaches are being introduced? > > I'm a technology reporter, and I'm looking to speak to enterprise system > administrators about this. Your answers will feed into a feature article > that will appear on a new news site run by a major PC vendor, but this > article will feature input from users of a diverse range of PC brands. -- Perfection is just a word I use occasionally with mustard. --Atom Powers-- _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lopsa.org http://lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators http://lopsa.org/
