OK.  So it has been quite a while since I updated my blog so I had better write something worthwhile!  I have been involved in quite a few interesting projects recently and one of these was becoming a reseller for a very clever server appliance that provides my business with access to our  lights out office using two factor authentication through a secure, fast (hardware encryption) and reliable connection anywhere in the world.

This actually an update of my previous blog post about remote anywhere. The Linux powered server provides all the server services typical needed by small to medium sized businesses and schools as well as coming pre-configured with software such as SugarCRM and Plone or Joomla but one of its key features is to provide  high performance encrypted remote access for email and data.  

So at one end we have a unique Linux server and the other a SPOK (Secure Portable Office Key).  The SPOK is a high performance USB drive which initiates a connection to the Linux server from either a windows or Linux desktop (it can also work on Mac).  The program that runs on the SPOK can also be configured to do port mapping so once the connection has been made services  / protocols like http, imap or smtp can be run on the desktop and tunnel through the secure ssh connection.  Making use of portable apps means I can read my emails or access files from any pc anywhere in the world without the data leaving my office server!

We have found many uses for the server appliance but one of its strong points is to avoid issues with business or schools data leaving site.  By utilising the right technology with Invictus we can ensure that your data and your customers data will not end up as another statistic on pages of the ICO (Information Comissioners Office) highlighting breeches of the Data Protection ACT.

Whilst the original system was intended for use with the server and the SPOK we can also make use of the encrypted access through phones such as the  iPhone and Android based phones using similar systems.  This enables the users to also access email and data on their phones whilst on the move.  Details of how to configure your phones for secure remote access can be found here.

We have called this service Remote Anywhere and the exact details can be found here.