Mobile Workers

1. The challenge

Many organizations are still struggling with finding the right tool for people to use when they travel. People want to travel light, but also with enough computer power to do their work.

On the other hand, a powerful Laptop tends to be packed with company confidential data that represents a real loss to the company if lost or stolen. The traditional response to this issue is for many companies to implement expensive and complex solutions to secure the PC and the hard drive to make it very difficult for thieves to steal the data on a lost or stolen PC. Unfortunately, it also makes it difficult for the user to use the PC and it is a real burden for the IT department to deal with and manage the PC.

Even if people bring a company managed Laptop with them on the road, this Laptop is again and again connected to the Internet in hotels, Hot Spots, airports, trains and many different wireless networks. As this increases the risk considerably of this PC being infected with malicious software, the IT departments must also implement elaborate end point checking solutions before they can allow the Laptop access to the company network.

When people return back from the trip, they really need to hand over their Laptop to the IT department for a full scale inspection – or as some organizations do – a reformatting before the Laptop is allowed back onto the network.

The policies, the processes, and proper handling of Laptops to deal with the security risks for mobile users represent a significant cost for those organizations that follow their policies. Unfortunately, most companies can’t afford that or users find ways to avoid the inconveniences and find other ways to deal with access and to do their work.

2. The Solution

G/On is the perfect solution for people on the road. G/On gives users the opportunity to connect when they need it. And, G/On can make sure that data never leaves the company network.

Because G/On does not connect the remote PC to the company network, G/On can be used on almost any PC with Internet access. G/On’s virtual connection and the unique “Lock-to-Process” functionality isolates the remote PC from your network and prevents malicious software from finding its way into your network.

That means you need only to bring along the G/On USB when you travel and simply use the PC’s you come across on your way. You can also rest assure that, configured correctly, G/On itself does not leave any data behind on the PC you are using.

You will find that not all public PC’s will have an active USB port but typically PC’s in hotels and at conferences will allow the use of a USB. When you visit customers, partners and suppliers, you can ask for permission to use one of their PC’s.

As an alternative, you can travel with a light Laptop and use G/On to connect to company applications and data. In this case, all you need is access to a Internet connection either via cable or via wireless. However, you can also bring along a Laptop with built-in broadband cellular/mobile modem that will give you instant access the same places you can use your cellular/mobile phone.

Combined with the G/On USB a broadband connected Laptop gives you secure connectivity and if your G/On prevents you from storing data on the Laptop, you don’t run the risk of losing sensitive or confidential company information even if the Laptop is stolen. And, without the G/On USB and your userid and password, nobody will be able to connect to your company. In fact, if your Laptop is lost on one of your trips, you simply go to the nearest store and buy a new, low-cost Laptop.

3. Benefits

G/On represents significant simplifications for a company with employees travelling the state, the country and the world. G/On is simple to implement for the company and users are getting tremendous flexibility by being able to stay connected from pretty much everywhere.

Users will have direct access to email and any other application relevant to their work. Orders can be entered and confirmed on customer site. Purchasing agreements can be finalized directly from your suppliers’ offices in China or India, and marketing plans can be adjusted and approved while you are visiting business partners.

If data does need to be downloaded or uploaded G/On will be configured to provide this functionality is a secure and protected environment. On top of that, detailed logging will provide the needed audit trails to keep track of the data.

4. More Information

The G/On USB is a combined authentication and connectivity device. It can also be used as a storage device for those application clients that the user needs to launch to connect to the corresponding application server.

One example is a Citrix client. Normally, the Citrix client needs to be physically installed (through an installation process) on the remote PC. However, in many cases, it’s not an option or simply not possible to install the full Citrix client on any PC you want to use for your remote connection.

Giritech is addressing this issue by working together with Thinstall that allows us to create a special packaged version of the Citrix client fully integrated with G/On. This makes it possible to bring along with you the full Citrix client on the G/On USB and consequently turning Citrix into a true portable and secure remote access solution.

See also Giritech Solution Guides for Working from Home/Tele Commuting, External Consultants/Outsourcing, and Access to your office Desktop.

Download the Solution Guide for Mobile Workers here: