Rollout: iPass' Mobile Connectivity Services

The Upshot With a new Device Lockdown service, iPass offers improved security and policy enforcement. And its Virtual Office extends iPass Connect's capabilities to telecommuters' broadband connections. Businesses trying to develop mobility strategies find a dizzying array of options for connecting, managing and securing mobile endpoints to the enterprise. iPass has the most extensive mobile connectivity options available to enterprises. Still, although its security platform is good, its competitors offer better managed security for those that require it. iPass

As Wi-Fi hotspots, metro Wi-Fi and 3G technologies proliferate, enterprises want to take advantage of this connectivity. However, mobility strategies require careful security-policy management, as well as centralized auditing measures to track costs. IPass, a provider of remote-access connection services, addresses these needs with two new offerings: Device Lockdown and Virtual Office.

iPass' Main Connection

Of the vendors that act as aggregators of mobile connectivity solutions, iPass has high market recognition. Gartner's June 2006 Magic Quadrant for Managed Remote Access and Mobility Services placed iPass in its leaders quadrant, along with Fiberlink Communications. Other competitors include AT&T, BT, MegaPath, Orange Business Services, Qwest, Sprint and Verizon Business.

IPass' services let enterprises take advantage of mobile connectivity simply and securely. At the heart of its service is the iPass Connect client, the end-user interface. IPass Connect lets users move easily from one remote-access network to another by presenting a list of available connection options. The client's single sign-on capability eliminates the need for users to authenticate to the corporate network through multiple mechanisms.