Remote Control

James E. Drews replies: Thanks for the additional information. During our testing, we didn't notice any obvious performance problems with disk/network. But since we didn't have identical hardware for all our installed products, we can't say whether the speed differences were a result of the hardware or the software.

Remote Control

Thank you, Jonathan Feldman, for your column "Katrina's Harsh Lessons" (Oct. 1). I especially appreciated reading about your experience with the GoToMyPC Web-based service to expand remote capability.

As my organization's lone "IT guy," I'd like to let our users work remotely, but I haven't found the right solution. When I started working here two years ago, a few of the folks were using GoToMyPC, but I wasn't keen on the idea--we didn't even have a firewall then. Even after we installed one, it seemed like we were punching a gaping hole in our perimeter.Having since tried unsuccessfully to make a Cisco VPN concentrator and the associated VPN client user-friendly, I'm now reconsidering GoToMyPC. But between managing virus and spam threats from users' home machines and doing user training and troubleshooting, it seems like too much for this one-person IT shop to handle.

Any advice?

Mike Saunders

Network and Communications Admin
Investors Real Estate Trust
[email protected]

Jonathan Feldman replies: GoToMyPC on a single-user basis doesn't provide the kind of accountability you want. I like the features in the Corporate and Professional editions.

Where I work, we take a belt-and-suspenders approach that allows the Web traffic out only if we've authorized it for the user in question. Even if a user does download a single-user version of GoToMyPC, you can block it with SmartFilter, SurfControl, WebSense or the like.I like the remote-control concept in general, as it follows the principle of "least privilege" by default--if remote control is all you want, remote control is all you grant. Why offer Layer 3 services to home users if you don't have to? Of course, if you do use a Layer 3 VPN with proper access-control lists, you can achieve the same effect, but it's generally easier just to tweak a Web filter and install a PC client.

Corrections

In "Gold Standard BI" (Oct. 13), we misidentified the server used in connection with Information Builders' WebFocus 7. The correct name is ReportCaster.

In our Sneak Preview of ConSentry Networks' Secure LAN Controller ("Harden Your Network Core" Oct. 13), we should have said it takes 15 to 30 seconds, not minutes, for the product's InSight Manager to display real-time results.