Secure Access of Network Resources by Remote Clients

Inadequately protected remote computers that access a corporate network may bypass IT safeguards and provide a back door for threats to the network. This paper will identify the threats that remote access poses to corporate network security including those involving hackers, malicious applications and the use of weak access and physical controls. Solutions for these security problems will be proposed using three paradigms; remote-based safeguards that are client-managed, remote-based safeguards that are centrally managed and network-based safeguards that are centrally managed. Both Host-based paradigms focus on protecting the remote client from security threats, which in turn, prevents the network from being compromised. The network-based paradigm does not attempt to safeguard the remote host, considering it to be unmanageable and untrustworthy. This 'untrusting' model focuses on providing remote access without the client becoming a threat to network security. Each paradigm will be evaluated from a security business and human resources perspective. This paper will argue that the 'untrusting' solution is best able to meet the requirements from all perspectives. Not only is it the most secure but also the easiest to manage cost effective scalable and provides the client with increased performance and usability.