Management Considerations

As a network manager, deciding on the type of remote access services to provide to your organization depends on numerous factors. For each of them, there might be an easy answer based on general knowledge of the organization, or you might be required to obtain specific business requirements that limit service options. For many large enterprises, there is no one-size-fits-all service that meets all user requirements. The categories described in this section are the most common ones that an organization should consider when making remote access service decisions. (They are listed in no particular order.)

Cost

The budget for remote access can limit the options available. The organization must determine what base of users will be granted access, what capacity and growth estimates are required, and how the costs will be allocated internally. To form the basis for a remote access budget and funding approach, answer the following questions:

• Who will cover the initial capital and installation costs?

• What costs are required to deploy the solution?

• Are there any training costs?

• How will any monthly circuit costs for the back-end environment be funded?

• Should a user's organization be charged for the user's monthly access fees and any usage-based services?

• Is an approval process required for users to request remote access?

• Will the organization set a maximum limit on the monthly amount that a user can expense, and the user personally covers any additional costs?

• Should an internal fee be charged to fund the on-going operational support?

• Should the fee differ depending on the service or the level of support required?

Availability

An organization must define the geographic area (local, regional, national, or global) to which service must be supplied and determine the availability of network options within that area. Besides rural areas, many metropolitan areas do not have options for high-speed access to the home that include ISDN, Frame Relay, xDSL, cable, wireless, and satellite. The demise of many of the competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) in the U.S., and an economic downturn during 2000 and 2001, has further impacted the build out of high-speed network access to residential neighborhoods. You must understand what options and technologies are available and whether or not you must restrict the options to one or more providers/carriers based on availability.

Support

Support options can weigh heavily on the remote access option you choose. You must define the service level for supporting the back end infrastructure and for supporting the end user. Different profiles of users can require different levels of support. Plan to set user expectations up front. The decision to in-source versus outsource must also be considered. The organization must have the available resources with the right skill sets to support the selected service. Training might be required for support staff. Local language and in-country support can be important. Determine if you need consultants to help fill the skill or resource gap. Assess whether the existing helpdesk organization can assume part of the support requirement. As part of your deployment plan, ensure that you include the time required to develop support processes and to train support personnel.

In-Sourcing Versus Outsourcing

The decision to in-source versus outsource depends on the core competency of your IT organization. Besides support considerations, the time and effort to develop and deploy a solution is a factor in the outsourcing decision. Determine if the organization has the available resources with the right skill sets to develop, deploy, provision, and support the selected service. Are resources available in the deployment locations or will team members be required to travel? Will security policies restrict the components that can be supported internally versus externally? What contracting process do you need to follow and how long will this take (that is, do you need to conduct a Request for Information or a Request for Proposal)? You need to solicit several bids from potential vendors and prepare a service and cost comparison of the internal versus external vendor options as part of the decision-making process.

Billing and Charge Backs

The decision or ability to charge back expenses to a user's organization was mentioned in the preceding section, "Cost." If you decide to charge back for user services rather than funding centrally, you must ensure that the necessary processes and systems are in place to handle the financial transactions. Is there a process currently available for remote access purposes? Will the vendor provide the billing information in the required format or medium? Should the corporation centrally manage the bills or should they be sent to the user who submits an expense report to cover the charge? Should there be a maximum limit set on the amount to be expensed? How will exceptions and anomalies be dealt with? What reports are necessary and who must receive them? Be prepared to handle the administrative overhead to manage the billing function.

User-Managed Versus Corporate-Managed

As part of the service offering, the organization must determine if it wants to restrict users to a limited number of vendors or open it up to any vendor and let the end user choose the provider. This concept has been used to implement VPN services where a user can select any Internet service provider (ISP) available in the local area, and choose the provider based on the criteria that are important to the user. When the user rather than the corporation orders high-speed access, the user becomes responsible for dealing with the vendor when the service is down or experiencing problems. The user also receives the monthly bill and is expected to submit an expense report up to an approved amount.

Security

The security policies of an organization are a significant factor in determining the solution. Based on the sensitivity of the information managed by the corporation, policies surrounding authentication, encryption, architecture, and outsourcing vary. Ensure that the security organization is included in the initial planning of the remote access service.

Applications

The applications that must be accessed remotely might restrict the technology alternatives or might affect the network architecture. Some applications can be useless if latency is too great or if the available bandwidth is insufficient. Other applications might not function properly if accessed through a VPN connection. Ensure that you work with the functional areas of the business to identify and test all the core applications that are required to be accessed remotely and to set user expectations on performance.

Home Access Versus Mobility

The final criterion to be considered is the need to access the corporate network from home, and from on the road while in a hotel, convention center, airport, or a customer/business partner premises. Depending on the organization's remote access requirement, a mobile solution might be a necessary part of the overall remote access service offering. The Cisco Mobile Office initiative addresses the solutions and considerations that differ based on the need to work on the road, at home, or at work (see www.cisco.com/warp/public/779/smbiz/mobility/). The next generation of at home solutions will include voice and video over IP, and improved conferencing and collaboration solutions.