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NatNix combines the secure connectivity of a VPN with the
simplicity of peer-to-peer to offer a complete remote access package.
VPNs offer secure remote connections from outside a network, and
full connectivity between hosts. A VPN is the best way to connect
hosts remotely. However, current VPNs are diffuicult to set up and
maintain. There are several remote access products that trade ease of
use for functionality. Remote screen access lets users view a
computers screen remotely, but not connect directly to applications,
SSL VPNs provide a web-based interface to upload and download files on
a VPN. NatNix bridges the gap offering the ease of
remote access with the full connectivity of a VPN.
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NatNix
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Remote Screen Access
|
VPN
|
Managed VPN
|
SSL VPN
|
| Screen Sharing |
y
|
y
|
y
|
y
|
y
|
| File Transfer |
y
|
y
|
y
|
y
|
y
|
| Network Shared Drives and Printers |
y
|
n
|
y
|
y
|
n
|
| Share Databases |
y
|
n
|
y
|
y
|
n
|
| Voice/Video Conferencing |
y
|
n
|
y
|
y
|
n
|
| Multimedia Streaming |
y
|
n
|
y
|
y
|
n
|
| Easy Software-only Install |
y
|
y
|
n
|
y
|
y
|
| No Hardware Required |
y
|
y
|
n
|
y
|
y
|
| No Network Setup Required |
y
|
y
|
n
|
y
|
y
|
| Direct connections through NAT |
y
|
n
|
n
|
n
|
n
|
| No central bottleneck |
y
|
n
|
n
|
n
|
n
|
|
Remote screen access applications offer specialized peer-to-peer
connections that allow you to view a remote computer's screen. You
can run applications on the remote computer, but all the screen
updates have to be sent over the net, making applications sluggish.
Remote screen sharing is an excellent tool for customer support and
product demos, but applications suffer from network delays and are are
noticeably slower.
Remote screen access applications also allow file upload and download.
That is, a file can be copied from the remote computer, edited, and
uploaded back to the rmeote computer. File upload and download is
useful, as long as you are moving small files like documents, and
don't forget to upload all the files you edited. File upload and
download will not work for large files or databases.
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Some Available Products
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A Virtual Private Network (VPN) gives remote computers local IP
addresses so they appear as if they are on the local network.
Computers with IP addresses can participate in Windows File Sharing
and edit files directly on remote computers, without uploading and
downloading files. A VPN enables users to share large databases and
document repositories.
VPNs also enable computer-to-computer connections for voice
conferencing (VOIP), screen sharing, and other applications.
However current VPNs may require extra hardware (a VPN server or
router) and special network setup (a static IP address), and onging
maintentance (user passwords and access control lists). Setup and
management of a VPN requirequires ongoing expert support.
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Some Available Products
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Managed VPNs are where a service provider sets up and maintains the
VPN network on behalf of an organization.
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Some Available Products
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An SSL VPN is a web-based interface to a VPN. Since all file
access is through a web browser, remote clients do not need to install
any VPN software. However, the interface is limited by the web
browser to simple file upload and download, and some remote screen
access.
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Some Available Products
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