Technical Background
How Proxies Work
Most folks browsing the web make requests directly to a web page for its content. When a proxy is used, you send your request to another network device called a proxy. The proxy then fetches the page from the site and passes it on to you. The target site sees only a request from the proxy. It can't tell where the page goes after that. Anyone watching your connections sees only communication between you and the proxy.
Slicky Proxy goes a step further and also encrypts your communications along the way by using Secure Socket Layer encryption so your traffic is unreadable if intercepted.
Advantages of SSL VPNs
- Only a browser is needed to initiate a VPN session. No client software required. Security and authentication capabilities can be downloaded as Java applets and ActiveX controls.
- SSL relies on port 443/HTTPS which is a universal port for
eCommerce. This port is rarely blocked so connectivity to a
SSL VPN is rarely blocked unlike other VPN's such as PPTP, L2TP, and
IPSec.
- Access can be set up quickly.
- A unique Internet IP address is not required for authentication.
- Poor, intermittent and disrupted connections won't cause the VPN to fail.
- SSL sessions can "roam" across IP addresses and carriers.
The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) virtual private network (VPN) has emerged as the easiest choice for casual and ad hoc VPN access. SSL VPNs have superseded PPTP (Point to Point Tunnelling Protocol), L2TP (Layer 2 Tunnelling Protocol), and IPsec (the Internet security protocol) VPN’s. They are regularly viewed as the best practice for application portals and also seen as viable replacements for the aforementioned remote access protocols. Remote LAN access performance via tunnels over SSL can meet or beat IPsec's performance, and latency-sensitive applications, such as voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), work well because of proprietary enhancements that can be delivered through a browser.
The
Gartner Group, a leading market trending & research organization, claims
most clients no longer ask about new IPsec remote-access installations
or expanding other legacy remote access solutions because of their
increasing awareness of the benefits of SSL VPNs. SSL VPN's can be implemented on physical hardware such as an VPN appliance, on virtual hardware using technology like Dell Server virtualization, or as software running on a local premise or in the cloud. Each has their own advantages in terms or performance, cost, and ease of administration.
The SSL VPN market is a mature and proven remote access solution. SSL is the most widely deployed virtual privacy system in the
industry because it is integral to every browser and independent of
platforms and operating systems (OSs). It is the ultimate VPN in terms
of portability, and it is the easiest to understand because every user
who has accessed the Internet is already comfortable with the browser.
SSL can be delivered as a menu-driven portal, or it can be delivered as
a LAN tunnel replacement for IPsec, with or without a browser client.
SSL VPN growth is steady and worldwide. Gartner estimates that in 2008,
SSL VPNs will become the primary remote-access method for more than
two-thirds of business teleworking employees, more than three-quarters
of contractors and more than 90% of casual employee access. Equivalent
connection speeds, easier administrative provisioning of user accounts,
and a simpler user experience with VPN sessions will continue to be key
drivers for this growth.