We are often asked at DakotaPro about accessing a company's IT network when users are remote. This is very easy to do - but there are recommended, secure methods, while other methods are not recommended at ALL.
Open Firewall Ports
The most common method to access a company network used to be to open ports on the company's firewall so specific applications could get through the firewall and access the intended resources. Remote Desktop access was a common request. Today, many companies still use this approach because it is cheap and easy to implement. However, due to the ongoing scanning of ALL ports on ALL connections to the Internet, these "open doors" to a company's network are not recommended for any reason at any time. They are analogous to locking the front door of your home while leaving the side door unlocked for friends. On the Internet, it is so easy to find and then imitate being a "friend" that this method should never be used. Ever. For any reason.
If your company is using an application that requires ports to be opened, that application needs to be replaced. This is a very well-known issue. For example, if your company processes credit cards, you will find that your network will NEVER be PCI compliant if you have open ports on your firewall. The credit card industry will never certify your network is secure with open ports.
DakotaPro thus does not recommend or support opening ports on Customer's firewalls.
Recommended Remote Access Methods
There are two currently recommended methods to access your company network when remote. DakotaPro supports both of these methods:
- Set up a secure VPN connection from your computer or phone to the company's firewall. Once established, you can then access any application that has been permitted in your firewall. This is the most common and recommended solution. This solution works great, for example, for Remote Desktop access.
- Use an application that has a cloud login. These applications maintain a secure connection to a cloud host. As a remote user, you login to the cloud host, then you are automatically connected to your company application. This is also considered a secure method for access and works great for many applications.
If you have any questions about Remote Access, be sure and contact our support team!