Always On, Always Connected, Not Always Costly

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Anytime, anywhere connectivity. Hyperconnectivity. Call it what you will, but what it equates to is we – me, you, and just about everyone in the worldwide workforce – are always connected to something.  We not only want, but many times need to be connected, wherever we are.

In their most recent quarterly report on today’s global, mobile workforce (The iPass Global Mobile Workforce Report), iPass, a worldwide leader in managing mobile connectivity for large enterprises and global carriers through mobility and cloud services, reported that 88% of those surveyed work from the road, including 84% from  coffee shops, restaurants or bars.

Our need to be always connected has taken many of our employers – and in a domino effect, their service providers – by surprise. This has caused a significant spike in mobility costs, which in turn has driven up the mobility expense incurred by many enterprises today, especially those with worldwide globetrotters. Since mobile workers must be connected all the time, Internet connectivity has become a mobile worker’s lifeline. (BTW, I know - I travel about 1/3^rd of the time worldwide. Without Internet access from an airport, coffee shop, partner/customer site and so on, and the ability to access my email 24/7/365 anywhere in the world, I’d go mad thinking about how much time I’m wasting, how unproductive I was, and what I could be working on if I had Internet access.)

We need to be connected in order to access our corporate networks and applications – usually via a VPN – from wherever we are, whenever we need it.  In many cases, that means roaming connections and associated charges. We oftentimes pay for Internet connectivity and exorbitant roaming charges while traversing the planet – which adds up to additional expense for enterprises of all sizes.

Excessive roaming charges are a significant issue for 43% of mobile employees, according to the recent iPass report. And, the actual number of employees who rack up large roaming bills is probably much higher than that, especially since 13% of respondents weren’t even aware how much their usage cost their company! Just think: 80% of mobile employees received a roaming bill in the last year, with the bill for 5% of those mobile employees exceeding $1,000!

Besides the cost aspect, in many situations, we (the end users) are unable to identify the best connection to use. We don’t know the speed, cost, or how secure the Internet connection we choose is. Many times, traveling users don’t care about the cost or security – just the speed. And that creates an even bigger problem for corporations. Ridiculous data roaming charges are one thing; but opening sensitive corporate data and secretive passwords to potential theft or hacking is another story altogether. Open, insecure or under-secured Wi-Fi access points and open air links are still severe security threats. Communications interception, man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks and Wi-Fi sniffing still exist, can rear their ugly heads, and bite you hard!

Addressing the need to ensure secure connections irrespective of access network type is typically a multiple step process – one that would require end users to interact with multiple applications to get Internet connectivity first and then get secure access to the enterprise network and applications.  Plus, while some Wi-Fi connections are offered free of charge, they subject users to time and space consuming advertisements, or have upload and download bandwidth limits. So remember: You get what you pay for! And, while most Wi-Fi providers offer a pay-for-access model as an alternative, these models can be pricey, with many charging by the hour or even by the megabyte of bandwidth used. Try to stay within a budget while downloading a video with that plan!

There needs to be an easy, intuitive way to securely connect to the mobile Internet and access the enterprise and its “crown jewels” of applications and data – while saving your organization from having to raise additional capital just to pay for your Internet data roaming charges.

Now, Juniper Networks and iPass deliver simple anytime, anywhere trusted network connectivity and role-based, secure, mobile remote access through a single client over a myriad of worldwide connectivity, types and means. Built on Juniper’s market leading SSL VPN technology and integrating iPass’ Open Mobile trusted connectivity technology, Junos Pulse with a single click delivers fast, cost-effective, secure connectivity and VPN access to the corporate network.

With Junos Pulse and iPass Open Mobile, authorized users can safely and automatically connect to the best available wireless network anytime, anywhere, through a single, simple user interface. Plus, corporations can manage connectivity costs while maintaining visibility into and control over their mobile users and their secure connectivity, and network and application access.

Increase productivity. Save money. Decrease support calls. Improve management and control. Strengthen security. Enhance visibility and accountability.

Now, if Juniper and iPass could only do something about those outrageous mini-bar costs…how much for 10 macadamia nuts??