Web based solution rather than VPN

[jlewis1957 () netscape net (Jeff Lewis)]

Help wanted.

I work in a small (under 25 employees) company that has been primarily 
AS400 based. I am helping to migrate them to a new application that is 
Windows/SQL Server based.

They are used to dialing in via a couple of modems and working from home 
on the AS400. This is strictly 5250 terminal emulation, so everything 
works just like it does in the office. Speed isn't an issue.

Rather than play with more modems, RAS and Terminal Services via 56k, I 
would like to move to internet access. We do have a full T1, so bandwidth 
on this end is not an issue. Most of the users have already gone to 
broadband at home, so that is not an issue.

There are several reasons that I don't want to setup VPN's with these 
employees. First, I am IT. That's it. No more IT employees and setting up 
and maintaining these VPNs is not going to be easy. Second, the employees 
are NOT technically savvy at all. I have actually taught lessons on Cut
and Paste, as well as basic filing. Third, half of the users move around 
alot (sales) so that establishing network access is going to come from 
lots of different locations. And key to me, I am concerned about Comcast 
and Verizon's TOS and AUP with respect to VPNs. 

It has been rumoured that both providers are scanning their networks for 
VPN usage, and then bump those offenders to business service because it 
is a violation of the TOS. (I have no proof of this, nor do I know of a 
single case of this happening. I would like to know of any actual 
incidents.) If this is what the future is going to bring, I don't want to
invest the time and effort into it, only to find that people are going to 
get a large bill and then blame me for a "horrible solution". 

A potential solution is to use a product like Netilla. www.netilla.com
It is a firewall/proxy/webserver that interfaces with Windows TS. The 
great part about this package is that my users just need a browser. It 
uses SSL to gain secure access to the Terminal Server. Setup takes about 
an hour. 

Users can move about and if they can achieve internet access, they can get 
into the system. Netilla uses your Username to access the TS license so a
single user routinely using multiple computers is not a problem. Gets rid 
of alot of the licensing issues that using Terminal Services and a VPN 
would normally have.

The problem? It's expensive. $15k to get started and 50 users is the 
minimum seating. I believe that my company will cover it as long as it 
is successful, but I would be remiss if I didn't look for alternatives.
I do like their approach though. Is anyone aware of other web-based 
solutions that can access Terminal Services? (Please don't use the 
$itrix word -- been there, done that, ripped up the T-shirt.) 

Jeff Lewis
Director of IT and CMO (Chief Mouse Cleaner)

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