The award-winning Axeda ServiceLink solution is already deployed and proven in some of the most secure environments in the world and is used by leading product manufacturers, including EMC, Network Appliance, and Quantum. It delivers maximized product uptime, without the risks and expense associated with traditional virtual private network (VPN) and modem-based solutions.

IT managers, painfully aware of the cost and implications of downtime, have set up VPNs so that vendors can remotely monitor and service their products. These efforts are undermined by the fact that two out of every three VPNs have at least one medium-level flaw that poses a risk of a security breach(i). At an estimated cost of $30-$150 per record for a data breach(ii), this can mean hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenues for a large enterprise.

"The diversity of remote service technologies and the sheer volume of vendors and service providers coming onto the network are creating vulnerabilities and driving the need for a simplified and centralized way to manage access and audit the actions performed on enterprise systems," said Eric Goodness, Vice President, Managed and Professional Services, Gartner. "As large organizations authorize remote support by multiple vendors in an effort to maximize system uptime and reduce total cost of ownership, it becomes incredibly difficult to track all access and maintain data center security."

Axeda ServiceLink, the only VeriSign(R) security certified remote service solution, helps IT organizations meet SLA commitments -- with the protection, control, and regulatory compliance required for managing multi-vendor service communities. It allows organizations to:

  -- Manage Risk - Replace modem and VPN-based technologies used pervasively

     across companies, which are considered a high security risk.

  -- Reduce Cost - Spend less time reviewing, approving, and provisioning

     third-party access, and eliminate the need for a multitude of unique

     VPN connections.

  -- Achieve Compliance - Gain complete auditing and control over third-

     party access to meet external and internal compliance requirements.

  -- Improve Operations - Streamline and standardize service and support

     processes across all vendors, significantly reducing administration

     costs.

  Axeda ServiceLink: Enabling Secure, Multi-Vendor Access

Axeda ServiceLink effectively manages secure external access directly to mission-critical equipment within a customers private network. Key capabilities include:

  -- Centralized Management - Administrators can easily change and enforce

     security policies, giving them control over access to all equipment in

     the data center.

  -- Secure Access - Patented technology establishes a secure connection

     between an external vendor and an internal endpoint within a companys

     network, without requiring changes to IT security policies.

  -- User Authentication -RADIUS, LDAP, and Active Directory are all

     supported by ServiceLink for authentication and authorization

     information, while overcoming firewall or NAT issues. This ensures

     complete user and information authentication.

  -- Case Management - IT organizations can manage and track all activities

     performed remotely by vendors. Case records aggregate all of the

     actions executed within Axeda ServiceLink - who, what, when, and the

     results -- to troubleshoot and resolve problems. Business rules enable

     cases to be automatically assigned to the vendor responsible for a

     particular device. The result is a single system of record that can be

     seamlessly integrated with existing help-desk systems.

  -- Tracking and Auditing - All remote sessions initiated through Axeda

     ServiceLink are tracked and monitored in real time, with easy-to-

     generate reports and audit trails that record each session, including

     user, device, application, time, and activity. These granular tracking

     and auditing capabilities help organizations gain compliance with

     government and industry regulations.

  -- Service Metrics Reporting - Data is collected on equipment uptime,

     overall performance, and number and duration of remote support cases.

     This data can be reported on, graphed, and displayed in dashboards to

     understand how service providers are performing against key performance

     indicators (KPIs) and service-level agreements (SLAs).

  -- End-to-End Security - Axeda ServiceLink provides comprehensive security

     through network, device, and data-layered security controls. Data is

     sent securely over the Internet using HTTPS with SSL encryption (up to

     168-bit) and/or optional AES encryption (up to 256-bit).

  -- Integration - Through its SDK, Axeda ServiceLink can be integrated with

     IT applications including network and system monitoring tools, and help

     desk systems to complement your existing IT management capabilities.

"For years, Axeda has delivered best-in-class remote service solutions to some of the worlds leading product manufacturers. During that time, we have received numerous requests from large IT organizations to manage all external access with the same level of security that Axeda enabled suppliers have," said Dale Calder, president and CEO, Axeda Corporation. "Axeda ServiceLink meets this need, offering enterprises a secure, independently audited solution that lets vendors deliver the benefits of remote service without the inherent risks of VPN based solutions."