Service Description
The Remote Access Virtual Private Network (RA VPN) service securely connects customer Elevated Privilege (EP) users to their server and applications in NITC’s PaaS, IaaS, Managed Hosting, and other cloud and hosting services. For flexibility and security, the RA VPN service can reverse proxy a remote session or allow full packet pass-through from end user systems to servers. A host checking feature, network policy based access controls, and multi-factor authentication reinforces least privilege access to customer systems. The RA VPN service is integrated with NITC’s Central Authentication & Role Based Access Controls (CA-RBAC) service. This tightly coupled integration enables customers to provision remote access for their EP users through a self-service interface and offers RA VPN users the ability to reset their passwords.
What is Included
The Remote Access VPN service offers a browser based access or thick client for end user connectivity. As users establish remote access sessions, their inspected at the machine level and required to use approved credentials before login. The RA VPN appliances known as the Network Access Gateways (NAG), are built to be highly available as clusters per city and span multiple cities in support of disaster recovery services.
In support of federal government remote access requirements, all remote access traffic is encrypted and routed through the VPN tunnel. This insures customer data in transit is appropriately inspected and protected.
How We Charge
- Customers are billed using a daily usage based rate per server. This service charge may be bundled in other NITC service offerings, check with your account manager for further details.
- Customers pay for the remote access VPN service to provide them a secure connection into their hosted server while using an Elevated Privilege (EP) account.
- Billing starts when a customer server is built and stops when a server is decommissioned.
- All licensing, software upgrades, and maintenance to the RA VPN infrastructure is included in the rate.
Service Level Metrics
| Measure | Target SLA |
|---|---|
| RA VPN Service | 24 x 7 |
| System Monitoring | 24 x 7 |
| Incident Response | 24 x 7 |
Cost Saving Tips
- If a server is no longer required, make sure to decommission the asset so it stops the billing.
Additional Information
- Each customer is provided a separate remote access IP address pool which is filtered through firewall policies control access into their hosted networks and systems.
- To compliment the RA VPN Service network access controls, NITC offers a server-level Role Based Access Controls (RBAC) integrated solution. Customers who purchase a PaaS server automatically get the best of both network and system role based access control solutions as a value add.
- For customers subscribing to the Disaster Recovery service, the Remote Access VPN service integrates to meet customers DR and DR testing requirements.
