RTM News - Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for DirectAccess Now Available!

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With the new DirectAccess feature in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 you’ll now have the ability to allow remote users to seamlessly access enterprise shares, websites, and applications without the need to connect to virtual private network (VPN) systems.  DirectAccess also gives IT managers the ability to update remote PCs anytime they are connected to the Internet, without the user being logged on to the machine. As you prepare to take advantage of DirectAccess, your first step should be about designing your infrastructure to support this access feature that provides different security options. 

The Solution Accelerator team is pleased to announce the release of the Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Guide for DirectAccess .  This new guide provides actionable, best practices guidance that you can leverage to more quickly design your DirectAccess infrastructure right the first time.

The guide’s easy-to-follow, four-step process gives a straightforward explanation of the infrastructure required for clients to be connected from the Internet to resources on the corporate network, whether or not the organization has begun deploying IPv6. 

This IPD Guide for DirectAccess covers four key steps in the design process for DirectAccess:

  • Aligning the project scope with the business requirements.
  • Determining whether IPv6, Teredo, 6to4, and IP-HTTPS connectivity will be supported for Internet-based clients.
  • Assessing the need for IPv6/IPv4 network address translation service and ISATAP for internal communication.
  • Determining the number and placement of servers, the certificate services requirements, and location of CRL distribution points.

The IPD Guide for DirectAccess is a member of the Windows 7 Solution Accelerators family that aim to accelerate the planning, deployment and operations of Windows 7.

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Thank you,

Baldwin Ng