VPN vs. Hosted Solution

[Jerry Wilson]

I am wondering what is your opinion on these options. Is it better to have a VPN where you have everything you need once you connect. A hosted solution seems like it eliminates even the need for a VPN. So why does anyone use them? Why not just get a hosted setup?

[OUTBREAK]

It actually depends on a lot of things. We have some special software and systems used in our line of work which is manufacturing. All the orders and tracking are done in an old DOS-like system that runs on an IBM AS400. Due to the way the software works we cannot or at least easily move that to a data center or hosted solution. The printers used to print up jobs in the factory are proprietary and don't work in things like Citrix.

Our only real solution is an SSL VPN using Cisco Anyconnect to have users VPN and remote desktop to their machines to use the software. So for us, VPN was our only option because of how our software works. On a more modern system it would probably work fine, but we are stuck in the stone age because our owner doesnt want to upgrade the system.