I have blogged previously about how to deploy an SSH-based VPN solution to offer remote control of corporate resources from 'untrusted' PCs safely (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/deploying-ssh-based-vpn-solution). Should you need to, it is possible to access remote hosts from an Android device via VNC using a free SSH client and VNC viewer such as ConnectBot and AndroidVNC, both available from the Android Market.

To initiate the connection to the SSH server, download and install ConnectBot. When launched, you can enter in the details of the SSH server to be connected to:

I have blogged previously about how to deploy an SSH-based VPN solution (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/deploying-ssh-based-vpn-solution) enabling safe remote control of corporate assets without needing to worry about the health status of the machine doing the remote controlling.
It is possible to access the same SSH VPN server from an iPhone device using the iSSH application.

iSSH is not free, it must be purchased via the iTunes App Market, but once installed configuration is quick and simple and works via both WiFi and 3G connections.

I have written before about troubleshooting VPN connections from mobile devices should you experience problems (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/troubleshooting-mobile-vpn-connections), but it has cropped up a number of times recently so I thought another post might help to better understand what the options are in terms of operator services and which is right for you based on your VPN infrastructure.

Configuring and deploying VPN remote access solutions can be a complicated and time-consuming, not to mention expensive, exercise. For companies looking to provide a simple, inexpensive, secure remote access solution to staff, then an SSH-based VPN may be the answer.

Release 1.6 of the Android platform, aka Donut, included support for PPTP, L2TP and IPSec-based VPN connections.
This article will give an overview of where to find the settings governing VPN connections, what connection settings are required, and how to install and select certificates.

VPN settings are located in the Settings menu under Settings --> Wireless Controls --> VPN Settings:

The following types of VPN connection are supported:

OpenVPN is a free, open source SSL-based virtual private networking solution that I have posted about previously (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/openvpn). Although it is possible to configure access to an OpenVPN server from a Mac manually, and there are free GUI-based clients available, such as Tunnelblick (http://code.google.com/p/tunnelblick/), these require that you create the connection script manually and have a working knowledge of how the OpenVPN server has been deployed.

MacOS 10.6, or Snow Leopard, features an integrated Cisco VPN client, able to connect to an IPSec Cisco VPN appliance.

To configure the VPN client, open the System Preferences and select Network. Click on the + symbol to add a new connection:

Select VPN as the Interface type, and Cisco IPSec as the VPN type. Enter a name for the connection and click Create:

I have blogged about the terminal services capabilities of Microsoft Server 2008 on previous, now defunct, blog sites and as it came up in a support call today I thought it was worth resurrecting my old article.

It is common knowledge these days that with a Microsoft Windows Mobile-based PDA it is possible to get your email, contacts and calendar information pushed directly to your handheld if you are running Microsoft Exchange in the office, can open and edit attachments and re-send them on. But what if you need to access files on the local file server directly?

OpenVPN (http://openvpn.net) is a fully-featured SSL VPN solution.
OpenVPN can be used to provide secure remote access to field workers, can provide site-to-site VPN links or can be used to secure a private wireless network: if you can think of an application for a VPN solution, OpenVPN can probably accommodate it.

The OpenVPN server software can be installed on Linux, Windows (2000 or later), Solaris or MacOS and there are clients available for an even wider range of platforms, including Windows Mobile.