Remote Access

Remote access is frequently used by large corporations, small offices, telecommunications, and by traveling individuals that require a connection to a particular network. Home users with high-speed internet service have remote access to a service provider. The process also refers to dial-up connections through a basic or DSL modem via telephone line. Remote access can also be attainted using a dedicated line between a remote local area network and a central local area network. While a dedicated line is much more expensive and not as flexible, it provides faster data transfer rates. The ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is another example of remote access. It combines the dial-up method with faster data transfer rates. A remote access server plays a huge role in the connectivity process. Also known as the communication server, it is usually associated with a firewall server for added protection, along with a router that forwards the request to according sections of the central network. The remote access server normally works with a modem pool manager to allow a group of modems to share signals among several users.