DirectAccess is one of the Unified Remote Access components in Celestix’s SecureAccess Solution.

As of today, Microsoft has not announced the End of Life of DirectAccess and based on Microsoft’s standard product life cycle, DirectAccess will be available and supported for many years to come.  Always On VPN has many benefits over the Windows VPN solutions of the past.

Celestix can re-purpose your DirectAccess appliances into an Always on VPN solution, saving budget and resources.

The Celestix SecureAccess appliance provides a more secure, cost-efficient deployment option for both Microsoft DirectAccess and Always On VPN.

The following key improvements align Always On VPN with Microsoft’s cloud-first, mobile-first vision:

Platform Integration: Always On VPN has improved integration with the Windows operating system and third-party solutions to provide a robust platform for countless advanced connection scenarios including support for modern authentication. For example; Windows Hello, MFA, ability to join Azure AD, Azure conditional Access support and support to manage AOVPN via MDM.

Security: Always On VPN has new, advanced security capabilities to restrict the type of traffic, which applications can use the VPN connection, and which authentication methods you can use to initiate the connection. When the connection is active most of the time, it is especially important to secure the connection. Always on VPN uses Industry standard IKEv2 protocol which provides better security and performance over DirectAccess.

VPN Connectivity: Before Always On VPN, the ability to trigger an automatic connection through either user or device authentication was not possible.

Networking control: Always On VPN allows administrators to specify routing policies at a more granular level—even down to the individual application—which is perfect for line-of-business (LOB) apps that require special remote access. Always On VPN is also fully compatible with both Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and version 6 (IPv6). Unlike DirectAccess, there is no specific dependency on IPv6.

Configuration and compatibility: Always On VPN can be deployed and managed several ways, which gives Always On VPN several advantages over the other VPN client software. Easier portability and less complexity than DirectAcesss as Always on VPN does not require NLS or Active Directory.

If you are considering migrating from DirectAccess or deploying an Always On VPN for your organisation Celestix is the right choice.

Contact us now for free proof of concept or pilot deployment of Always On VPN for Windows and other clients. Available in Virtual Appliance and Physical Appliance.