Absolute Secure Access Gets the Karlsruhe Public Transport System Going
Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe GmbH (VBK) has been offering attractive public transport for many decades as a cost-effective and ecologically sensible alternative to individual transport. With around 1,300 employees, a close-knit network of routes stretches from the Rhine to the high-altitude districts, on which modern trams and buses offer a frequent service almost around the clock. In addition to the pure transport services, VBK also has large building yards, workshops and an efficient IT department that also provides IT services for the subsidiary, Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft mbH and the Karlsruhe Transport Association.
Improve Connectivity for a Distributed Workforce
Ensuring seamless, secure, and reliable connectivity is one of the tasks of the 30-person IT department at VBK. Stability and bandwidth are important because the employees use SAP from the municipal data center, for example. For a few years, a tailor-made solution from a classic security provider in the form of a firewall VPN was used, followed by the implementation of Microsoft‘s DirectAccess VPN, which didn’t meet functionality expectations, was unstable, and proved to be complex to use and maintain. The decision was made to procure a modern solution for secure connectivity.
In the beginning we carried out a proof of concept with Absolute Secure Access, then rolled out a small deployment that is continuously growing and expanding. The solution is easily scalable and very easy to install.
How They Did It
Secure Remote Access Enhances User Experience
Absolute Secure Access came off best in an evaluation because of its seamless roaming and always-on connectivity. The fact that it is extremely stable and very easy to use resulted in minimal effort for both IT administrators and end users.
Our approximately 400 administrative employees use the Absolute Secure Access technology constantly - whether in the on-site office, in the home office or on the move.
Expanding the Modern Secure Access Solution
VBK is currently in the process of expanding the use of Absolute Secure Access to additional functional areas outside of administration. The plan is to install the solution in maintenance and in other departments on around 1,000 clients. In the final expansion stage, Absolute Secure Access should run on all mobile devices from VBK and AVG, including the tablets of the train drivers.
For VBK, Absolute Secure Access:
- Eliminates the need for users to manually start the VPN and authenticate.
- Manages data connection independently and ensures a seamless and high-performance connection.
- Provides a user-friendly and low-maintenance solution, both as a client and as a server.
- Creates the prerequisites for seamless, secure, and reliable connectivity across the entire company and a successful path into the future with the use of Absolute Secure Access’ SDP functionality.
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