A Guide to Technology,
Products, and Deployment
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Internet @ppliance Industry Report: A Guide to Technology, Products, and Deployment |
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Role of Internet Appliance Technologies
in Enterprise and Small Business Networks
To make it easier for you to match this wide range of appliance features to your
own needs, we have constructed several common scenarios. These illustrate how
different user requirements can be satisfied through different kinds and
combinations of Internet appliances
You'd like to allow remote office workers dial into
your corporate network, but don't want to set up Windows NT or UNIX
servers for this task (communications). You'd also like to have
the ability to support a virtual private network or setup other
network security applications (network security).
You want to set up your own web-based storefront, but don't have the time,
tools, or inclination to wade through many different products and their
incompatibilities. You'd like a single vendor solution that is simple to
set up, secure, and will take care of electronic payments as well (web,
eCommerce, communications, network security).
You are an ISP or web hosting provider and wish to offer individual web hosts
for your customers (web). You'd like something simple that can be setup
quickly, that's secure, and doesn't require a great deal of support and
configuration. You'll deploy web appliances behind your own firewall and
border router or behind communications and network security appliances.
Your department or corporation needs to create an Intranet and you
don't want to use an existing Windows or UNIX server for this
purpose (web, Internet applications). You may also need additional
storage and don't want to open up an existing file server to add
disk capacity (network storage). Finally, you may also want to
use firewalls to set up secure communities of interest (network security).
Your small business needs economical shared access to the Internet (communications). You'd
like run common services like email locally (Internet applications). You may even
want to put up your own company web site, and use a firewall to protect the rest of your
resources from outside access (web, network security).
Your home is fortunate enough to be located in an area served by one
or more high-speed digital access technology, including digital subscriber
line (DSL), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), or cable modems.
You'd like to buy a device that can securely connect one or more home
computers to the Internet and take advantage of these high-bandwidth
connections (communications, network security).
Many of today's companies are composed of far-flung empires, with
several branch offices scattered across many time zones. Ideally,
you'd like to put the same appliance in each remote office, supporting
email and web services and firewall and other security and Internet
applications. Because you have a small centralized IS staff, you don't
want to have to spend a great deal of time supporting these remote
users.You want equipment that is easy to setup by novice users and can
be maintained remotely (Internet applications, communications). But you
want to do so securely by applying appropriate firewall and
VPN services network security).
The following chart shows the correspondence between our product categories
and the requirements implied by each of these scenarios. This chart may help
you purchase the best Internet appliance (or combination of appliances)
to meet your own needs.
| Scenario/Category | Web, eCommerce | Network FileShare | Internet Applications | Comm Appliance | Network Security |
| Teleworker |  |
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| ISP Hosting | |
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| Storefronts | |
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| Branch Office Access | |
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| Workgroup Servers | |
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| Small Business Internet Access | |
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| High-speed Residential Access | |
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In the evaluations that follow, we identify the scenarios that we feel
represent the most appropriate use for each appliance. We describe how to
install, configure, and use each product, based on our own hands-on
testing. We tell you what we liked - and what we found lacking. The
products evaluated here are diverse and illustrate a cross-section of
services available in appliances today.
Copyright ©1998 1999 Core Competence, Inc. and David Strom, Inc.
No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
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or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
All Rights Reserved