Netifice announces VPN enhancements, new customer

Netifice Communications today announced enhancements to its managed virtual private network products and a major new customer in Solvay Pharmaceuticals of Marietta, Ga.

The enhancements enable the service provider’s SmartWorX VPN monitoring and management tool to use a new Applications Programming Interface (API) to customize their VPN management, as well as to do ebonding with access provider networks for a more seamless service.

"We have been adding functionality to the service over time, and every time we add a new product, some kind of new reports go into the mix [of SmartWorX]," said Greg Davis, Netifice' vice president of marketing and product management. "The enhanced reorganizes what is there and also enhances reporting."

While the Netifice service is a managed service offering, many customers like to take a hands-on approach to their core service, Davis said. "With this enhancement, they can see their entire network in a single view and then drill down from there," he says. "It’s been streamlined so it is even easier for customers to monitor and measure their own network. Companies will be able to go out and see exactly what that user has at a given location--what kind of circuit, what kind of router, what’s the provisioning history, the availability of mean-time-to-response, the [Network Operations Center] engineer’s notes, the provisioner’s notes, everything they need to research a particular site."

The new API allows customers to integrate XML applications into SmartWorX, so that things such as Enterprise Resource Planning tools can be mapped into the system.

"When you hire a new employee and the HR person fills out a certain amount of info, it feeds right into SmartWorks, and you don’t have to upload a database or spread sheet," Davis said.

As Netifice has expanded the number of access providers with which it works, ebonding has become more important so that customer sides can be prequalified and provisioning can be automated, he added.

Solvay will use the Netifice Workforce Connect service to link more than 1000 field employees to the corporate headquarters so they can access applications including customer relationship management and sales support more quickly than is currently possible with dial-up access.

Solvay is typical of many businesses today, said Davis, in that the company wants to connect its employees in a way that allows them to operate more efficiently but doesn’t require massive infrastructure or IT support staff.

"There are two approaches to connecting remote employees," he said. "One is where the company tries to deploy a managed solution, the other is where they tell employees to get their own access. If they do that, the company doesn’t have the info it needs to support the users."

By going with a managed approach, the company can use "the same brand of CPE, with consistent firmware and configuration," making remote support easier to provide, Davis said.