I am looking for options on how to connect 5 branch offices [in 3 separate states, OH, PA & FL] to Corp Hdqts in NY.
Presently, we have no connectivity in place other than connecting via a dialup line an PCAnywhere.
At each branch is a LAN with a Novell NetWare 4.11 server for file and print services. To connect to the internet, only 1 or 2 users have access via dialup modems and AOL accounts.
Corporate hdqts is connected to the internet via a DSL line. The data center that is located here has a Novell NetWare 4.11 server running GroupWise 5.5, 3 NT 4.0 servers running Citrix [for corp use only], Great Plains and SQL Server 2000.
As we are a home health care organization, we need to comply with HIPAA regualtions and the WAN has to be secure.
And being we are a small company we cannot afford some of the higher priced solutions available such as managed private network solutions.
I have been looking into connecting the offices to the internet and using a VPN. To say that I have read a lot is an understatement and to say that I am still confused is another one.
I have read about Novell’s BorderManager as a possibility.
We also have users working from home at each site, who connect to their PCs at the office via PCAnywhere and dialup modems.
As previously mentioned, I am looking to tie us all together and give remote users access to their office LANs. When this is completed, we will be pushing applications to each site via Citrix and replacing the currently used DOS based app that they use in house for time/billing with an windows based, perhaps web-based, application. Each site will access the internet via corporate hdqts.
Thanks in advance for all your responses.
Rich