A decade ago, secure remote access was a relatively simple task involving the installation of password/ID control systems on modem dialup ports. For highly secure applications, a two-factor authentication system was more appropriate.

As the 1990s progressed, specialized remote access systems became the norm, adhering to RADIUS and other remote security standards. And then, in the mid-1990s, came the Internet, which changed the whole ballgame. Within a few years, dialup modem connections went out of the window, usually on cost grounds, and in came low-cost TCP/IP connections, either on local dialup modem/ISDN connections, or more recently, leased line/asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) linkups.

Just as the Internet brought much lower costs for remote networking, so it opened up a Pandora's Box of security issues. Suddenly, IT managers had to concern themselves with issues such as two-way Internet security, possible Internet abuse and the whole Internet usage ballgame.

This is where Telemate.net (called NetSpective in UK/Europe) comes into the frame. The package, which is available in four main versions, monitors web activity at most levels, the usage efficiency of each connection, Internet productivity and security, and also allocates costs by usage. It isn't a complete security solution, however, since it does require a firewall to be present on the main host system. To be fair to the company, including a firewall as part of the package would have complicated issues, as well as locking users into one brand or type of firewall applications. For this reason, it is normally sold through firewall resellers, although it can be through other outlets on a standalone basis.

The four main versions of Telemate.net are QuickView, QuickView Plus, Workgroup and Enterprise. Versions are also available with Cisco Voice Manager, through the company's U.S. and European resellers.
As you'd expect from a multi-featured package, each version adds extra functions to the basic feature set, as well as boosting existing facilities - for example, the flagship Enterprise supports two, rather than one, concurrent system administrator accounts. Similarly, QuickView and QuickView Plus support the Microsoft data engine (MSDE), which limits the database size to one gigabyte - the two high-end versions support other database formats as well, allowing for almost unlimited database sizes.

All versions support international features, such as multi-currency costing, and, despite the 'pigeon-holing' of users into the four versions, there are various modular add-ons available, making for a fully customizable environment.

While the Internet features of the software are almost over-the-top - and could confuse a less experienced IT/communications manager, the telephone audit features are pretty much in line with the competition. More importantly, however, Telemate.net provides IT and communications managers with a complete overview of their organizations' communications usage, with drill-down options for the resultant data.

The package creates user or department bills for telephone and other communications usage, allowing audit-style control over costs. The two QuickView versions support up to 10 reports and multiple data sources using the MSDE database format. Workgroup and Enterprise versions, meanwhile, support up to 77 and 103 reports, respectively, and include an MS-SQL Server 7 database as standard. The Enterprise version also includes Crystal Reports Professional and other high-end applications as standard.

Installing the software requires a host PC (Pentium II-300 or faster) with 128Mb of RAM and about the same amount of free hard disk space. This is basic stuff for a firewall-protected environment, although it is worth noting that we managed to install the software on an Acer 500MHz notebook with just 64Mb of RAM (under Win98). The software is ideally suited to a WindowsNT 4.0 server with SP4, but will also run under Windows 95/98. The latest version of the software will run under Windows 2000.

Installing the software is painless enough, using the supplied CD-ROM, and user support is excellent via the package's documentation, web site and telephone support lines. You will also need Adobe Acrobat (4.0 or later) plus Microsoft's Internet Explorer (4.01 or later) to be present on your host machine. Setting up the package is tricky, to say the least, as it can interfere with some of your IT security applications such as Norton Internet Security and BlackICE Defender, so you will have to turn these applications off. In fact, to install reliably, Telemate.net tells us that users will have to turn off most third-party applications whilst installing and configuring the package. Since this is a relatively lengthy process, taking around 30 minutes or so and requires a live IP connection to the host PC, this is a worrying issue.

Curiously, whilst the package is being installed, users have the option of setting up an organizational directory. Since this is a fundamental feature of the software, we were surprised at users being allowed to install and configure the package without this function being made mandatory.

Once installed, the software runs well, but, like many U.S.-developed applications, many of its features are distinctly U.S. in nature, and may be quite foreign to European and Asia Pacific users. For example, the software has a facility for short code dial-around services such as MCI/Worldcom and Sprint. Short codes are the norm now for long distance calling in Europe, but the approach of the software requires a manual set-up for non-U.S. LD short codes.

Given that level 1xx and 1xxx numbers are used for engineering diagnostic and support functions in many European countries, we think that supporting all dial-around codes outside the U.S. is a potentially dangerous problem. For example, many older PABX barring systems can be circumvented by dialing a short code (e.g. 1741 in the U.K.) that meters on connection. Users can then flash the receiver rests or press recall, and dial-on to almost any destination, including premium rate numbers.

This is bad news for any organization with a PABX dating from the 1970s, but Telemate.net should be capable of picking up on such calls. In fact, its own supervisory functions may be bypassed using lengthy strings of dialing codes - which we cannot list for obvious reasons. This suggests that the company needs to look more closely at hacker approaches to bypassing PABXs. The Internet side of the package is superb but the telecommunications side needs to be tweaked to reach the same level.
 

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