What is the the most secure remote access solution for publishing SharePoint servers? You probably think this is a loaded question, since we spend so much time on this site pointing out that the ISA firewall is the most secure network firewall solution on the market today. However, in the case of secure Web Publishing for SharePoint servers, we have to give the prize to IAG 2007.

IAG 2007 is for remote access only. Unlike the ISA firewall, which can secure both inbound and outbound connections for all protocols, the IAG is the remote access Web publishing solution of choice when security is of critical importance. Yes, you can publish SharePoint sites using the ISA firewall, and you’ll end up with a secure solution that demonstrates that you’ve put in the requisite due diligence to secure the site. But if you’re looking at the 5th sigma in SharePoint publishing security, then you’re going to need to move beyond the ISA firewall and consider bringing in an IAG 2007 SSL VPN gateway to provide the ultimate level of security you desire.

To help you get up to speed on configuring secure remote access to SharePoint site, Microsoft has put together a great collection of documents to get you up to speed. You can find these at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc512790.aspx

For more information about publishing SharePoint with IAG, check out the Meir Mendelovich’s excellent article at http://blogs.technet.com/edgeaccessblog/default.aspx

HTH,

Tom

Thomas W Shinder, M.D., MCSE
Sr. Consultant / Technical Writer
Prowess Consulting www.prowessconsulting.com
PROWESS CONSULTING documentation | integration | virtualization
Email: tshinder@isaserver.org
MVP — Forefront Edge Security (ISA/TMG/IAG)