Unleashing the real power of device management tools by adding secure reach of management ports of important  equipment located inside the most sensitive part of a company network, adding guaranteed availability via OUT-OF-BAND alternative access paths, InfraReach gives users a centralized environment that makes remote control and management of devices fully secure, more cost-saving, more practical and faster than ever.

InfraReach is the first professional implementation of an integrated system for secure remote control and management of any infrastructural element. The main goal of the design is to give users the power to create and control a secure path between two points: a target device in the infrastructure and an operational workstation of a technician in order to allow him to use any standard management tools in full security and company management control. Further more InfraReach can provide sophisticated extra services that allow to the technician to gain full remote control of the device including Power control to switch on/off a device that has halted, direct serial/LAN console access to control reboot and configuration reload processes, alternative path access (OUT OF BAND) in case the device is responsible for the functionality of the main network access and it has failed bringing down the network as a whole. Further more the product can provide complete status information on the monitored equipment can enable the safe management of technician's operational capabilities with the possibility of defining forbidden operation for individual technician and can add as well session recording of all activities performed on the serviced devices.

Leveraging on IPPower's Secure Connectivity Services technology, InfraReach gives the ability to remotely and securely manage PBXes,  Routers, PCs, Servers,  UPSes and any custom devices disregarding of the devices' position and whether the principal network connectivity is available or not (OUT-OF-BAND access).

How it works

An Infranode unit deployed next to the remote device to control operates as the hardware long hand of the InfraReach operational platform. An InfraNode can connect locally to any kind of device via multiple Ethernet, RS-232 serial, mains power and/or sensing interfaces (contact, voltage, temperature and humidity available). This way the InfraNodes can collect data , issue configuration commands to the device and control its power on/off status.

Smoothly integrating with the existing network infrastructure, the InfraNodes make use of IPPower's Secure Connectivity Services to connect via a central security and connectivity server, the InfraReachServer, to any requesting maintenance officer with the easy and speed of a web based interface in full security.

The connection with the InfraNode on the technician side is managed by the InfraClient, an application that runs on the user’s PC and takes care of creating the secure channel between the computer and the controller. The InfraNode and InfraClient use a 1024bit RSA authentication key that guarantees the user’s identity and the safe exchange of critical session key: for maximum security the key can be  stored on a USB dongle to avoid any possibility of electronic identity theft. Furthermore the usage/access to the key is protected by a personal pass phrase.

Use your tools

Remote devices become available through a highly encrypted communication pipe as if they were local, disregarding of the distance and of the type of interface necessary to perform the maintenance. Standard device management tools (e.g. Cisco Manager, VNC/RDC/PcAnywhere, serial terminals or any other) can be used to operate the device as usual: since the secure remote connection is completely open and transparent to the operating system and running software, no change in working methods is required and total compatibility of the InfraReach service is guaranteed to all market’s management tools.

In addition, for working environments where multiple serial device configuration is common, the InfraReach Virtual Serial functionality allows the creation of an unlimited number of virtual COM ports on the management PC: this way, management tools supporting multiple serial connections can concurrently operate many devices speeding up work and reducing incongruence errors.

Unlimited capability and availability

The multiple interface capability of IP Power Technologies’s remote controllers adds value to the extended secure reach of the InfraReach service.

On the device’s side, the exclusive console and power control functionalities allow operators to perform emergency interventions on devices (even in the case of routers) when the standard network connection is unavailable (by issuing direct console commands) or when the remote device is completely frozen (by powering it down and then up). The device programmability via Web Buildable Scripts (WBS) allows to create new functions in a matter of minutes by writing directly into the InfraReachServer WEB interface scripts in standard 'C' language that will run as interpreted code on the Infranode's. For instance a remote device daily configuration backup activity on the central server can be programmed in a matter of minutes. Of course such functions are already available for the most common devices as for instance Cisco routers.

On the network’s side, the controllers’ MultiPath technology supports both IN-BAND connections using the managed device's normal connectivity path and OUT-OF-BAND connectivity with automatic network failover via PSTN modem or even GSM/GPRS connection thus making the remote devices always reachable and available, no matter what happens to the principal connectivity.

Competitive advantage

Case studies demonstrate that embracing InfraReach’s technology leads to a dramatic reduction in expenses for infrastructure management. Making local access unnecessary, less traveling by the technicians is needed with a direct impact on costs.

At the same time, no significant training costs are reported thanks to the complete support of standard management tools: complementing the existing tools, InfraReach doesn’t require users to acquire new working methods and never cuts down on functionalities. On the other hand, InfraReach’s own management operations, all performed through an easy to use web interface, usually require little-to-zero training.

Finally, the centralized management approach can, for large companies, concentrate resources and know-how giving maximum efficiency and flexibility to working environment or, on the other hand, can unbind professionals and small groups allowing new kinds of remote working.