7/20/2004 -- IPSEC is still used to power a majority of North American VPNs, but a new report from researcher Infonetics Research suggests that rival technologies such as SSL and MPLS are fast gaining ground.

Infonetics projects that that SSL VPN implementations, in particular, will almost double in use by 2006. All told, VPN use is expected to skyrocket over the next two years, at which time “nearly 70 percent of respondents’ mobile workers and telecommuters/day extenders [will] use VPNs,” said Jeff Wilson, a principal analyst with Infonetics, in a statement.
Much of this growth can be attributed to IPSEC alternatives such as SSL and MPLS, Wilson argued: “The two-thirds ceiling that appeared to limit remote access VPNs when IPSec was the main choice is melting away.”

So what’s driving SSL VPN adoption? For starters, organizations are hungry for VPNs that are both easy to use and which feature configurable client software – both drivers topped the list, actually. Other important drivers include the increased deployment of Web-based applications, as well as the fact that an increasing number o fusers are accessing work-related applications and resources from non-company-owned computers.

One surprising upshot of the report is is that fully one-third of mobile workers access their VPNs from 802.11 (Wi-Fi) hotspots. With the use of hotspots projected to grow from 13 percent now to 27 percent in 2006, Infonetics identifies sees a definite upside for W-LAN vendors.

About half of respondents confirmed that QoS and broadband connectivity were important services features. In fact, says Infonetics, half of respondents said that they’d request – and even be willing to pay for – QoS services when deploying real-time applications over VPNs. -Stephen Swoyer