Demand Logic launches new secure remote access service
Last month, we successfully launched DL Connect, our brand new secure remote access service. Brought forward, in part, as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown, our new service allows our clients to remotely access their Building Management Systems (BMS) through a virtual and secure network. The forced move to remote monitoring has resulted in changes to how our clients manage their buildings, with unforeseen risks in terms of accessing building data using home-based internet supply.
Crucially, DL Connect will enable our clients to access their BMS at each site, where possible, and provides read and write access to make changes and act on the insight from our platform analytics. It has been built on top of our existing infrastructure providing a separate, secure, remote access service to our clients. The design is based on OpenSSH, a suite of secure networking utilities which provide a secure channel in client-server architecture. OpenSSH is a trusted and well-audited remote access service.
There has been media coverage of the risks of back-door access to internal building systems with some notable data breaches and system failures. We have seen some of the causes of this first hand, with BMS directly exposed to the internet using port forwarding and other highly insecure practices.
The DL Connect design uses strong, state-of-the-art cryptographic methods for authentication and encryption, so our clients have the reassurance that their building data and systems are secure. For added security, each site must be individually enabled for DL Connect and each user-site-target combination must be individually permitted. Any TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) service is suitable for DL Connect, including remote desktop services, web interfaces, and BMS engineering ports.
Remote access to BMS is crucial for property and facilities managers to have more awareness and control over the functions of their buildings while they are working remotely. DL Connect’s dashboard has a building scorecard clearly displayed, with useful tools that are easy to locate, and details of who to contact for support.
If you are a properties and facilities manager who wants convenience without compromising on security, get in touch.
