I am the part time IT tech for a business that has 4 remote offices (with 2 users at each location) and a home office with 4 users. Each location has DSL with dynamic IPs and a Linksys router / firewall at each office. The PCs are win 98 and XP pro, in workgroups. Each office is totally independant - no connectivity / WAN between the offices - they just email files back and forth, if need be.
They bought an SQL database app that the vendor says doesn't need a VPN between the offices (and just as well, the client doesn't want to spend the money anyway). They are telling me to open port 1433 at the home office and set up the server machine (XP pro desktop running MSDE - microsoft SQL Desktop Edition) with a static internal IP address so the remote ofices can connect to the4 sql database at the oome office. I'll also need to set up dynamic dns so the other offices can find the home office on the web... I can do all of that. But realisitically, what is our exposure doing that?
My understanding is there's 2 issues?
1 is that the data between offices is not encrypted - someone with a sniffer app could read the data. realisitically, does that happen? This isn't a big issue. The client says it's an administrivia app - how many widgets are in each office, etc. nothing business confidential, no credit cards, social security, names, etc. totally benign data.
but 2 - someone can come into the LAN on that port 1433. But is that an issue? We'd use a complex password on the sql app - upper/lower case letters, numbers, symbols.
What is our exposure to someone hacking in through that port? Any thoughts on go / no go for this process? Sure, VPN - a watchguard box at the home office and the 1 pc at each field office that needs to get in uses a software VPN client, is the 'right' way. But overkill? unnecessary?
the app will not see much use / traffic coming in over the web - an hour at most during the day. On the LAN side, more use for reports, etc. but overall, a lightly used app - harder to pitch a $1500 solution (does that sound right for a VPN setup at the 4 remote, 1 home office) for an app that won't be used much....
thanks!
