The good news is that while the Secure Mobility Solution can be complex for network managers, it's a fantastic experience for end users. Think of yourself as throwing yourself on your sword to help everyone who's actually going to use the remote access VPN. No matter what platform we tested — Mac, Windows, and iPhone were in our lab — getting the client installed and operational was simple. If end users liked the old Cisco VPN client, they'll love AnyConnect, which has a modern feel and brings benefits beyond just VPN tunnels.

For example, on the Windows platform, AnyConnect client includes Network Access Manager (NAM), which is a full-fledged supplicant for wired and networks. Since AnyConnect client is meant to be used both on the corporate network and while roaming, integration of 802.1X features lets a single client package handle end-point security and connectivity.

AnyConnect is your network-access control (NAC) client (with 802.1X and end-point security checking, remediation, and enforcement) when in the office, and your VPN client (with IPSec and SSL transports, as well as the same end-point security features) when on the road. Even better, the AnyConnect client can figure out where you are by using a feature called Trusted Network Detection, which looks at domain names and DNS servers being handed out via DHCP. This can help automate the process of choosing whether to use 802.1X and NAC or bring up a VPN tunnel. In our testing using an Enterasys C2 Ethernet switch, Trusted Network Detection and the 802.1X supplicant both worked without any hitches.

It's hard to describe how complete the AnyConnect client experience is without turning this test into a laundry list of features. Cisco has done a good job of covering all the bases, supporting both strict and loose security policies, as well as multiple deployment options (such as pre-installing the client or letting end-users download it from the ASA appliance using a Web browser) and authentication settings (such as whether the VPN client launches before the user logs into Windows or after). We tried a good assortment of these features and found that in this area the AnyConnect client worked as advertised.

We had mixed success with end-point security posture checking. Basic host scanning is included as part of the ASA AnyConnect Premium license, while remediation features (such as forcing an anti-malware update or turning on a desktop firewall) require the Advanced Endpoint Assessment license.