Data Security beyond VPNs: Why Smart Routing is a safer and faster alternative for your cellular IoT connections

You require the data from your cellular-enabled IoT devices to be delivered directly to your data center without exposure to the Internet. Most mobile carriers will offer you a site-to-site IPSec VPN, and that’s sufficient – it gets the job done. This approach is no longer an industry standard. Businesses prioritizing data security should switch to flexible, well-designed private APNs with robust routing. This strategic decision enhances security and overall efficiency.

The Foundation: Private APNs, with No NAT, No Port Blocking.

There’s so much more than just VPNs, that will make your project more robust and easier to manage. Private APNs provide transparent access to the device from a centralized infrastructure you operate, which means: No NAT and No Port blocking.

Advantages of using Private APNs for Data Security:

• Security: Devices are not visible on the Internet
• Scalability: You will not require public IPs, which are scarce resources (in IPv4)
• Interoperability: It works with non-VPN capable devices as it is all operated directly from the mobile carrier’s network to your VPN Gateway.

Beyond the APN, Transatel supports multiple interconnect methods:

• IPSec VPN, as described above, with 2 tunnels or 4 for higher resiliency,
• Cross Connect and leased lines, physical links between the mobile network’s edge and your private network,
• Direct Connect to Amazon Web Services,
• DataCenter Fabric (such as within Equinix’s data centers)

Over these interconnects, the data routing may be operated in several ways:

• Using “full” routing
  This means that all the data traffic comes straight from the mobile network’s edge to your data center.

• Using “split” routing
  “Split routing,” also known as “Y” routing, offers significant benefits. With this approach, the mobile operator sets up predefined subnets, each directed to a specific destination of your choice. For each subnet, any destination other than the one you’ve defined goes where you want us to deliver it: either blocked or routed to the Internet via our regional Internet access.

With Transatel, your remote devices are in your control

Did you know that Transatel has been enabling its clients to switch from one route to the other with a single click on its SIM management portal, with no need to change the APN on the device itself?

This streamlined process helps you avoid potential issues associated with remote device management. Whether it’s transitioning from ‘production’ to ‘test’ environments or switching between cloud services like Amazon Web Services and Azure, you can accomplish it effortlessly, managing SIM by SIM or your entire fleet collectively.

With Transatel, you are in control.