Windows DirectAccess and BranchCache Updated

Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 include improvements to DirectAccess, an automated and secure method of connecting remote Windows clients to Windows Server networks, and BranchCache, a means of optimizing data transfer between data center servers and branch offices. The improvements remove many of the deployment barriers for these features. However, both features require premium editions of Windows 7 or 8.

DirectAccess

DirectAccess enables remote Windows 7 and Windows 8 users to connect to a corporate network with the same level of services and support that they would have if physically connected from their offices. DirectAccess automatically creates a bidirectional connection to a Windows Server similar to a virtual private network (VPN) whenever the Windows client computer connects to the Internet. The advantages of this bidirectional connection include the following:

• The connection is initialized and started without any user interaction or additional network client software