IBM MaaS360 VPN module

The IBM® MaaS360® VPN module is a VPN solution that allows users to access their corporate network from an iOS or Android device.

How the module works

You install the IBM MaaS360 VPN server on a Windows Server that is on your corporate network. Users install the IBM MaaS360 VPN app on their iOS or Android device, and use the app on their device to connect to the corporate network. The IBM MaaS360 VPN module supports the following devices.
  • iOS 9.0 and later
  • Android L and later

IBM MaaS360 VPN components

The IBM MaaS360 VPN module requires the following components.
  • IBM MaaS360 Cloud Extender®

    Cloud Extender is the delivery and maintenance mechanism for the IBM MaaS360 VPN server. The IBM MaaS360 VPN server is designed as a Cloud Extender module that you deploy and then configure from the Cloud Extender Configuration Tool.

  • IBM MaaS360 VPN server

    You install the IBM MaaS360 VPN server on your corporate network and assign a public IP address or DNS name to the server so that clients can connect to the server from the Internet. You can install the VPN server as a stand-alone server or as a member of a cluster in High Availability (HA) mode.

    To support many devices, you can install the IBM MaaS360 VPN module on more than one server and use a DNS load balanced URL.

  • IBM MaaS360 VPN apps

    IBM MaaS360 VPN apps are available for iOS or Android. You configure the iOS or Android MDM policy to use the VPN apps. The VPN apps use client identity certificates that are issued by the IBM MaaS360 Portal to authenticate with the server. You do not need to enter a user password to connect to the VPN. You configure the IBM MaaS360 VPN for all apps to connect to the VPN.

  • IBM MaaS360 platform
    The IBM MaaS360 platform enables the IBM MaaS360 VPN solution. The MaaS360 platform functions as follows.
    • Enables the IBM MaaS360 VPN service and pushes the IBM MaaS360 VPN module to the Cloud Extender.
    • Stores VPN configuration for usage and policies on the MaaS360 platform.
    • Generates and distributes client identity certificates for IBM MaaS360 VPN authentication.
    • Publishes data for compliance checks for IBM MaaS360 VPN access.
    • Reports on IBM MaaS360 VPN servers installed in the corporate network.

IBM MaaS360 VPN architecture

The following diagram illustrates the IBM MaaS360 VPN architecture.
VPN architecture