Smoothwall VPN - Remote Desktop - Home Printers...?

[abillybob]

Hi All

 

So we have a setup here where some users connect to the internal network from home by using Smoothwall's OpenVPN Client. They connect fine but we currently use terminal servers that the users then remote into from their home computers using remote desktop.

 

Is there an easy way to use their own home printer so that when remoted in on the server they can see their printer and print to it from our server? I was thinking about redirection although if the computer in question is being used with a VPN the laptop wouldn't then be connected locally to their printer and thus couldn't be redirected?

 

I'm confused any help would be most appreciated. They reckon this has worked before but apart from using a USB cable and printer redirection I can't see ho this will work! Correct me if I'm wrong!

 

Thanks

[mikkydoos]

Surely this would do it.....

 

 

 

Although if they have a wireless printer it might get confused between subnets ?? Not sure.

[foofighterjim]

I would be actively discouraging this practice, it would be far too easy for something confidential to be printed at home and seen by people who shouldn't see it. You could make the argument that this could be covered by staff awareness / training but it is simply a hole that doesn't need to be there. As per the image @mikkydoos has put up printers and clipboard are definite no no's for a remote connection in my book.

[mikkydoos]

I would be actively discouraging this practice, it would be far too easy for something confidential to be printed at home and seen by people who shouldn't see it. You could make the argument that this could be covered by staff awareness / training but it is simply a hole that doesn't need to be there. As per the image @mikkydoos has put up printers and clipboard are definite no no's for a remote connection in my book.

 

@foofighterjim

 

I kind of agree but its no different to a VPN/RD and a USB stick or emailing documents to oneself.

 

I certainly agree, why allow printing at home in the first place... big issue.

Incidentally, I allow neither, end to end encryption or nothing and heavily locked down policies.

 

 

 

Just posted a simple solution to what the OP wanted.

[foofighterjim]

I kind of agree but its no different to a VPN/RD and a USB stick or emailing documents to oneself.

 

In my eyes access to any local resource is dangerous as things can be printed, moved or copied by accidently or deliberately. You could justify that emailing documents is a deliberate act and the user is fully aware of what they are doing but you would be ruling the accidental angle. As far as data protection goes we have to mitigate the accidental element as much as possible, deliberate acts you can't always do much about but at least the onus is on the user at that point.

[abillybob]

Cheers guys! Most appreciated. I don't think the above will work @mikkydoos as they are wireless/networked printers! I'll give it a go at some point though and see what I can make of it.

 

I'm of the same impression but I've only worked here 3 weeks now and it's a business so they need to be able to remote in from home. I think a VPN even though not totally fool proof is the most secure method at this time. Thanks for the info though!

[roc1479]

Yes to be able to print on their home printers you'd have to be sure printers are redirected on the RDS host. Just be aware that if your RDS host does not have a driver for their device, that may cause problems for you.

Also, 1 thing I've learned about RDS, the less printers you have on it, the better.

[MatthewL]

I'd restrict users from printing at home, if they need to print they can send it to a printer within school i.e. follow me print and its ready for when they come into school and if using the likes of PaperCut you know exactly what has been printed by who and where.