SFWD invested in F5 Networks Inc.'s SSL VPN product FirePass to provide remote access, noted Yu Xiao Li, manager of IT at SFWD. With a total investment of over US$420 million, SFWD has established 18 cooperative joint ventures in China, delivering 3.91 million cubic meters of water per day to more than 10 million people.

With 80 staff often on the road visiting 18 different cities, Yu said providing SSL-VPN access to the corporate applications is essential.

IP-Sec VPN also provides remote access for users, but Yu said SSL-VPN brings better manageability. For starters, no installation is required in client-devices. 'IP-Sec VPN provides access to the entire corporate network once the user's verified,' said Yu. 'But SSL-VPN allows us to configure users' access to only the relevant applications.'

Although the two companies have separate operations and IT teams, SFWD shares office building and some IT resources with Macao Water. The latter also helped SFWD in the assessment process of its SSL-VPN purchase.

During the three-week assessment process, Wong said they tested three different products at the same time. 'User-friendliness and price were other major considerations,' he said.