Systems and methods for providing levels of access and action control via an SSL VPN appliance

A system for controlling an action performed by a client on a resource accessed via a virtual private network connection provided by an appliance to a network, the system comprising:

• an appliance providing one or more clients a secure socket layer virtual private network (SSL VPN) connection to a network;
• a client, operated by a user, requesting to perform an action on a resource on a network via the appliance, the client comprising a computing environment, the action comprising one of printing, editing or saving the resource via the SSL VPN connection;
• a collection agent providing to the appliance characteristics of the computing environment;
• a policy engine providing one or more policies for controlling actions by the computing environment;
• and
• wherein the appliance controls, via the SSL VPN connection, whether the computing environment is allowed to perform the requested action on the resource based on application of the one or more policies on the received characteristics and the requested action.

An appliance for controlling an action performed by a client on a resource accessed via a virtual private network connection provided by the appliance to a network, the appliance comprising:

• means for receiving a request from a client operated by a user to perform an action on a resource on a network via a secure socket layer virtual private network (SSL VPN) connection provided by the appliance to the network, the client comprising a computing environment, the action comprising one of printing, editing or saving the resource via the SSL VPN connection;
• means for receiving characteristics of the computing environment from a collection agent;
• means for providing one or more policies controlling actions by the computing environment;
• and
• means for controlling, via the SSL VPN connection, whether the computing environment is allowed to perform the requested action on the resource based on application of the one or more policies on the received characteristics and the requested action.

A method of controlling by an appliance an action performed by a client on a resource accessed via a virtual private network connection provided by the appliance to a network, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) receiving, by an appliance, a request from a client operated by a user to access a resource on a network via a secure socket layer virtual private network (SSL VPN) connection provided by the appliance to the network, the client comprising a computing environment;
• (b) receiving, by the appliance characteristics of the computing environment collected by a collection agent from the client;
• (c) providing, by a policy engine of the appliance, one or more policies for controlling actions by the computing environment based on a type of delivery for the resource from the network;
• and
• (d) controlling, by the appliance via the SSL VPN connection, whether the computing environment is allowed to perform the requested action on the resource via the type of delivery based on-application of the one or more policies on the received characteristics and the requested action.