Web Access
Corporate Pro Online

System Requirements & Security

Introduction

This document describes the system requirements needed to run the CORPORATE Pro application on the client side and the security that is provided by the server that hosts the application and data. It also discusses the different encryption methods that can be used by the system to secure the data traveling over the Internet.

Client Operating Systems

CORPORATE Pro Online can be accessed from virtually any client device using any type of network connection including LAN, WAN, cable and dial-up. Because the client does not download the application to the client device, application performance is not limited by bandwidth or device performance. The application can be run on Windows, Macintosh, UNIX, Linux, EPOC, Windows CE, DOS, and Java Operating Systems. Additionally, the client can be used with Web browsers that support ActiveX controls or Netscape plug-ins.

Citrix ICA Client

CORPORATE Pro Online uses the Citrix Web Client (XenApp Client) to access the application server. The XenApp Client can be downloaded from Citrix.com and is easily installed on the client machine. There is a different version of the Web Client depending on the operating system the client is using. TaxSation Inc. will work with each customer to setup the Citrix Client for each user.

Security Levels

The Citrix Web Client is FIPS 140 compliant using end-to-end 128-bit encryption, supports Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or the newer Transport Layer Security (TLS), and includes support for two-factor authentication mechanisms such as Smart Cards, Biometric Devices and SecurID Hardware Tokens. It also supports certificate revocation checking. Certificate revocation checking is only supported on clients running Windows XP/Vista/7 or Windows 2000. If the customer wants to use two-factor authentication methods to identify the user, TaxSation will support the customer with the configuration of the client. The minimum security level used will be end-to-end 128-bit encryption using TSL or SSL.

Encryption

The maximum certificate key length (in bits) is determined by the cryptographic module service provider and the operating system. For Windows operating systems, the Web Client uses certificates stored in the operating system certificate store. For most other operating systems, the Web Client uses certificates bundled with the Client. The Web access method includes a server-side SSL certificate.

Application Servers

The CORPORATE Pro application is housed on a Citrix Metaframe XP server farm with dual 3.06 GHz Xeon processors, 4 gigabytes of RAM and mirrored SCSI hard drives. A firewall is installed between the servers and the Internet and only one port is used to access the servers from the outside. The servers are housed in a secure room with access by TaxSation authorized personnel only. Each customer has its own VPN with access only to the data folder through the CORPORATE Pro application. Each user must login to the Citrix Client to gain access to the CORPORATE Pro application and it is the only application that is available to them on the server. The servers are backed up daily using a 10-tape rotation system with daily offsite storage of tapes. Mirrored hard drives ensure that system restoration will be almost immediate in the event of disk failures. The servers are monitored 24/7 to maintain maximum uptime.

Performance of the system is monitored frequently and additional servers and bandwidth are added when it is necessary to do so. The application and all client data are stored on the server for optimal performance. Prior year data files can only be installed on the server by TaxSation personnel. Users cannot copy files directly to the server.

Client System Requirements

The recommended system configuration for running the CORPORATE Pro software over the Internet is as follows:

• Any client device that uses the Windows XP or newer operating system
• Any high-speed Internet connection
• Although a high-speed Internet connection is recommended, the software will perform fine using a dialup connection. Of course, the Citrix Client can be installed on just about any operating system. The reason the Windows operating system is recommended is because Windows has built-in support for SSL, TSL and certificate revocation.