WindowsSecurity.com article explaining DirectAccess in Windows 7…
Death of VPN: “The virtual private network (VPN) was an exciting remote networking innovation; it allows remote users to connect to a private local area network (LAN) across the Internet, instead of having to dial directly in to a remote access server. By creating an encrypted tunnel, the VPN provides a way to communicate securely through the public network. However, the traditional VPN has a few drawbacks: it can be slow and is not seamless for users, and some networks, such as those provided by hotels, block VPN traffic.
DirectAccess is a new feature in Windows Server 2008 R2 and the Windows 7 client, that serves the same purpose as a traditional virtual private network without the hassle factor that’s often involved in setting up and using a VPN connection. DirectAccess does away with the need for VPN protocols such as PPTP and L2TP. It uses IPsec/IPv6 to create a secure, direct connection between a remote computer and the company LAN. In this article, we get “up close and personal” with this exciting new networking feature: how it works, what you need to use it and how it can benefit your organization.”