Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 R2 can now securely connect clients to the corporate network without going through a VPN using the DirectAccess feat!

"From an IT standpoint, one of the great new capabilities of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 is the ability to securely connect clients to the corporate network without going through a VPN. This capability, called DirectAccess , establishes bi-directional connectivity with a user's enterprise network every time a user's DirectAccess-enabled portable computer connects to the Internet, even before the user logs on. You can now download the Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Guide for DirectAccess to help you design a DirectAccess infrastructure." *

* The above excerpt has been copied from an MS Technet newsletter.

It reads...
"The Windows® 7 and Windows Server® 2008 R2 operating systems introduce DirectAccess, which allows remote users to securely access enterprise shares, Web sites, and applications without connecting to a virtual private network (VPN). DirectAccess establishes bi-directional connectivity with a user’s enterprise network every time a user’s DirectAccess-enabled portable computer connects to the Internet, even before the user logs on. Users never have to think about connecting to the enterprise network and IT administrators can manage remote computers outside the office, even when the computers are not connected to the VPN."

Windows 7 RC1: Download available from May 5th, 2009

The Windows 7 official website says, "The Windows 7 RC will be available May 5, and you'll be able to download it from this site through July. "
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/

For developers looking to toss around a few lines of code on the Windows 7 platform, click http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/default.aspx

*I have got mine through the partner community, wait for yours; couple of days more to go...!