Clear Mind Graphics, a premier branding and marketing agency, hosts and manages over a hundred high-end websites for clients across diverse industries. With a growing portfolio and distributed development teams, they faced a critical challenge—secure, consistent, and centralized access to web servers for website management and development activities.
To ensure secure access without exposing critical services like cPanel and FTP to the open internet, Clear Mind Graphics partnered with Futuralis to implement a robust Client-to-Site VPN solution using SoftEther VPN on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Clear Mind Graphics was managing more than 100 websites spread across four different servers. As part of their AWS migration initiative, they needed a solution that allowed their distributed development team to securely access WHM/cPanel and FTP services for each website, without relying on public internet exposure, which posed significant security risks.
They also required:
Futuralis was chosen for its deep expertise in cloud infrastructure and VPN technologies on AWS. Their ability to design scalable, secure, and user-friendly solutions made them the preferred partner for this initiative. AWS provided the flexibility to quickly deploy VPN infrastructure, assign static IPs, and maintain high availability.
Futuralis proposed a SoftEther VPN-based solution on an EC2 instance, which combined the best of open-source flexibility and enterprise-grade security.
To meet Clear Mind Graphics’ requirements for secure, centralized access to their internal server infrastructure, Futuralis designed and implemented a robust Client-to-Site VPN solution using SoftEther VPN on Amazon Web Services (AWS). At the core of the solution was a dedicated Amazon EC2 instance configured specifically for VPN use. An Elastic IP address was assigned to ensure the VPN server could always be reached at a consistent, public-facing endpoint, regardless of underlying instance changes.
The SoftEther VPN server was installed and configured to support high-performance, encrypted connections, allowing authorized team members from Clear Mind Graphics to securely access WHM/cPanel and FTP services for over 100 websites. Futuralis configured the VPN with a virtual hub, listener ports, and NAT traversal to accommodate diverse network environments. Access to the VPN was secured using individually created user accounts, each with password-based authentication, ensuring that only verified developers could access the internal network.
To enhance security, all traffic to WHM/cPanel and FTP interfaces was restricted to the VPN tunnel. This was achieved by designing strict AWS security group rules and custom routing policies, which effectively eliminated public access to these sensitive services. This approach significantly reduced the potential attack surface while maintaining reliable access for authorized users.
Recognizing the importance of usability and adoption, Futuralis developed detailed documentation to guide developers through the VPN client installation and configuration process across all major operating systems. Additionally, live training sessions were conducted to walk the Clear Mind Graphics development team through the setup and usage of the VPN connection, helping ensure a smooth and successful transition to the new secure access workflow.
Finally, to support audit and operational oversight, VPN server logging was enabled to monitor connection activity, making it easier to detect unauthorized access attempts or usage anomalies. This secure VPN infrastructure not only aligned with Clear Mind Graphics’ cloud security goals but also enabled their development team to work more efficiently and confidently, knowing their access to vital systems was protected by industry best practices.
CMG is a fully integrated branding and marketing agency. Powered by leading creativity, strategy building and teamwork. Their services are tailored to every client’s specific needs. With a full suite of capabilities, Clear Mind Graphics is a comprehensive resource for clients no matter what their industry. Brands, businesses, new developments, hospitality, tourism, aviation, nonprofits and real estate. For more information visit, www.clearmindgraphics.com.
