I use an application from VanDyke Software called SecureCRT.
http://www.vandyke.com/products/securecrt/
It is not free, but very reasonably priced. I have used it for years (running on Windows, or using Wine) for remote access, terminal emulation, and (dispersed) network management. They finally released a native Linux version of this at the beginning of 2011.
It has support for complex login settings (or scripts), stored passwords (or certificates), tabbed multiple sessions, etc.
At startup you can choose which remote target (and protocol) from a structured list (tree view) of stored remote (or local) machines, or just create a connection (which is then stored).
I have found it particularly useful for remote sites with advanced authentication, non-standard ports, or firewall-access negotiation.
If you are doing remote access a lot (part of your main role), then this application will justify its expense in the first month of use.