VPN Review

A VPN enables you to establish a secure, encrypted network within a hostile, public network such as the Internet. VPNs provide several benefits, including the following:

• Facilitate secure and easy inter-office communication

• Provide inexpensive network access for mobile employees

• Provide full network access for telecommuters

For example, VPNs are useful if you are traveling with a laptop, Pocket PC, or wireless smartphone, and you need to access your company’s network. A VPN will enable you to connect to your company from anywhere in the world through an inexpensive, local Internet connection.

VPNs are also useful for international companies with branch offices in different countries. Using local connections, your company can become globally and securely networked over the public Internet.

VPNs provide secure, encrypted communication in two ways:

• User-to-Network (Remote-Access Model)— In this configuration, remote clients can connect through a public network such as the Internet. By using a VPN, the remote client can become part of the company network. This configuration effectively replaces the remote dial-in or authenticated firewall access model.

• Network-to-Network (Site-to-Site Model)— In this configuration, one branch office network can connect through a public network such as the Internet to another branch office network. This configuration eliminates the need for an expensive wide-area network (WAN).

Thus, VPNs are secure communication solutions that take advantage of public networks to lower your costs. However, VPNs have their share of problems. Some challenges involved in establishing VPNs are as follows:

• Connection recovery

• Scalability of traffic and users

• User management and client deployment

• Speed

• Uptime

• Global interoperability