What Is a VPN?

The initials VPN stand for
the term Virtual Private
Network. The aim and
simple concept of a Virtual
Private Network is that it
provides users with the ability to access a private
network (and therefore
individual computers and
servers on a private network)
from a remote unsecured
point outside of that network, without
compromising the security
of the private network itself. In effect a VPN creates a
tunnel through unsecured
networks, which clients can
use to access their private
network without
interference from the rest of the unsecured networks. As
VPNs therefore have to
transmit private information
across unsecured networks
such as the world wide web,
they need to ensure that the data exchanged across these
networks is kept secure by
employing a combination of
encryption on the data
packets and authentication to
allow access to only those users with permission. Using these secure data
packets VPN services can
therefore be used to transmit
any kind of data, including
voice, media such as video
and conventional data. They are also available from any
kind of connection
including 3G and DSL
meaning that VPNs can be
established from any device
with a connection to the internet. Consequently the technology
is invaluable for people on
the move who need to access
and store information on a
fixed location private
network and is, as such, a vital business tool in
companies where workers
are required to operate away
from a central office
location. Staff can use VPNs
to communicate with their colleagues as well as logging
on to their own profiles on
their work network to access
private files, shared files on
the private network, emails
and business resources - as if they were physically sat in
the office. The tool has also grown in
popularity with users in
locations where there are
certain restrictions on their
freedom to access all content
on the internet, such as China. VPNs can be used to
establish a private
connection to private
networks in unrestricted
locations so that a user can
effectively browse the internet as if they were in
that unrestricted location. For many VPN clients the
preferred solution may be to
open an account with a VPN
provider rather than simply
purchase or acquire of-the-
shelf VPN software so that they benefit from the extra
services that many VPN
providers will supply their
clients with. These can
include technical support,
advanced security protection, malware protection and
monitoring software. In terms of the mechanics of
establishing a VPN, they can
utilise technology such as
Internet Protocol Security
(IPSec), SSL (Secure Sockets
Layer) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt the
data packets and establish the
secure 'tunnel' through
which they pass. SSL VPN
(and TLS VPN) are
particularly useful when IPSec has problems with IP
Address translation. Each
end of the tunnel must also
be authenticated with the
access points able to use
either passwords or biometrics to identify the
user. Once authenticated,
connections can be
maintained without the need
for further authentication if
digital certificates are stored. There are various
technologies which are
explained in more detail
elsewhere that can be used in
the actual routing of the
VPNs such as Multi Label Protocol Switching (MPLS) to
build Internet Protocol
Virtual Private Networks
(IPVPN), but the variety of
the technologies means that
there are numerous possible solutions for VPN clients
whether they want a software
based access point, restricted
network access and/or
mobile access etc. Virtual Private Networks can
therefore be a real necessity
to any business, regardless of
the scale on which they
operate, particularly if they
are likely to have staff working away from the
office, whether they are on
the move of simply working
from home. A VPN Provider can ensure that staff are able
to work with full benefits of
a virtual office whatever
their location. © Stuart Mitchell 2011 I'm a small business owner.
If you are interested in
finding out more about VPN
services, particularly for
your business needs, then
visit VPN Provider . Article Source: http:// EzineArticles.com/?
expert=Stuart_P_Mitchell