•
Does your business rely on out of office staff that need to
gain access to your office network?
• Do you have sales/field staff
that need email access on the move?
•
Would you like to run your business from home whilst still
having office based staff?
If you answered yes to any of the above
then VPN networking could well be the solution you are
looking for.
What is a VPN?
A VPN supplies network
connectivity over a possibly long physical
distance. In this respect, a VPN is a form
of Wide Area Network (WAN). VPNs enable file
sharing, video conferencing and similar
network services. Virtual private networks
generally don't provide any new
functionality that isn't already offered
through alternative mechanisms, but a VPN
implements those services more efficiently /
cheaply in most cases.
A key feature of a VPN is
its ability to work over both private
networks as well as public networks like the
Internet. Using a method called tunneling,
a VPN uses the same hardware infrastructure
as existing Internet or intranet links. VPN
technologies include various security
mechanisms to protect the virtual, private
connections.
Specifically, a VPN supports at least three different
modes of use:
- Internet remote
access client connections
- LAN-to-LAN
internetworking
- Controlled access
within an intranet
(Source:
LibertyVPN.com)
Internet VPNs for Remote
Access
In recent years, many
organisations have increased the mobility of
their workers by allowing more employees to
telecommute. Employees also continue to
travel and face a growing need to stay
connected to their company networks.
A VPN can be set up to
support remote, protected access to the
corporate home offices over the Internet. An
Internet VPN solution uses a
client/server design works as follows:
1. A remote host (client)
wanting to log into the company network
first connects to any public Internet
Service Provider (ISP).
2. Next, the host initiates a VPN
connection to the company VPN server.
This connection is made via a VPN
client installed on the remote host.
3. Once the connection has been
established, the remote client can
communicate with the internal company
systems over the Internet just as if it
were a local host.
Before VPNs, remote workers
accessed company networks over private
leased lines or through dialup remote access
servers. While VPN clients and servers
require careful installation of hardware and
software, an Internet VPN is a superior
solution in many situations.
VPNs for Internetworking
Besides using virtual private
networks for remote access, a VPN can also
bridge two networks together. In this mode
of operation, an entire remote network
(rather than just a single remote client)
can join to a different company network to
form an extended intranet. This solution
uses a VPN server to VPN server connection.
Intranet / Local Network
VPNs
Internal networks may also
utilise VPN technology to implement
controlled access to individual subnets
within a private network. In this mode of
operation, VPN clients connect to a VPN
server that acts as the network gateway.
This type of VPN use does
not involve an Internet Service Provider
(ISP) or public network cabling. However, it
allows the security benefits of VPN to be
deployed inside an organisation. This
approach has become especially popular as a
way for businesses to protect their WiFi
local networks.
Setup Services:
We can provide complete installation
services for small to medium businesses with 5 to 200
employees. When we quote you for an installation, we include
all the costs for all required hardware, software, licences
and installation hours for our consultants, so the price you
are quoted will get you up and running. We also offer
additional maintenance agreements for your VPN network
should you encounter difficulties.
For more information on our VPN networking
solutions, please
email us.