What is a virtual private network? A virtual private network is essentially a system that allows two or more private networks to be connected over a publically accessible network, such as the Internet. It usually consists of an encrypted tunnel of some kind, although a VPN can take several forms, using different combinations of hardware …Read More
Conceived and developed in the late 90s by the Internet Engineering Task Force, MPLS, or Multi-protocol Label Switching is a network management protocol originally intended to integrate layer 2 information about network links (bandwidth, latency, utilization) into layer 3 (IP) elements within a particular system.nWhile traditional IP networks have no means of labeling, categorizing or …Read More
Short for Free Secure Wide Area Network, FreeS/WAN (freeswan.org) is a community project focused on a Linux implementation of the IPSec security protocol, the basis for VPN technology and on the belief that encryption, and the privacy it provides, should be free, easily accessible, and widely implemented on the Internet.nBegun in 1999, the FreeS/WAN project’s …Read More
To ensure that your VPN is secure, limiting user access is only one piece of the equation; once the user is authenticated, the data itself needs to be protected as well. Without a mechanism to provide data privacy, information flowing through the channel will be transmitted in clear text, which can easily be viewed or …Read More
The key word in “virtual private networks” is private. The last thing a business wants, is to have sensitive corporate information end up in the hands of some pubescent hacker, or worse, the competition. Fortunately, VPNs are widely considered extremely secure, despite using public networks.nIn order to authenticate the VPN’s users, a firewall will be …Read More
There are a number of reasons to set up a VPN for remote access, but the biggest selling point by far is the potential cost savings.nUsing the Internet to distribute network services over long distances means companies no longer have to purchase expensive leased lines to branch or partners’ offices as a VPN connection needs …Read More
For years, voice, data, and just about all software-defined network services were called “virtual private networks” by the telephone companies. The current generation of VPNs, however, is a more advanced combination of tunneling, encryption, authentication and access control technologies and services used to carry traffic over the Internet, a managed IP network or a provider’s …Read More
As it is most commonly defined, a virtual private network (VPN) allows two or more private networks to be connected over a publicly accessed network. In a sense, VPNs are similar to wide area networks (WAN) or a securely encrypted tunnel, but the key feature of VPNs is that they are able to use public …Read More
Once you’ve learned the basic facts about virtual private networks, the next questions you must ask yourself are whether a VPN solution is right for your enterprise, and how you should go about implementing one.nIncreasingly, managed VPNs are becoming the long-distance networking solution of choice for the vast majority of businesses. There are, however, a …Read More
