A Buyer's Guide to VPNs
Business today is more geographically diverse than it has ever been. Offices are spread, across regions, countries and in some cases Internationally. Businesses of all sizes now have to consider the impact of global markets and logistics. At the same time business considerations also have to be made about the threats of operating networks across these long-distance environments. Security concerns over hackers, spies, Denial-of-Service attacks and sending data over the Internet have become key issues. The Internet has led to a technological evolution in communications but for the aforementioned reasons shouldn't be relied on entirely as a basis for fast, secure, and reliable communications. On the other hand non-Internet Virtual Private Networks (VPN) are a low-cost, easy-to-implement a convenient solution for mobile and remote business networking, which are being used by businesses around the world as stable secure communications medium. This article considers the fundamentals of a VPN and importantly what you should consider when purchasing one.What is a VPN A virtual private network (VPN) is a network that uses a public telecommunication infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide remote offices or individual users with secure access to their organization's network. A virtual private network can be contrasted with an expensive system of owned or leased lines that can only be used by one organization. The goal of a VPN is to provide the organization with the same capabilities, but at a much lower cost. A VPN works by using the shared public infrastructure while maintaining privacy through security procedures and tunneling protocols such as the Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP). In effect, the protocols, by encrypting data at the sending end and decrypting it at the receiving end, send the data through a "tunnel" that cannot be "entered" by data that is not properly encrypted. An additional level of security involves encrypting not only the data, but also the originating and receiving network addresses. (1) I mplementing your own VPN; Managed VPN with two options - (2) Network-based VPN or (3) Managed- Customer Premises Equipment (CPE).Roll out your own VPN - If choosing to roll out your own VPN you should make very careful consideration over 4 key factors: (1) Internet connectivity; (2) Security Policy Server; (3) VPN Gateway Solution; (4) ongoing management and maintenance at all sites.Managed VPN - For most companies, a Managed VPN route is likely to be the most appropriate option. Many companies with their own IT teams still opt for a managed VPN. This is because the extensive out of hours maintenance and disparate geographic nature of their businesses often mean shift-work and many hours on the road. Also, the monthly cost of a managed VPN service is often less than the monthly IT management expenditures, not to mention the hardware investment.The chart gives 2 managed options:(1) Network-based IP VPN. - The provider fully manages a network-based IP VPN and it does not include specialised customer CPE. However, it still has has the management drawbacks mentioned above. (2) Managed customer premise equipment (CPE) IP VPN - Managed-CPE IP VPN services from a service provider include installing the equipment, CPE management, and connectivity. Selecting a Managed VPN Service Provider on price alone is seldom the best approach. Other important criteria should be taken into account and asking these questions can avoid costly vendor selection mistakes. For example, what is their network architecture? Will the traffic touch the public Internet at any time? What is their carrier capacity? Are they a strong robust, stable provider? To make sure you select the right service provider who will meet your needs, ask them following questions:• Is the service provider a specialist in VPN solutions? • What do their clients say about them? (Past
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