IT Services

VPN

Basically, a VPN is a private network that uses a public network (usually the Internet) to connect remote sites or users together. Instead of using a dedicated, real-world connection such as leased line, a VPN uses "virtual" connections routed through the Internet from the company's private network to the remote site or employee. In this article, you will gain a fundamental understanding of VPNs, and learn about basic VPN components, technologies, tunneling and security.

Depending on the type of VPN (remote-access or site-to-site), you will need to put in place certain components to build your VPN. These might include:

  • Desktop software client for each remote user
  • Dedicated hardware such as a VPN concentrator or secure PIX firewall
  • Dedicated VPN server for dial-up services
  • NAS (network access server) used by service provider for remote-user VPN access
  • VPN network and policy-management center