Why the need for VPN?

Today's connectivity requirements are changing. Worldwide availability of the Internet has made it the network of choice for linking businesses around the globe. Having web presence has empowered companies with the ability to provide essential and frequent access to their network. Email, telecommuting, and file sharing through business partnering are just a few applications now espoused by decentralized networks.

The powerful communications medium of the Internet brings a substantial cost benefit, but its open transport system renders business communications vulnerable to the ever-present risk of data exposure. Without a strong security platform, data flow through the Internet is subject to many threats including eavesdropping, tampering, theft, corruption or loss. With VPN technology, access to network resources are less expensive, more efficient, and highly secure. 

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How do VPNs save money?

The explosive growth of web-centric businesses is forcing companies to change the way they connect users and sites. Traditional access methods for connecting users and sites only augmented the complexity of networks, forcing the installation of dedicated leased lines and access gear. More importantly, recurring communications and operational costs begin skyrocketing as more users and sites need to be connected. Internet-based VPNs are superceding the costly methods of traditional access. 

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What is a VPN?

A Virtual Private Network or VPN is a security technology that makes the public shared network (Internet) essentially private. It does this by creating "private" tunnels that allow data to travel across the untrusted net just as securely as if it were being transmitted across dedicated private lines. These secure private connections allow a company to broaden its private intranet into an extended corporate network to link remote users, branch offices, and business partners world-wide. 

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Can VPNs secure internal communications on the company LAN?   

Yes, VPNs are ideal for protecting various departments from inside threats, both intentional and unintentional (accidental damage to data). The security services provided by VPNs can be applied to segment traffic within departmental networks. 

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How are VPNs cost-saving?   

Internet-based VPNs can reduce or eliminate expensive leased line and traditional access gear like servers, concentrators and modem banks. Overall, the ubiquity of the Internet allows VPNs to provide faster, more efficient links between sites and even secure connectivity to sites that could not otherwise be economically connected. 

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Technically, what is going on inside the VPN?

Before being sent through the public network, data packets are cryptographically protected by encryption and authentication; this is called encapsulation. Because data packets are encapsulated, they are protected, and can be thought of as traveling inside a secure VPN "tunnel." In technical terms, the "tunnel" is actually the set of  "rules" for applying cryptographic protection. 

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What are the technical standards for VPN?

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has developed the IP security protocol or IPSec, the industry-standard that spells out how the encryption, authentication and key management services are negotiated and performed between parties. All vendors in compliance with the IPSec protocol can guarantee interoperability of their products.  

What is IPSec?

IPSec tunneling is the powerful security vehicle that delivers encrypted traffic between devices. A single tunnel can accommodate simultaneous traffic for an unlimited number of users between two IP addresses -- unlike private links that connect phone numbers. Concealing source and destination addresses is an added benefit, for every 'tunnel' is really the encapsulation of the original IP packet that has been protected by encryption.

See IETF Standards

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How are the "tunnels" created?

Before VPN tunnels can be created, the administrator defines the security policies. A policy dictates the degree of protection required between entities that will exchange sensitive information. The policy specifies encryption and authentication algorithms, how to generate encryption keys, the time between key changes, and related parameters. The negotiation of security policies between entities is governed by the Internet Key Exchange or IKE, the IETF industry-standard key management protocol. The end result of negotiation is the creation of a VPN "tunnel" with the strongest protection policy applied to the tunnel. 

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Do VPNs support universal applications?

Yes, the advantage of IPsec is that it embeds security services at the OSI network layer so data from any application can travel safely and securely through the network -- without any changes to user applications.

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