Wednesday, March 6, 2013

What You Should Know About VPNs

By Vince Johnson


A VPN (short for virtual private network is a network arrangement which extends a private network and generally the resources that are contained in the network via public networks such as the Web. This is what enables a terminal or computer system to send and get data throughout a public or even shared network. It acts as if the connections and configurations were exclusive with all aspects of security, functionality and of course management policies being part of the network. This is typically done by establishing a point-to-point connection through the use of truly dedicated connections, data encryption or a mix or even the two.

VPN connections across the Internet are technically wide area networks (WAN). This is what links networks at different sites but for the user, the whole arrangement appears as if it was an exclusive link. This is what creates the name VPN.

In this case, for that reason, you can decide to specify a virtual private network as a network technology which easily creates secure network connections over public networks like the Web or private networks that are the property of certain service providers. Large business corporations, government firms and educational institutions make use of VPN technology to allow remote employees, teachers and students to effectively and securely connect to private networks.

You could make use of a VPN to connect different sites over very large distances just like the case is for wide area networks. VPNs are typically used for purposes of extending Intranets across the globe and also to share information and files to a wide user base. Most educational institutions utilize this technology for purposes of connecting campuses which can be distributed throughout the nation as well as throughout the globe.

For a user to be able to gain access to a private network, they must be properly authenticated. This can be done using passwords and special identifiers. Many of these networks utilize authentication tokens in order to get access to the private networks one wishes to get information from.

VPN is just a successor of leased line arrangements in a lot of cases. In the very recent past, leased lines like ISDN were basically private connections that telecommunications companies could quickly lease to clients. These leased lines also offered companies various ways through which they could possibly broaden their private networks beyond the restrictions of geographical places. These are the connections that form WANs. In as much leased lines are protected, they are a bit costly. That is why VPN is the best choice here. Virtual private network technology is an affordable solution that is now used by millions of users worldwide.




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