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VPN - What Is It Good For?

By Mitch Stenson

In these uncertain economic times businesses are looking for ways to be more efficient and productive. Many utilize a vpn. What is it? How does it work? What are the advantages?

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. Companies with multiple office locations can connect the locations via the Internet. This allows employees at all locations access to and sharing of company data.

The system is comprised of hardware and software. The hardware includes servers-both for dial up and dedicated network access. You also need a firewall.

When making transmissions it is vital that you secure them with the encryption provided with a VPN. For obvious reasons, you don't want your information to get in the wrong hands, but if it does, you don't want it to be readable.

The sender of the the information must also be verified. This is often done with user names and passwords. A digital certificate may also be utilized. It is made up of encryption parameters that can verify a user or system. An advanced piece of equipment that helps with this as well as remote access is a concentrator.

How does the network data travel on the web? VPN's employ tunneling to accomplish this. Tunneling is a method of wrapping groups of encrypted information together. The purpose is to hide the IP addresses of the sender and receiver.

There are many advantages to having a vpn. The cost is much less than that of dedicated telephone lines. The connection of branch or satellite offices allows the sharing of data and duties. It is also possible for employees to access information during travel and/or the flexibility of working from home. In many cities automobile traffic is a major concern. Some individuals experience daily commute times in excess of three hours. The ability to work from home can significantly increase employee productivity.

In the end, consider the productivity that can come to a company with offices all over the country, from working with VPN. The ability to access all the same information from any of their various offices; the option to have the direct access to all inventory to minimize on shipping costs; and even the ease of running and analyzing report in real-time for the entire company. The possibilities are endless.

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