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_____________________________________________________ / Oblivion Underground Magazine \ / Issue 2 15/04/2000 \ ▌ Virtual Private Networks ▌ \ by Slider / \_____________________________________________________/ - SOF - Virtual Private Networks (VPN) Overview The Internet has become a popular, low-cost backbone infrastructure. Its universal reach has led many companies to consider constructing a secure virtual private network (VPN) over the public Internet. The challenge in designing a VPN for today's global business environment will be to exploit the public Internet backbone for both intra-company and inter-company communication while still providing the security of the traditional private, self-administered corporate network. In this chapter, we begin by defining a virtual private network (VPN) and explaining the benefits that customers can achieve from its implementation. - VPN Introduction and Benefits With the explosive growth of the Internet, companies are beginning to ask: "How can we best exploit the Internet for our business?". Initially, companies were using the Internet to promote their company's image, products, and services by providing World Wide Web access to corporate Web sites. Today, however, the Internet potential is limitless, and the focus has shifted to e-business, using the global reach of the Internet for easy access to key business applications and data that reside in traditional I/T systems. Companies can now securely and cost-effectively extend the reach of their applications and data across the world through the implementation of secure virtual private network (VPN) solutions. A virtual private network (VPN) is an extension of an enterprise's private intranet across a public network such as the Internet, creating a secure private connection, essentially through a private tunnel. VPNs securely convey information across the Internet connecting remote users, branch offices, and business partners into an extended corporate network. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer cost-effective access to the Internet (via direct lines or local telephone numbers), enabling companies to eliminate their current, expensive leased lines, long-distance calls, and toll-free telephone numbers. A 1997 VPN Research Report, by Infonetics Research, Inc., estimates savings from 20% to 47% of wide area network (WAN) costs by replacing leased lines to remote sites with VPNs. And, for remote access VPNs, savings can be 60% to 80% of corporate remote access dial-up costs. Additionally, Internet access is available worldwide where other connectivity alternatives may not be available. The technology to implement these virtual private networks, however, is just becoming standardized. Some networking vendors today are offering non-standards-based VPN solutions that make it difficult for a company to incorporate all its employees and/or business partners/suppliers into an extended corporate network. However, VPN solutions based on Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standards will provide support for the full range of VPN scenarios with more interoperability and expansion capabilities. The key to maximizing the value of a VPN is the ability for companies to evolve their VPNs as their business needs change and to easily upgrade to future TCP/IP technology. Vendors who support a broad range of hardware and software VPN products provide the flexibility to meet these requirements. VPN solutions today run mainly in the IPv4 environment, but it is important that they have the capability of being upgraded to IPv6 to remain interoperable with your business partner's and/or supplier's VPN solutions. Perhaps equally critical is the ability to work with a vendor who understands the issues of deploying a VPN. The implementation of a successful VPN involves more than technology. The vendor's networking experience plays heavily into this equation. Slider. - EOF - This was written in a week, while being absolutly hammered on Stella. Unfortunatly, this text relied heavily on research so and books. Im not really into VPN's, But i have once created one, was not amazing... But, it was one. Slider has just told me that he may be continuing this discussion in next months Oblivion mag with a continuation of this article!! <- Cyber0ptix