Guide To Virtual Private Networks

The VPN can be a secure solution to major business problems; improving connectivity amongst staff and offices at low cost. We look at what’s in it for you!

Before the Internet came of age, companies who needed to communicate among geographically dispersed sites were forced to build their own data networks using telecoms services such as leased lines and Frame Relay. These infrastructures were expensive and required significant IT support. But as the Internet became ubiquitous and as ISPs offered high-speed Internet access, enterprises reduced the cost and the time to deploy their intranets by offloading them on to the Internet.

It soon became clear that the Internet was the practical and costeffective way to connect with customers and partners.

However, as costeffective as the Internet is, it introduces one major challenge - security. In essence, it is a public, shared network of networks and is not suitable, in its natural state, for secure transactions or private communications.

Businesses now realise that their success depends on more than just Internet connectivity or the exchange of emails and files. It requires the realtime exchange of data which impacts on supply-chain management, sales and customer relationship management, online business transactions, online dealings with financial institutions, etc. These requirements make security over the Internet paramount.

As a result, VPNs have emerged as the key technology for achieving security over the Internet.

What is a VPN?

VPN stands for ‘Virtual Private Network’. Like the name suggests, a VPN is a private computer network that connects your offices together, so that the whole company is on a single network rather than one per office. It allows information to move securely and quickly around your company because it is your private network and not shared with anyone else.

Why ‘Virtual?’

This is a technical term that is not hugely relevant today. Years ago, the only way that companies could have a private network was to build their own and lay cables between their offices. This was obviously a very expensive way of doing it. With a VPN, instead of building your own network, a service providers will create a ‘virtual’ network for your company inside theirs.

VPN benefits

A VPN can be used for just about any intranet and e-business (extranet) application, for example for mobile users and for remote access to enterprise resources, for communications between remote offices and headquarters. The benefits include:

• Cheaper phone calls. VPNs can be usually used to also carry phone calls between offices. This saves money by avoiding high call charges for internal inter-office calls.

• Security. Every company has data it needs to keep private. Using a VPN guarantees that it stays private as it moves between offices

• Reliability. A VPN is usually provided as a ‘managed service’, which basically means that someone is monitoring it 24 hours a day. This means that if anything goes wrong, it’s usually fixed before you even notice.

• Speed. A VPN is only designed for business use, which means that you avoid network slowdown that can happen with the Internet when lots of people are surfing the web.

• Application: Telephony, data sharing, file sharing, centralised applications, backups etc.

Small businesses should consider a VPN if:

• They have remote workers
• They operate multiple sites
• They need to prioritise bandwidth for converged IP telephony services
• They require IP connectivity between company locations, suppliers and ‘extranets’
• They want to have access to InTechnology’s data and hosting services

Telephone Systems

		Nortel

		Toshiba

		Avaya

		Alcatel

		Aastra

		Samsung

		Siemens

		Panasonic

		Mitel

Free Buyers Guide

www.Comms4Business.com

Comms4Business is a complete online resource providing free independent and unbiased telephone systems advice to help you select and purchase the best telephone system for your business and find accredited resellers in your area. Comms4business is supported by the worlds leading phone systems manufacturers and all resellers on this website are accredited by their respective manufacturers, ensuring the quality of service you expect when purchasing phone systems and related services.

All product information within our site is factual and details product features, applications and future expansion capabilities in an easy-to-understand format. Free brochures and current information is available for Aastra, Alcatel, Avaya, Inter-tel, Panasonic, Samsung, Siemens and Toshiba phone systems and telephone handsets.

We simply provide a user-friendly, jargon free environment for businesses of all sizes to research and compare telephone systems. Our aim is to make the selection process easy by keeping things simple. Copyright © 2005 Comms4Business

Please use the links below to research information and learn more about phone systems, telephone technologies and related telecommunications solutions and services.

Alcatel	Alcatel Telephones	Avaya Systems	Avaya Telephones	Aastra	Aastra Handsets
Inter-Tel Telephones	Samsung	Samsung Telephones	Siemens Handsets	Siemens	Panasonic Telephones
Toshiba Telephones	Toshiba	Inter-Tel	Panasonic	Jargon Buster	Phone Systems
Which Phone System	Accredited Resellers	Free Magazine	Telecommunications News	Telecommunications Links	Buyers Guide

These links are intended to provide you with all the latest news, current updates, free brochures and relevant information to help you learn about telephone systems and their related technologies and enable you to find the right phone system for you business. If you still need further help to clarify your requirements, then use our “Locate A Telephone Reseller” tool to speak to an accredited reseller in your area.

Miles Publishing Limited
Reg Office: 15 – 19 Cavendish Place, London, W1G 0DD Reg No: 4501494 Registered In England & Wales