Network Know-How

Virtual Private Networks

A virtual private network (VPN) can add another effective form of security to data that moves from a remote client to a host network that can be located anywhere with a connection to the Internet.

A VPN uses a data tunnel to connect two points on a network through an encrypted channel. The endpoints can be a single network client and a network server, a pair of client computers or other devices, or the gateway to a pair of LANs. Data that passes through a public network such as the Internet is completely isolated from other network traffic. VPNs use login and password authentication to restrict access to authorized users; they encrypt the data to make it unintelligible to intruders who intercept the data; and they use data ...