Two Routes to Virtual Private Networking

Virtual Private Networks or VPNs have become the preferred solution for connecting multiple business locations. What’s caused this migration from private ad-hoc point to point connections is cost and ease of maintenance. By partnering with a managed service provider, you can have the benefits of secure multipoint communication without having to staff up or pay exorbitant monthly line lease fees.

Virtual private networking is in the clouds. The question is which type of cloud to choose? You can implement your VPN solution using the public Internet. You can also choose to go totally private for higher performance.

The Internet based VPN is where the term virtually private got started. Everybody knows that there is little private about the Internet. It connects everyone, everywhere with nothing in the way of assured performance or data security. What the Internet has going for it is economy of scale. The monstrous size and diverse connection methods mean that broadband connections are fairly cheap at the consumer level and reasonably priced for dedicated business access with a service level agreement.

What about those security issues? It seems like any data you put on the network is subject to interception by those who could do you harm. It’s not even safe to connect a PC to the Internet without installing virus blocking software first. Some tests have shown that it takes only a matter of minutes to browse the Web with an unprotected computer to have it become infected by compromised sites or malicious messages.

Yet, we use the Internet every day for such sensitive applications as banking and shopping. The key to keeping your data secure is encryption. Establishing encrypted links through the Internet is called “tunneling.” You create a private tunnel through a public thoroughfare. Your network connection isn’t private, but it is virtually private.

Another form of virtual private networking is provided by privately run network clouds, such as Frame Relay or MPLS. These networks strictly limit access to paying customers. They are also managed to establish only those connections that you specify. Because you are sharing the network cloud with other users, your connections are described as virtually private rather than private line. They offer a high level of security, but may also be encrypted to provide an even higher level of guaranteed privacy.

Private networks offer assured performance, especially in the critical areas of latency and jitter that are important for VoIP telephone and real-time video. The Internet is offered with “best effort” performance, but generally lower costs. How do you choose the right solution for your application? Perhaps the best answer is the obvious one. Get price and performance quotes on competing solutions and recommendations from experts before choosing. That’s all made easy with a quick Virtual Private Networking inquiry at AffordableVPN.com. You’ll get a fast reply and the support you need to make the right VPN decision.