We all know that a Virtual Private Network ensures vital data arrives safely and speedily wherever it’s needed, but how exactly does it work?

The internet has revolutionised the way we do business, facilitating customer contact, streamlining relationships with partners and suppliers and changing the way we communicate within our own organisations. But it’s a revolution that would have lacked much of its impact had it not been for the invention of the Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Sending unsecured communications over a wide area using the public internet isn’t really an option for most private sector enterprises or public sector bodies. Data is valuable: its movement needs to be controlled and access to it restricted to authorised personnel, as dictated by law. With VPN technology, two options present themselves. The first is a secure socket layer (SSL), or Internet-based VPN which allows data to flow over the Web, protected from the gaze of unauthorised eyes, available only to those with the right secure key or token. The other sort of VPN uses the infrastructure of a network operator, where it will share that infrastructure with other customers of that network but not with outside parties. Internet VPNs offer certain advantages, not least cost efficiencies. But one size doesn’t fit all, and there will be times when a VPN delivered over fixed-line infrastructure will offer the level of security required.

Virtues of the Virtual

The VPN, when appropriately secured, is an effective means of communication, allowing selected users remote access to an organisation’s network. This is particularly useful for safely connecting remote offices and mobile workers to centrally held information.

When VPNs first arrived on the scene, they were a truly revolutionary technology, enabling two or more devices on separate networks to transfer data as easily as if they were operating on the same local network. As businesses continue to expand globally and become less reliant on local opportunities, the VPN has grown in significance and popularity.

In safe hands

Besides the general distinctions made above, VPNs can take several different forms with different uses. IPVPNs are particularly popular. Here you are effectively deploying a private network connection and running it over a shared IP-based backbone. This gives you the ability to both scale the network and to extend your connection over multiple IP-based infrastructures. With any kind of IPVPN you can confidently handle multiple data, voice and video applications on the same network.

Both the performance and security of transmission offered by an IPVPN is in the same league as a Leased Line. However, an IPVPN can also include benefits such as encryption, giving greater levels of protection than would otherwise be offered with a Leased Line, and at a fraction of the cost. Running your IPVPN over an Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) based network offers even more in the way of performance and value, not to mention reliability. An IPVPN running on MPLS enables you to prioritise bandwidth for different types of traffic, so that low priority transfers won’t get in the way of more important data.

Scaled to suit you

On the other hand, with a Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) based Ethernet service, particularly one offered by a network operator with a wealth of Ethernet-rich infrastructure, you have the chance to scale your connectivity to meet your needs. You can also avoid paying up front for idle capacity, as you may have to do with a legacy Leased Line model. Either an Ethernet VPN or IPVPN is great if you’re looking for nationwide connectivity between multiple sites. It can be trusted with mission-critical data and is the perfect medium for voice, data or video applications, or even for centralised storage of your corporate data. This would probably be the first choice for an organisation looking to deploy a new type of internet-based service, such as IP CCTV, or a way of augmenting their business continuity measures.

Visit our VPN solutions section to find out more.