What can NEXTEP do for you?
NEXTEP Virtual Private Network (VPN)
NEXTEP Fast Internet
Okay. How much does it cost?

What is a VPN?

Today businesses are faced with more communication challenges than ever, while trying to cut the cost of their communications infrastructure. Employees want to access their corporate intranets wherever they are. Your business partners are also joining together in extranets to share information, for short-term projects or long-term strategic advantage.

At the same time, businesses are finding that previous networking solutions, like dedicated leased lines or frame-relay circuits, don't provide the flexibility to quickly create new partner links or support project teams in the field. Meanwhile, a rise in telecommuting and mobile sales forces is eating up resources as more money is spent on modem banks, remote-access servers, and phone charges. This trend shows no sign of slowing down.

VPNs using the Internet have the potential to solve many of these businesses networking problems

VPNs allow network managers to economically connect remote branch offices and project teams to the main corporate network. They also provide remote access to employees and reduce the need for in-house equipment and support.

Rather than depend on dedicated leased lines or frame relay's permanent virtual circuits (PVCs), an Internet-based VPN uses the open, distributed infrastructure of the Internet to transmit data between corporate sites.

Companies using an Internet VPN set up connections to the local connection points of their Internet service provider (ISP). They let the ISP ensure that the data is transmitted to the appropriate destinations via the Internet, leaving the rest of the connectivity details to the ISP's network and the Internet infrastructure. Internet-based VPNs include measures for encrypting data passed between VPN sites, which protects the data against eavesdropping and tampering by unauthorised parties.

In addition, VPNs are not limited to corporate sites and branch offices. A VPN can also provide secure connectivity for mobile workers. They can connect to their company's VPN by dialling into of a local ISP, reducing the need for long-distance charges and the cost of installing and maintaining large banks of modems at corporate sites.

This is illustrated in the diagram.