virtual private network (VPN)
What is a virtual private network (VPN)?
A virtual private network (VPN) is a network that uses a public telecommunication
infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide remote offices or individual users with secure
access to their organization's network. A virtual private network can be contrasted with an
expensive system of owned or leased lines that can only be used by one organization. The goal of a
VPN is to provide the organization with the same capabilities, but at a much lower cost.
A VPN works by using the shared public infrastructure while maintaining privacy through security
procedures and tunneling protocols such as the Layer
Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP).
In effect, the protocols, by encrypting data at the sending end and decrypting it at the receiving
end, send the data through a "tunnel" that cannot be "entered" by data that is not properly
encrypted. An additional level of security involves encrypting not only the data, but also the
originating and receiving network addresses.
Contributor(s): Terrance Collins, Ron Keeley, and Dean Waye
This was last updated in May 2007
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