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With access to the internet widely available, and connections getting faster and cheaper , using the Internet to act as a bridge between geographically spread networks is now common place. A VPN is created by each site or mobile user having an internet connection. A secure tunnel is then created between the two offices or between the mobile user and office. In either case, the location hosting the VPN (where the servers are) will use a VPN device such as a firewall to establish the termination point. The other end of the tunnel is created by either another VPN device (in the case of it being another office) or a VPN software client installed on a PC in the case of a home or mobile user. The resulting connection provides a secure point to point link through which encrypted data can be sent.
VPNs require the hosting end to have a permanent internet connection such as broadband, but the remote end can use almost any method of connectivity. It is possible to establish a VPN connection using Mobile data networks such as GPRS or 3G but the hosting device will need specific features to support this.
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The advantage of VPN connections over direct connections using private circuits, is the ability to have high speed bandwidth for a relatively low cost. However, it should always be remembered that internet access methods such as ADSL do not offer any substantial service level commitment, and in a business critical environment should be used cautiously or in conjunction with an alternative connection method.
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