Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Word of the Day: VPN (virtual private network)

Word of the Day WhatIs.com
Daily updates on the latest technology terms | February 13, 2019
VPN (virtual private network)

A virtual private network (VPN) is programming that creates a safe and encrypted connection over a less secure network, such as the internet. VPNs were originally developed to provide branch office employees with safe access to corporate applications and data. Today, VPNs are often used by remote workers and business travelers who require access to sites that are geographically restricted. The two most common types of VPNs are remote access VPNs and site-to-site VPNs.

Remote access VPN

 

Remote access VPN clients connect to a VPN gateway on the organization's network. The gateway requires the device to authenticate its identity before granting access to internal network resources such as file servers, printers and intranets.

This type of VPN usually relies on either IP Security (IPsec) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to secure the connection, although SSL VPNs are often focused on supplying secure access to a single application rather than to the entire internal network. Some VPNs provide Layer 2 access to the target network; these require a tunneling protocol like the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol or the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol running across the base IPsec connection. In addition to IPsec and SSL, other protocols used to secure VPN connectivity and encrypt data are Transport Layer Security and OpenVPN.

Site-to-site VPN

In contrast, a site-to-site VPN uses a gateway device to connect an entire network in one location to a network in another location. End-node devices in the remote location do not need VPN clients because the gateway handles the connection.

Most site-to-site VPNs connecting over the internet use IPsec. It is also common for them to use carrier MPLS clouds rather than the public internet as the transport for site-to-site VPNs. Here, too, it is possible to have either Layer 3 connectivity (MPLS IP VPN) or Layer 2 (virtual private LAN service) running across the base transport.

Quote of the Day

 
"VPNs can be simple and cost-effective, but they can also be problematic in terms of guaranteeing network performance." - Robert Sturt

Learning Center

 

Senators want potential VPN threat investigated by DHS
The U.S. government has been suspicious of foreign adversaries having unknown influence over tech products and software and, now, senators are wondering if there is a VPN threat to worry about.

SD-WAN vs. VPN: How do they compare?
While software-defined WAN and internet VPN services share similarities, enterprises need to look at SD-WAN vs. VPN to determine which technology might prove more beneficial and align with business requirements.

What VPN alternatives should enterprises consider using?
VPN alternatives are being considered as serious VPNs vulnerabilities are discovered in popular products. Learn the risks and how companies can benefit.

Do you know how to troubleshoot wireless connection problems?
Whether you're an IT professional or a networking novice, take this quiz to see if you know these 10 best practices to troubleshoot wireless connection problems.

Amazon WorkLink aims to simplify secure mobile device access
Amazon WorkLink is a new managed service AWS said can help enterprises avoid the headaches and expense to manage traditional VPN and mobile device management infrastructure. It's the latest move by the cloud provider into end-user computing.

Quiz Yourself

 

A number of IoT gateway products ____ equipped with additional security features.
a. is
b. are

Answer

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For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition, please contact me at: mrouse@techtarget.com

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