VPN

Don’t let VPN jargon scare you; Vertex Computer can help. VPN means Virtual Private Network and the idea is very simple: You want to give your field employees remote access to your office programs and secure data. That is it. As a business grows, it might expand to multiple shops or offices across the town, across the country, or around the world. To keep things running efficiently, the people working in remote locations need fast, secure, and reliable ways to share information across the network. In addition, traveling employees, like salespeople, need an equally secure and reliable way to connect to their business’ computer network from remote locations. Or, maybe some employees would like work at home or at night. They don’t need to rush to the office anymore.

A VPN is actually a private network that uses a public network (usually the internet) to connect remote sites or users together. The VPN uses “virtual” connections routed through the Internet from the business’ private network to the remote site. By using a VPN, businesses can ensure security without the expense of a leased line. That is explained in more detail below. Anyone intercepting the encrypted data can’t read it.

A VPN allows your business to extend all its intranet resources to employees working from remote offices or their homes. Vertex offers a variety of solutions to creating the right VPN system for your office. Talk to your Vertex technician to see if a VPN makes sense for your business.

Prior to VPN, the most common way to connect computers between multiple offices was by using a leased line. Leased lines are private network connections that telecommunications companies lease to its customers. Leased lines provide a company with a way to expand its private network beyond its immediate geographic area. These connections form a single WAN (wide-area network) for the business. Though leased lines are reliable and secure, the lease is expensive. Rising costs and longer distances between offices make it hard for small businesses to afford that kind of service.

Today, the Internet is more accessible than ever before, and ISPs (Internet Service Providers) continue to develop faster and more reliable services at lower costs than leased lines. To take advantage of this, most businesses have replaced leased lines with new technology that uses Internet connections. This can be done without sacrificing performance and security. If you would like to replace your leased lines with a VPN, ask your Vertex technician for an analysis.