Chapter 3. VPN Fundamentals

VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORKS (VPNS) allow organizations to transmit private and sensitive data securely over public intermediary networks. The Internet can serve as a cheap long-distance carrier for WAN connections established using VPNs. VPNs use native-operating system features or third-party software, as well as hardware devices, including edge routers, firewalls, and VPN appliances. Remote access for mobile users, linked multi-office intranets, and secured access into an extranet are common VPN architecture solutions.

The use of VPNs on small home networks to corporate global networks has dramatically expanded the ways people connect and do work. Through the use of VPNs, telecommuting employees, business partners, traveling ...

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