A virtual private network enables the connection of two or more networks together using the Internet as your communications link.

Traditionally, if you wanted to link two separate locations together, for example from a head Office in Dublin, to a subsidiary office in Cork, you would have to establish a Leased Line or Frame Relay link between the two sites. As these types of service are typically charged for by the distance of the link, the further apart the sites are, the greater the cost in communications charges.

Now, for a fraction of the cost, a secure link can be established over the Internet. Using a highly secure encryption and decryption process, information is transmitted and received in a secure fashion.

Instead of a dedicated link from one site to the other, a Leased Line connection to the nearest Internet Point of Presence is established at both sites. This provides a "Tunnel" connection between the two networks, using the infrastructure of the Internet for the majority of the link. To ensure the data being transmitted is secure, and cannot be viewed by others, the information is encrypted using an algorithmic process.

As the VPN hardware is typically positioned at the boundary of the network, many Firewall platforms can also act as VPN Gateways, so that your connection the the Internet is protected from unauthorised access, and a secure link is set up between sites.

A Virtual Private Network can also be used by individual users to access an organisation's network from a remote location using the Internet. For example, a field based service engineer could have access to the call control system and update his call logs from his home PC or laptop using a browser. A teacher could prepare lesson plans at home and then connect to the school network and place the information on a server ready for a class the next day.

29net Technologies offer a range of VPN products, to suit most applications and budgets. As most requirements for VPN are individual we recommend a Site Survey to assess your exact VPN and Internet Security needs.