A VPN is an abbreviation for the term “virtual private network” (yksityisyyden suoja internetissä). If the name does not shed enough light on the purposes of such a network, allow me to elaborate. A VPNallows an individual or a group to operate within a secure and private network on the internet. This disarms any other party to access the information that you share or download online.
The different types of VPNs.
1. The most common VPN used to connect companies is a remote access VPN. This also allows individuals, who are not on the company’s physical network, to securely connect to the respective company’s network from any location via the internet. To ensure the privacy and confidentiality of the data that you intend on sharing, remote access VPN’s make use of strong encryptions in its network to make your information inaccessible to hackers.
2. The second type of VPN is the so-called site-to-site private network. This allows clients from different geographical locations to connect with one another without fear of their data falling into the wrong hands. Site-to-site networks usually operate using a WAN (wide area network) such as public connections like the internet. It is thus very important that the data is heavily encrypted as you operate through a public domain.
3. Next, we gander at private networks within a local area. Computers that are connected in a LAN (Local area network) framework, make use of protocols that are protected with passwords to secure their activity. This enables a company, with numerous remote locations, to connect their respective local area networks. This is an example of an intranet VPN. Similarly, an extranet VPN connects local area networks of different companies enabling to share information discretely.
What we can expect of future VPN’s.
Since the beginning of virtual private networks(suojaa yksityisyytesi verkossa),more or less 13 years ago in 2006, there have been a lot of different methods created in which various private networks operate. The basic foundation of VPN’s are captured in the three networks mentioned above namely; remote access VPN’s, Intranet VPN’s and extranet VPN’s. The upgrading of these existing private networks gave rise to the modern day VPN’s that are accessible today.
Examples of these networks include point-to-point tunneling protocol, layer 2 tunneling protocol, challenge handshake authentication protocol (a.k.a. CHAP), password authentication protocol (an example of an upgrade intranet VPN) and many many more. If you like to know specific details about these types of virtual private networks, be sure to follow our other articles.
As VPN technologies grow and its capacity increases, so too do the capabilities of hackers. This will require that VPN’s consistently go through processes of maintenance and upgrades, to keep up with the inherent threat of hackers.
Although VPN’s are not an entirely foreign concept, it is still in the developmental phases of its existence. Yes, the idea may be well over a decade old, but the continuous improvements and upgrading of existing models, like the ones mentioned above, will ensure safe platforms and mechanisms for users to securely exchange information.