A virtual private network (VPN) enables two networks to communicate with each other via a third unprotected network. The most popular application of this technology is to use the Internet (the third, unprotected network) to connect the corporate office to branch offices, remote users, and mobile employees, at a much lower cost than dedicated lines or long distance dial-up connections. To keep the communications secure when it passes through the unprotected Internet, the information is encrypted so that only authenticated users are allowed to see it. This encryption is commonly referred to as a "tunnel".
GuardDog VPN Options:
As an option to our GuardDog managed firewall service, we provide two types of VPN tunnels.
- Branch Office VPN - With this service, we create a secure point-to-point tunnel between two or more offices protected by our GuardDog firewall appliance.
- Remote / Mobile User VPN - Available on both our GuardDog Corporate and Enterprise services, this option creates a secure connection (using an IPSec tunnel) between a mobile users' laptop, and the corporate network protected by our GuardDog firewall appliance. This is most commonly used for remote employees with a "dial up" connection.
Our VPN options eliminate the costly fees associated with dedicated "lease lines", while at the same time, increasing productivity by providing employees secure access to corporate network resources with the protection and restrictions they would see if they were in the office. If a connection goes down, the system will alert our Security Operations Center, and we'll re-establish the VPN connections automatically. As part of our GuardDog VPN service, we continuously upgrade and deploy new VPN technologies as they emerge.
VPN benefit summary:
- Secure communications
- Easy implementation (we do the work)
- No additional equipment to purchase
- GuardDog security experts monitor and manage VPN connections
- Increased employee productivity
- Cost savings over long distance or dedicated connections
