Technology

Detailed Outline

With the rapid increase in the popularity of the Internet, businesses started focusing more and more on it as an excellent means of enhancing and extending their business network. After the introduction of intranets which were password-protected sites designed especially for use only by the company employees, almost every company presently is building its own Virtual Private Network (VPN) for accommodating the needs of remote employees and distant offices (Mutrux, 2008).

The research paper will discuss about Virtual Private Networks in general and explain how a VPN can be implemented on a network, through both software as well as hardware installations. Therefore, this poses the research question as to what is a Virtual Private Network and how is it used in companies. Moreover, another issue addressed by this research paper is what are the bottlenecks experienced by users in achieving success with this facilitator of social software (Scott et al 1999).

Furthermore, this research question will be answered by analyzing and reviewing the concepts and ideas of how to use a Virtual Private Network in a common workplace and how employees are able to collaborate with this tool as well as use it for increasing productivity (PeerPapers, 2010).
This paper will also address the issue regarding the several obstacles encountered by companies while working with a VPN system, and the techniques of overcoming those obstacles to solve the problems that may occur in its day-to-day usage. The paper will also present the most popular products available which support a VPN along with a price comparison of those products.

The idea of Virtual Private Networks is approached with skepticism, since and Internet service provider is owned by every office, workplace, organization, or home. Since security breaches are fairly common, with end users failing to understand the significance of password integrity as well as other basic protections. Researchers were approached with requests for solutions of these problems, including problems regarding how one can utilize the worldwide span of the Internet in order to access the various networks around the nation and the world. In the course of finding solutions for these needy clients, and for their own nationally extending networks, researchers and practitioners of Internet driven systems directed towards the concept of Virtual Private Networks (McDonald) (Microsoft Corporation, 2003) (Mitchell, 2010a).

Method
A virtual private network is nothing but a low cost and a reliable network for connecting networks that are located at different, far off places. Virtual Private Network is most suitable for such requirements. A VPN uses public network such as the Internet in order to connect remotely located networks. Hence, the data communication is possible at very cheap cost and is easily available (Bagad  Dhotre, 2009) (Twarog et al., 2009).

Virtual private networks are based on IPSec protocol and are widely used for supplying secure encrypted communication over insecure networks like the Internet. A VPN is implemented on top of ATM. The Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol is responsible for handling the authentication in IPSec. However, VPN is restricted to use a logical computer network which is constructed from the system resources of a physical and public network like the Internet, by employing the technique of encryption. Fundamental to the VPN technology is the tunneling strategy (Kioskea, 2008). In other words, tunneling deals with encapsulation of packets that are constructed in a base protocol format in another protocol. When VPNs are running over the Internet, the packets constructed in one of the various VPNs protocol formats are accurately encapsulated within the IP packets (CBS Interactive, 2010) (Lee, 2004) (Mitchell, 2010b).

Following are the network protocols that have gained popularity as a result of developments of VPN
PPTP
L2F
L2TP
IPSec
SOCKS, etc (Shimonski, 2005).

The authentication process allows VPN servers and clients to precisely establish the identity of users on the network. Encryption allows for hiding of potentially sensitive data from the general public (McDonald) (Lee, 2004).

Tunneling
In order to send an IP packet from host A to host B, the packet comprises of the IP address of host B. The packet is then transmitted from host A. Once the packet reaches the router R1 at the sender host A side, it removes the IP packet. Then, router R1 inserts the payload field of the WAN network layer packet. Once the payload field is inserted, the packet is then sent to router R2 at the receiver host B end. When router R2 receives the packet, it takes out the IP packet and sends it to host B within the Ethernet frame (Bagad  Dhotre, 2009) (Twarog et al., 2009).

Tunneling Protocols
Several tunneling protocols have been developed for Virtual private Networks. The essential kinds of tunneling protocols are as follows
IP security (IPSec)
Point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP)
Layer 2 tunneling protocol (Shimonski, 2005).

IP Security protocol (IPSec) Various application-related security mechanisms have been developed like client server (Kerberos), electronic mail (SMIME, PAG), web access (Secure Socket Layer), etc. An IP level security ensures provision of secure and protected networking not only to applications having security mechanisms, but also to various applications that are security ignorant. IPSec is the capability which may be included in the present versions of Internet Protocol, such as IPv4 and IP v6 with the help of additional headers for obtaining secure communication throughout WAN, LAN and Internet. Benefits of IPSec include (Bagad  Dhotre, 2009) (CBS Interactive, 2010)

It offers strong security within as well as across the LAN
In a firewall, IPSec prevents any bypass of traffic if all of the traffic coming from the outside must utilize IP.

There is no requirement to change software in order to implement IPSec.

Since IPSec is located below the Transport layer, it is completely transparent to applications
IPSec is transparent to end users as well.

IPSec can also provide security to end user, if required (Mitchell, 2010c).

Several organizations employ LAN at multiple-places. In this case, the IPSec protocol is used which works in networking devices, such as firewall or router.

Moreover, the IPSec networking effectively encrypts and compresses the outgoing traffic whereas it decrypts and decompresses all incoming traffic. Therefore, these processes are completely transparent to servers and workstations located on the LAN (Bagad  Dhotre, 2009) (Brien, 2003).

Point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP) PPTP is designed for providing connectivity to between a LAN and a single user. It does connect two LANs directly. Also, PPTP is developed to work with Windows NT operating system. It is a network protocol which enables the secure and protected transfer of information from a remote client to a private server of an organization, by building a virtual private network across the TCP IP based data networks. Furthermore, PPTP supports multi-protocol, on-demand, virtual private networking across public networks, like the Internet. PPTP is only deployed by the PNS and PAC. No other systems are required to be aware of PPTP. Moreover, dial networks can be connected to a PAC without being aware of PPTP, and standard PPP client software must continue operating on tunneled PPP links. Point-to-point tunneling protocol is also used for tunneling a PPP session across an IP network. With this configuration, the PPTP session and the PPTP tunnel runs across the same tow machines wherein the caller is acting as a PNS (Scott et al 1999). Furthermore, PPTP is based on client-server architecture in order to decouple functions that are present in Network Access Servers and support VPNs. PPTP also specifies a management and call- control protocol that allows the server to control and manage access for dial-in circuit switched calls arriving from an ISDN or a PSTN, or in order to initiate outbound circuit switched connections (Bagad  Dhotre, 2009) (Mitchell, 2010a).

Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) Layer 2 tunneling protocol is designed by Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and is an improvised version of PPTP. L2T, also known as the secure open standard developed for VPN connections, is capable of supporting user-to-LAN connectivity in addition to LAN-to-LAN connectivity (Brien, 2003).

Results
A virtual private network may be established over the Internet, thereby reducing the cost of private networks as well as the network management overheads. VPNs are most efficient in providing secure connectivity and remote access over the Internet. With IPSec protocol, secure access to the companys network is possible. With VPN, extranet and intranet connectivity, secure communication with other companies, and authentication and confidentiality is achieved. It also provides a key exchange mechanism. Moreover, virtual private networks also provides for enhanced electronic- commerce security. In other words, the use of IPSec protocol enhances the security in electronic commerce applications (Bagad  Dhotre, 2009) (Kioskea, 2008) (Microsoft Corporation, 2003) (Mitchell, 2010b).

A large range of products exist that support virtual private networks. These are the most famous and most available products in the market, with brand such as Asus, Linksys, D-Link, Belkin, etc. The companies provide an array of various types of routers as well as wireless routers. Their price range depends from manufacturer to manufacturer and the features it supports for working in a VPN system. Typically, a router, supporting VPN, costs anywhere from 46.99 to 199.99 (CBS Interactive, 2010)

Conclusion
The desire for using the Internet for business and the risk factor linked to doing so has given rise to a completely new technology niche known as the Virtual Private Networks (VPN). Typically, VPNs are IP-based networks, normally the public network, which use tunneling and encryption techniques for achieving one or more of the following targets

Linking branch offices and distant workplaces to an enterprise network, i.e. the intranet
Connecting end users securely to their own corporate network termed as remote access.
Extending the organizations existing computing infrastructure for including suppliers, clients, and partners known as extranet (McDonald) (Brien, 2003) (Scott et al 1999).

The fundamental idea is tactfully extending trust relationships throughout an economical public network without having to sacrifice security. Moreover, a VPN should ideally behave in a similar fashion as a private network it must be highly available, secure, and must present predictable performance (Brien, 2003) (PeerPapers, 2010).  

Although several VPN technologies presently exist, but with more being enhanced and developed, marketed as well as deployed every day, every technology and product possesses inherent strengths and weaknesses. Certain products are based on standards, usually emerging standards, whereas others are proprietary. Additionally, some products address really specific requirements, like secure remote access across the Internet for independent and mobile users, whereas others concentrate more on secure LAN-to-LAN connectivity (Microsoft Corporation, 2003) (Mitchell, 2010c).

Therefore, this research paper describes how applications that are deployed over the Internet nowadays are increasingly mission-crucial, through which a lack or security or poor performance may jeopardize the success of business. Here, VPNs may play a vital role whereby these risks involved are mitigated is ensured. By precisely addressing performance and security issues, a virtual private network can be an executable substitute to dedicated and private network links. Furthermore, by understanding the numerous VPN solutions is capable of helping organizations to build network infrastructures which will support their tactical business requirements today along with their essential strategic business demands for tomorrow (McDonald) (Brien, 2003) (Mutrux, 2008).