Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have been around for many years, but recently they have been marketed to home users as an added piece of security for your computer. In reality, what they do isn't quite so simple.

For a home user, using a VPN to surf the web will provide privacy that hides your web activity from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It can make it appear that you are surfing the web from a different place, or even a different country. It does not inherently provide added safety to your web surfing. While some VPN providers add on additional features like IDS, some VPN providers just put you on a subnet with a bunch of other users, which could actually reduce your security!

For a business user, the term VPN is used much differently. It is used in two ways, depending on what the endpoints are using the connection:

• A remote access VPN can be used to securely tunnel traffic between your computer and your work office. This provides security for the data that is transmitted between the remote worker and the corporate network.
• A site to site VPN allows two corporate offices to send traffic to each other over the internet using a secure tunnel. Typically, there is an entire network on either side of the connection, and all traffic tunnels through the secure channel. The alternative to this is to lease a dedicated line between offices, and that is typically much more expensive.

Answer the following questions:

• Under what circumstances would you consider subscribing to a VPN for home use?
• Your friend tells you that they have subscribed to a new VPN, so they don't have to worry about viruses anymore. What would you tell them?
• Under what circumstances would you set up a remote access VPN on a corporate network?
• Under what circumstances would you set up a site-to-site VPN on a corporate network?
• Under what circumstances would you choose a leased line to connect a corporate branch office?