VPN - Virtual private network
The way businesses are run has changed a lot in the last few decades. Instead of simply dealing with local or regional concerns, many businesses now have to think about global markets and logistics. Many companies have facilities which are spread out across the country or indeed around the world, and there is one thing that all of them need; a way to maintain fast, secure and reliable communications wherever their offices are. Alternatively you may run your own business, finding yourself dealing with emails and admin in the office until late at night. There is another way, you can access your work computer from home by using a Virtual Private Network.
A virtual private network (VPN) is a private communications network often used within a company, or by several companies or organisations, to communicate confidentially over a publicly accessible network (usually the internet) to connect remote sites or users together. A VPN uses ‘virtual’ connections routed through the internet from the company’s private network to the remote site or employee. Security software ensures that the service is ‘virtually’ private, even though the company does not have its own dedicated network.
A VPN offers the following benefits. Firstly, the choice of when and where to work. If workers can log in to the business server outside the office, it can open doors for the business. People have the option to work from home should they prefer, and have the ability to stay in contact with the office when away on business meetings. In addition, remote log-in reduces the inconvenience of performing tasks out of hours, as employees can log-in from their homes. Secondly, added security. When employees sign on to a VPN, they benefit from all the extras that they can access in the office (high speed internet access, firewall, antivirus and data backup). This allows everyone to share company projects and receive updated information simultaneously, in the knowledge that the connection is safe and secure.
Therefore, having a VPN is a cost effective method of linking remote offices or home workers by using the public internet, whilst still keeping company confidential information behind the firewall. Remote offices can be set up quickly, or deployed temporarily and remote workers can ‘connect’ to the company server over a VPN from anywhere in the world.
In order to set up a VPN from home, type in VPN into your computers help facility, and you will find a step by step install guide or call us now.