VPN: What Is It? What Does It Do?

If you keep hearing them term “VPN” in conversations about modern business technology, you may be wondering whether this mysterious item might be a good thing for your own organization to incorporate into its IT managed services – and it certainly might be. Let's take a moment to examine this popular business network option.

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It's a means of securely connecting multiple computers or other devices through encrypted Internet connections to a common endpoint such as a server. The encrypted nature of VPN “tunnels” helps protect passwords/data from hackers and other uninvited guests. There are several types of VPN protocols available, some of which are included with Windows, OSX or mobile device operating systems. Currently one of the most popular VPN options are SSL (Secure Socket Layer) VPNs. These browser-based networks don't require a dedicated VPN client, and they offer same potential for secure encryption as the secure connections employed in online banking and other sensitive transactions.

How can you benefit from a VPN? Here are some examples:

Connecting various departments within your facility, securely and wirelessly
Connecting multiple branch office networks into a single Web-based super-network
Allowing your mobile device users to access and work with centrally stored files
Creating an international network that isn't hobbled by local geoblocking restrictions
Adding an extra layer of privacy for those data transfers that shouldn't occur over unprotected public networks.

Interested? Talk to our IT support team about whether a Virtual Private Network makes sense for your organization's usage and needs. Gravity Systems will be happy to set you up with a secure, sensibly-configured VPN and show you how to exploit its full potential. We can also add VPN maintenance and security to your organizations' IT managed services in Austin. Give us a call to get VPN technology working for you!