"Dennis Fowler provides an insightful view to both the business benefits and technical requirements to VPNs. His examples of other customers' experiences with VPNs breathe life into the discussion." From the Foreword by Susan Scheer Aoko, Cisco systems, Inc. Network-dependent companies are excited by the benefits promised by the virtual private network, including lower costs, greater flexibility, and improvements in connectivity. But they also have questions: What benefits are real? How can they be measured? What are the expenses and the dangers? Virtual Private Networks: Making the Right Connection is an intelligent introduction written especially for business and IT professionals who want a realistic assessment of what a VPN can provide for their organizations. Covering advantages and risks, this book expands your understanding of what you can do with a VPN, while detailing all that implementing it will demand of you. With its help, you'll find your way through VPN hype to the answers you need to make sound decisions. Features Thoroughly explains VPN concepts and technologies, and examines the potential of VPNs as intranets, extranets, and remote access solutions. Covers essential VPN topics like tunneling, encapsulation, encryption, security, and protocols. Provides detailed points of comparison between typical VPN costs and the costs of maintaining traditional WANs. Offers frank consideration of the hidden costs and risks sometimes associated with VPNs, helping you decide if a VPN is right for you. Lists and assesses the software and hardware products you may need to implement a VPN. Discusses both Internet-based VPNs and VPN services offered by providers of "private" ATM and frame relay networks, detailing the pros and cons of each.