• Virtual Private Network allows the end users to connect to the private network over the public network that is over the internet.
• The most important aspect of this connection is that its secure because there exist a virtual tunnel called VPN tunnel, and all the communication is passed through this secure and encrypted tunnel.

How does VPN work:

• There is a tunnel established between the client host and the VPN server and this tunnel carries the encrypted data.
• Once the data reaches the VPN server, it is decrypted with the key and then it is send to appropriate resource on the private network such as may companies intranet that is companies application like emails or any other server.
• The response from the private network is again encrypted by the VPN server and send to VPN client where is again decrypted and send back to users application.
• This complete process takes place inside a tunnel called VPN tunnel.

Advantages of VPN

• Security: This is one of the major advantages of having VPN, since a tunnel is formed and data is encrypted hence data cannot be seen and used by any third party who does not have the proper key to decrypt the same. Thus integrity of the data is maintained.
• Location Independent: VPN ensure that any content over the internet can be used any where in the world that is even in location where that particular content is not allowed.

Example: Imagine Google is banned in China but having VPN we can access the Google as encrypted traffic reaches the ISP and same can reach to VPN server which is located in any parts of the world and response can be send.

• IP address and Location secure:

The IP address can not be noticed by ISP as they receive encrypted packet and once it reaches the endpoint(VPN sever) and is decrypted and again redirected to internet with that of VPN server IP address. This VPN server can sit any where in the world making it location as well as the IP address of the real source hidden.

• Traffic hidden:

Again ISP cannot know the browsing history as it receives the encrypted packet.

Types of VPN:

There are two types of VPN:

• Remote Access VPN
• Site to Site VPN

Remote Access VPN:

It allows user to connect to private network and access the service remotely. This communication is over internet using tunnel.

Site to Site VPN:

This is also called Router to Router VPN where companies or organisation, with branch in different locations, use site-to-site to VPN to connect the network of one office location to the network at another office location.

Categories: Networking