ABSTRACT
As user experiencewith virtual private networks (VPNs) has
grown, so have user expectations. Important user experience
issues such as latency, delay, legacy application support, and
service availability are now effectively dealt with through
the use of standard protocols such as multi-protocol label
switching (MPLS) and improved network design. VPN
management tools that allow improved control and views
of VPN components and users are now being deployed,
resulting in increased scalability and lower ongoing opera-
tional costs of VPNs. At one time it was accepted that
deploying a VPN meant installing “fat”-client software on
user desktops, manual configuration of encrypted tunnels,
arcane configuration entry into server-side text-based con-
figuration files, intrusive network firewall reconfigurations,
minimal access control capability, and a state of mutual
mystification due to vendor hype and user confusion over
exactly what the VPN could provide in theway of scalability
and manageability. New approaches to delivering on the
objective of secure yet remote access are evolving, as
shown by the adoption of alternatives to that pure layer 3
tunneling VPN protocol, IPSec. User feedback to vendor
technology, the high cost of deploying and managing large-
scale VPNs, and opportunity cost analysis are helping to
evolve these new approaches to encrypting, authenticating,
and authorizing remote access into enterprise applications.
WEB-BASED IP VPN
