Virtual Private Networks: : A feasibility study of secure communications between remote locations.

Abstract: Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are an integral part of protecting company communications from unauthorized viewing, replication or manipulation. In order for employees to remotely conduct business in an effective and secure manner from a branch location or while traveling, Virtual Private Networks can be viewed as an absolute necessity.   Starting with a certain set of network communication requirements, our project's hypothesis was that the most suitable VPN implementation for Cheap Flats (a fictitious company we created) would be an IPSec client VPN. Included in the report are basic definitions, implementations and tests for three different types of VPNs that were used to confirm this hypothesis: 1) Site-to-site: Tunnel mode connection between VPN gateways. The process of encrypting and transferring data between networks is transparent to end-users. [1] 2) IPSec client: Network Layer VPN for both network-to-network and remote-access deployments. End-users will need to run either Cisco or Open Source VPN software on their PCs. 3) Clientless SSL: “Remote-access VPN technology that provides Presentation Layer encryption services for Applications through local redirection on the client.” [2] VPN communications are established using a browser rather than specific software installed on the end-user’s device.   The test results from the above VPN implementations have been published and comparisons were made between the different types of VPNs regarding the time taken to apply network device/end-user configurations, expenses incurred in procuring additional equipment/software to implement the VPN (if any), impact on end-users, scalability and lastly, the overall functionality of the VPN solution as it relates to the day-to-day business operations.   Following the testing phase, a discussion of the merits and drawbacks of each of the VPN implementations was drafted. After which, a final recommendation was presented regarding the VPN solution that best fit the needs of the hypothetical company described in the paper.