Alpha Computer Group’s Cisco consultant team excels at setting up Cisco routers, PIX or ASA firewalls, concentrators, and other networking appliances for businesses of all sizes. We are industry certified consultants and technicians which provides our clients the advantage of exclusive benefits and knowledge of various technology, software, & products. We have formed additional strategic relationships to other industry leaders and partners to complement our offerings to directly support your needs. Network Security is as much about your bottom line as it is about deterring threats.A security plan that addresses your critical business concerns – customer confidence, data integrity, increased productivity, and cost savings – will give you the business advantage by thoroughly targeting security vulnerabilities at their source: people and their processes.
A Virtual Private Network enables users access to secured network of remote a organization. It can be contrasted with an expensive system of owned or leased lines that can only be used by one organization. The goal of a VPN is to provide the organization with the same capabilities, but at a much lower cost. We at Alpha Computers can assist businesses to use the shared public infrastructure (Public WAN) while maintaining privacy through security procedures and tunneling protocols. These protocols work by encrypting and decrypting the data sent through a tunnel. The data is sent only when they are properly encrypted so as to avoid any kind of security issues. For additional level of security, the experts at Alpha Computer Group combs through the encryption not only at the data side but also to the originating and receiving network addresses. Our expert consultants will work with you to find your business a best-fit VPN Provider.
Alpha Computer Group VPN Solutions:
Enables centralized and/or outsourced IT services
Saves on expenses related to network breakdown or poor network performance
Help in saving administrative costs of managing incongruent networks
Enables cost-saving and productivity enhancing capabilities such as Enterprise VoIP
Services of VPN Solutions at Alpha Computers:
VPN’s are typically utilized by organizations that are operating out of multiple office locations that require a secure, flexible and cost effective means for their employees to communicate and share information across a central computer network and to do it in a safe and secure manner. This is the reason we at Alpha Computer Group have formed a proper and channelized network with a strong foundation for a number of business critical applications including:
VoIP phone service
Remote application
Centralized merchant transactions
Access (Citrix OR 2X)
Remote user access
Software applications
File transfer/sharing
Video delivery
Secure access to internal
Compliance requirements
Central data storage & backup
Outsourced network management
A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network, such as the Internet. It enables a computer to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if it is directly connected to the private network, while benefiting from the functionality, security and management policies of the private network. A VPN is created by establishing a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of dedicated connections, virtual tunneling protocols, or traffic encryption. A virtual private network connection across the Internet is similar to a wide area network (WAN) link between sites. From a user perspective, the extended network resources are accessed in the same way as resources available within the private network. VPNs allow employees to securely access their company’s intranet while traveling outside the office, even on they’re mobile phones. Similarly, VPNs securely connect geographically disparate offices of an organization, creating one cohesive network. VPN technology is also used by Internet users to connect to proxy servers for the purpose of protecting personal identity and location.
We help our clients with various VPN support like:
Secure VPN network
Consultation
Information Collection
Vendor Research
Presentation
Discussion
Implementation Planning
Implementation
Billing
Support
Early data networks allowed VPN-style remote connectivity through dial-up modems or through leased line connections utilizing Frame Relay and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) virtual circuits, provisioned through a network owned and operated by telecommunication carriers. These networks are not considered true VPNs because they passively secure the data being transmitted by the creation of logical data streams. They have given way to VPNs based on IP and IP/Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Networks, due to significant cost-reductions and increased bandwidth provided by new technologies such as Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)and fiber-optic networks.
VPNs can be either remote-access (connecting an individual computer to a network) or site-to-site (connecting two networks together). In a corporate setting, remote-access VPNs allow employees to access their company’s intranet from home or while traveling outside the office, and site-to-site VPNs allow employees in geographically disparate offices to share one cohesive virtual network. A VPN can also be used to interconnect two similar networks over a dissimilar middle network; for example, two IPv6 networks over an IPv4 network.
VPN systems may be classified by:
the protocols used to tunnel the traffic.
the tunnel’s termination point location, e.g., on the customer edge or network-provider edge.
whether they offer site-to-site or remote-access connectivity.
the levels of security provided.
the OSI layer they present to the connecting network, such as Layer 2 circuits or Layer 3 network connectivity.
Some Different Types of VPN Technology:
Anonymizer
Opportunistic encryption
Split tunneling
Mediated VPN
VPNBook
OpenVPN
BartVPN
UT-VPN
Tinc (protocol)
DMVPN (Dynamic Multipoint VPN)
Virtual Private LAN Service over MPLS
Ethernet Virtual Private LAN (EVP-LAN or E-LAN) defined by MEF
MPLS
SoftEther VPN, another open-source VPN program which supports SSL-VPN, IPsec, L2TP, OpenVPN, EtherIP and SSTP protocols listed in the Security mechanisms section
VPN Security mechanisms
To prevent disclosure of private information, VPNs typically allow only authenticated remote access and make use of encryption techniques.
VPNs provide security by the use of tunneling protocols and through security procedures such as encryption. The VPN security model provides:
confidentiality such that even if the network traffic is sniffed at the packet level (see network sniffer and Deep packet inspection), an attacker would only see encrypted data.
sender authentication to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the VPN.
message integrity to detect any instances of tampering with transmitted messages
Secure VPN protocols include the following:
Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) as initially developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for IPv6, which was required in all standards-compliant implementations of IPv6 before RFC 6434 made it only a recommendation. This standards-based security protocol is also widely used with IPv4 and the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol. Its design meets most security goals: authentication, integrity, and confidentiality. IPsec uses encryption, encapsulating an IP packet inside an IPsec packet. De-encapsulation happens at the end of the tunnel, where the original IP packet is decrypted and forwarded to its intended destination.
Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) can tunnel an entire network’s traffic (as it does in the OpenVPN project and SoftEther VPN project) or secure an individual connection. A number of vendors provide remote-access VPN capabilities through SSL. An SSL VPN can connect from locations where IPsec runs into trouble with Network Address Translation and firewall rules.
Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) – used in Cisco AnyConnect VPN and in OpenConnect VPN to solve the issues SSL/TLS has with tunneling over UDP.
Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (MPPE) works with the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol and in several compatible implementations on other platforms.
Microsoft Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) tunnels Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) or Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol traffic through an SSL 3.0 channel. (SSTP was introduced in Windows Server 2008 and in Windows Vista Service Pack 1.)
Multi Path Virtual Private Network (MPVPN). Ragula Systems Development Company owns the registered trademark “MPVPN”.
Secure Shell (SSH) VPN – OpenSSH offers VPN tunneling (distinct from port forwarding) to secure remote connections to a network or to inter-network links. OpenSSH server provides a limited number of concurrent tunnels. The VPN feature itself does not support personal authentication.
Authentication
Tunnel endpoints must be authenticated before secure VPN tunnels can be established. User-created remote-access VPNs may use passwords, biometrics, two-factor authentication or other cryptographic methods. Network-to-network tunnels often use passwords or digital certificates. They permanently store the key to allow the tunnel to establish automatically, without intervention from the user.
Routing
Provider-provisioned VPN building-blocks
Tunneling protocols
Point-to-point network topology
Layer 2 L2
layer 3 L3
Multiprotocol label switching (MPLS)
Customer Devices
Customer Edge Devices
Provider Edge Devices
Provider Device
PPVPN services
OSI Layer 2 services
Virtual Lan (VLan)
Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS)
802.1q
802.1d
Local Area Network (LAN)
WIDE Area Network (WAN)
Pseudo Wire (PW)
Ethernet over IP Tunneling
EtherIP
SoftEther VPN
IP-only LAN-like service (IPLS)
OSI Layer 3 PPVPN architectures
BGP PPVPN
MPLS PPVPN
Virtual router PPVPN
Unencrypted tunnels
Trusted delivery networks
Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)
Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)
Cisco’s Layer 2 Forwarding (L2F)
PPTP
SSL VPN
POINT TO POINT
Trusted VPN Manufacturers
Cisco Networks
Juniper Networks
Adtran
SonicWall
REDBOX
DLINK
BELKIN
LINKSYS
OPENVPN
Netgear
Avaya
FireBox
Brocade
If you need any VPN router or firewall assistance call Alpha Computer Group today @ (877) 608 – 8647
Planning guide for the stated service area
How to evaluate vpn solutions
Clear requirements make technical options easier to compare, approve, implement, and support. This page from Alpha Computer Group treats VPN Solutions as a specific planning subject rather than a repeated location phrase.
Begin with the users and operations that depend on the outcome. Document existing systems, recurring problems, required availability, security expectations, current vendors, account ownership, physical limitations, business deadlines, and the evidence that will prove the change is complete. Acceptance should use observable tests rather than general statements such as installed, configured, or working.
Vpn: discovery
Inventory devices, services, users, locations, integrations, permissions, contracts, support contacts, and known defects related to vpn solutions. Mark each unknown that requires a survey, administrator access, carrier confirmation, or stakeholder decision.
Solutions: comparison
Ask every provider to address the same facts. Separate required capabilities from optional features, and compare one-time work, recurring costs, prerequisites, exclusions, training, warranties, support hours, and the effort required for later changes.
Testing: acceptance
Write observable tests before implementation. Identify who attends, what evidence is recorded, how failed checks are corrected, and when responsibility changes from the project team to ongoing support.
A focused checklist for VPN Solutions
- Describe the business outcome connected to Vpn, including the people and workflows affected.
- Record quantities, locations, ownership, and current limitations for Solutions.
- Confirm how Testing will be configured, secured, tested, documented, and explained.
- Identify dependencies involving Continuity, site access, external vendors, carriers, or unavailable records.
- Define the fallback if Documentation is delayed or an acceptance check fails.
- Assign ongoing responsibility for Support, routine changes, urgent incidents, and future review.
What a complete proposal should show
Look for equipment, licensing, labor, configuration, coordination, testing, documentation, training, taxes, recurring charges, assumptions, exclusions, and optional work to be clearly separated. The proposal should explain how existing operations are protected and how the result will be supported.
Planning questions
What must remain operational?
List busy periods, critical users, customer-facing functions, compliance needs, shared resources, and acceptable interruption windows. This guides staging and rollback decisions for vpn solutions.
Who owns each dependency?
Assign customer, provider, carrier, software vendor, landlord, contractor, and internal approver responsibilities. A named owner and due date are more useful than assuming another party will handle the task.
What happens after launch?
The customer should leave the project able to request help, authorize changes, verify future work, and recover essential information. That makes the finished work maintainable and reduces dependence on memory.
Decision notes specific to VPN Solutions
The following prompts use the exact page subject, vpn solutions, to keep this the stated service area discussion distinct from a general technology overview.
Before a budget is approved for vpn solutions, note current ownership and access limitations related to vpn solutions. That record gives reviewers a common baseline and prevents each proposal from answering a different question. For change management involving Vpn, capture test results in a form the customer can retain. The control should be simple enough that the people doing the work will actually use it.
As technical options are narrowed for vpn solutions, list the people, systems, and deadlines that shape vpn solutions. Decision makers can then compare implementation effort, recurring cost, risk, and support on equal terms. For implementation risk involving Solutions, require each important claim to map to an observable acceptance check. The customer and provider can then resolve the exception using the same agreed facts.
Before purchasing begins for vpn solutions, document quantities, locations, and existing contracts behind vpn solutions. This approach keeps the discussion tied to operating needs rather than a list of features with no stated priority. For technical ownership involving Testing, document exclusions and optional work beside the related requirement. A concise exception log can preserve decisions that would otherwise be lost across calls and messages.
When stakeholders first meet for vpn solutions, record the operational pain points connected to vpn solutions. A shared baseline also reduces late changes caused by a vendor discovering ordinary constraints after kickoff. For security review involving Continuity, define how routine requests differ from urgent incident escalation. It also gives support staff a useful starting point if the issue returns after launch.
When current conditions are documented for vpn solutions, identify the records and diagrams still missing from vpn solutions. Any unanswered item can be assigned an owner and due date instead of remaining an invisible project assumption. For user readiness involving Documentation, stage disruptive work around real operating hours and customer commitments. That control makes exceptions visible while there is still time to choose a response.
While proposals are being compared for vpn solutions, compare required outcomes with optional features for vpn solutions. The resulting inventory can be attached to estimates so omissions are visible before work is scheduled. For customer communication involving Support, prepare short user instructions for the workflows most likely to change. This makes schedule changes and added cost easier to approve or reject responsibly.
Contact Alpha Computer Group to discuss the facts, constraints, and priorities behind this requirement. Do not send passwords or other sensitive account information through a website form.
Editorial reference 3E3A60D052 · Record 386 · vpn-solutions