The term Virtual Private Network (VPN) has been creating a lot of buzz lately, but we have found that very few businesses have fully grasped the potential of using a VPN in their operations. In lay terms, a VPN uses encryption to make an insecure network (usually the Internet) behave as if it were a private network.

This technology allows you to pass sensitive information between multiple offices without the need to build an expensive, proprietary network. All that you need to create a VPN is a dedicated Internet connection with static IP address and a router or switch that can provide VPN support. The alternative to the VPN would be to build a Wide Area Network (WAN) by purchasing or leasing dedicated lines to connect each office together.

Some potential uses for a VPN:

A Physician is away from the office and needs confidential patient data in order to make an important treatment decision. They can use their laptop to connect to their EMR system at the hospital instead of driving to the office.

A company has many offices and is maintaining three separate networks. They can establish a VPN between their locations allowing the various offices to share printers, servers, and other network resources. Three aging, outdated servers can be replaced with a single computer, creating a significant savings in the company’s budget. All data can now be stored in one place. Now they only need one backup system to protect mission critical data instead of three.

An employee cannot come to work today because their child is sick. The employee is able to use the Internet to work from home, and they can still finish their reports on the day you want them completed.

Your top salesman finally lands the big deal. The only catch – your new client needs the product by tomorrow. The salesman jumps onto their laptop and logs into your Inventory Management system. They can confirm you have the inventory needed, and schedules a delivery for early the next morning. The deal is closed on the spot.

Have you ever experienced a similar scenario with a less fortunate ending? Do you wish your company had technology in place to fix the problem next time? If so, we want to hear from you. Please give us a call or fill out our contact form to learn how Inacom can help your business get the most out of VPN technologies.