Virtual Private Networks For Dummies

by Merkow, Mark S.

• ISBN13: 9780764505904
• ISBN10: 0764505904
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-12-02
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

Let's face it: the information age makes dummies of us all at some point. One thing we can say for sure, though, about things related to the Internet is that their best strengths are often also their worst weaknesses. This goes for virtual private networks (VPNs). They may reach a wide base of customers but can also be vulnerable to viruses, hackers, spoofers, and other shady online characters and entities. VPNs may allow for super-efficient communication between customer and company but they rely on information which, if compromised, can cause huge losses. The Internet is still a frontier sometimes so wide open it leaves us bewildered and, like any frontier, the risks go hand in hand with potentially huge rewards.Virtual Private Networks for Dummies offers you a no-nonsense, practical guide to evaluating your company's need for a VPN, understanding what it takes to implement one, and undertaking the challenging quest to set it up, make it work, and keep it safe. Whether you're the resident expert leading the project team, or you just want to learn what makes e-commerce tick, this detailed, from-the-ground-up guide will soon have you comfortably conceptualizing: Security goals and strategies The evolution of VPNs Privacy in VPNs Extranets Remote-Access VPNs Funding Custom network solutions design Testing VPNs And more With new products and technologies offering supposedly revolutionary solutions to IT departments every day, this book focuses on the real world you know, the one full of obstacles, mishaps, threats, delays, and errors and gives you the background knowledge to make decisions for yourself about your VPN needs. Written with a dash of humor, Virtual Private Networks for Dummies contains both technical detail (standards, protocols, etc.) and more general concepts (such as conducting cost-benefit analyses). This clear, authoritative guide will have you securely and cost-effectively networking over the Internet in no time.

Author Biography

Mark Merkow, an e-commerce and network security expert, writes a column for ecommerce.internet.com and is the coauthor of Building SET Applications for Secure Transactions.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(4)
Part 1: Unlocking the Mysteries of VPNs	5	(68)
Embracing Virtual Private Networks	7	(10)
Touring the Land of VPNs	17	(8)
Putting Privacy into VPNs	25	(18)
Public Keys, Private Messages	43	(20)
Fighting for the QoS	63	(10)
Part II: Applying VPNs in the Real World	73	(70)
Extraordinary Extranets	75	(14)
Remotely Possible	89	(14)
Branching Out All Over	103	(12)
Justify Yourself	115	(12)
Let Your Requirements Be Your Guide	127	(16)
Part III: Roadmap for VPN Solutions	143	(75)
Designing Custom VPN Network Solutions	145	(16)
Evaluating and Selecting VPN and PKI Solutions	161	(22)
Implementing Your VPN and PKI	183	(10)
Testing Your VPN	193	(12)
Living in a VPN-Wired World	205	(13)
Part IV: The Part of Tens	218	(41)
Ten VPN Online Information Sources	219	(8)
More Than Ten VPN Standards	227	(12)
More Than Ten Steps to an Information Privacy Checklist	239	(10)
Ten Security and Security-Testing Specialists	249	(10)
Part V: Appendixes	259	(44)
Appendix A: VPN Buyer's Guide	261	(24)
Appendix B: Glossary	285	(10)
Appendix C: Inside IPSec	295	(8)
Index	303