3
Cisco RVS4000 Security Router with VPN Administrator Guide 13
This chapter provides information for planning your VPN. It includes these
sections:
•Why do I need a VPN?, page13
•What is a VPN?, page15
Why do I need a VPN?
Computer networking provides a flexibility not available when using an archaic,
paper-based system. With this flexibility, however, comes an increased risk in
security. Firewalls address this risk. Firewalls help to protect data inside of a local
network. But what do you do when information leaves your local network, when
emails go to their destination, or when you connect to your company’s network
from a hotel or remote office? How is your data protected?
A VPN can help. VPNs are called Virtual Private Networks because they secure
data moving outside of your network as if it were still within that network.
When data travels across the Internet from your computer, it is always open to
attacks. You may already have a firewall, which helps protect data in your network
from being corrupted or intercepted by entities outside of your network. When
data moves outside of your network—when you send data to someone via email
or communicate with an individual over the Internet—the firewall no longer
protects your data.
At this point, your data be comes open to hackers who use a variety of methods to
steal not only the data you transmit but also your network login and security data.
Some of the most common methods are described in on the next page.