Network Based VPNs

Over the past few years, the Virtual Private Network market has drastically evolved. VPNs grew and became more complex because of various supplementary functionalities. In addition to these technical issues, ISPs saw in VPNs an opportunity for business and increased profitability. They searched for a large-scale solution that would allow them to propose hundreds of large VPNs with multitude of added features and that would be easy to manage and maintain. The result was the emergence of a new type of VPN, Network based VPNs. This paper focuses on this particular type of VPN. First, it provides a short history on the evolution of VPNs, then it explains what is meant by Network based VPNs. To best present this concept, I will use a standard company network for which a CPE and a Network Based Solution is proposed and I will compare the 2 alternatives. Such an approach will allow identifying the differences in design and addressing some fundamental pre-requisites for the implementation of Network Based VPNs. I will review some important security issues to address when an ISP deploys such IP Service Switches. To finish up, we will be giving a list of the major PROs and CONs of Network Based VPNs.