User`s guide

Using the Internet to Extend the Network

Today, instead of simply dealing with local or regional concerns, many businesses now have to think

about global markets and logistics. Many companies have facilities located across the country or even

around the world. And, they all need a way to maintain fast, secure and reliable communications

wherever their of ces are.

Before the Internet, this meant using leased lines to maintain a private Wide Area Network between

the of ces. This private WAN has obvious advantages over a public network, like the Internet, when it

comes to reliability, performance and security. But maintaining a WAN, particularly when using leased

lines, can become quite expensive, rising in cost as the distance between the of ces increases.

As the popularity of the Internet grew, businesses turned to it as a means of extending their

own networks. First came intranets, which are password-protected sites designed for use only by

company employees. Today, many companies are creating their own intranet-based VPNs (Virtual

Private Networks) to accommodate the needs of remote employees and distant of ces. A VPN is a

private network that utilizes dedicated equipment and data encryption to securely connect remote

sites or users together over the public Internet. Now, fast, secure, reliable, and cost-effective data

communications are a reality for branch of ces, telecommuters and road warriors.

The Opportunity - Unprecedented Connectivity Options

In the past, there have been many attempts to merge voice and data networks, but it wasn’t until

the Internet revolution and the widespread deployment of IP data networks that the industry at large

 nally had the right transport mechanism to support voice

and

data. Having a universal language that

virtually all worldwide networks can understand has opened up unprecedented connectivity options

now available to visionary telecommunications managers.