Write 12 pages with APA style on Network Security: A Vital Element in Todays Booming Commerce.

Write 12 pages with APA style on Network Security: A Vital Element in Todays Booming Commerce. This paper will discuss some important aspects regarding maintaining a secured network connection via virtual private networks.

In essence, virtual private networks can be classified into two categories that are known as remote access and site-to-site. Remote access enables the user to access the internet from a distant location (Hancock 30). A site-to-site VPN connection connects two sides of a private network. A good VPN must provide authentication, integrity, confidentiality, and anti-reply (Maiward 23). Authentication is a vital security concern and takes place at two levels known as machine-level and user-level (Hancock 243). Machine-level authentication is used for VPN connections during the establishment of the IP-sec connection. User-level authentication takes place before data can be transferred through the tunnel (Mairward 28). VPN Security is critical in many aspects because it has dramatically changed the way people conduct business. If an organization has users that are utilizing remote access, the risk of running into hackers poses a serious threat for a client. In order to remove this threat, using an application such as MacAfee helps clients avoid malicious infiltration (Mairward 28). The traffic between the Web browser and the VPN device is encrypted with SSL. Two types of main SSL VPNs are portal and tunnel. An SSL portal VPN secures multiple network services while an SSL tunnel VPN allows clients to access one or more VPN devices via the Web browser (“SSL VPN Security”).

How do VPNs work? A standard VPN might have a main LAN at the head headquarters of an organization while the other LANs can be located at remote offices (“SSL VPN Security”). A VPN uses a public network, which is internet in most cases, and is necessary in order to connect to distant sites instead of using “leased lines”.