Hardware Vs. Software VPN
A type of network commonly used by businesses and organizations is known as a virtual private network, or VPN. This kind of network technology is available for installation in various ways. One method is a hardware VPN appliance, and another is a piece of software for existing equipment.
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VPN Basics
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Organizations and businesses around the world today use VPN technology as a way to connect remote users to local area networks (LANs). This enables remote users to access an organization's network resources in a secure way from another location via the Internet.
Software VPN Basics
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Software VPN technology is available in multiple forms. One form is an application added to an existing server on a network. Another is a software upgrade to an existing piece of network equipment. A hardware vendor may provide added functionality for a network appliance, such as a router, as a software upgrade.
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Software VPN Benefits
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Software VPN has an advantage of being inexpensive relative to hardware VPN appliances. Since the software can be installed on existing equipment, there also may be less training necessary for an organization's IT staff because the same vendor may maintain a similar application interface. Software VPN is also a way of maintaining a simpler hardware topology for a network.
Hardware VPN Basics
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Hardware VPN appliances are network equipment dedicated only to the purpose of VPN. Although generally more expensive than software VPN, hardware VPN can offer the best performance for organizations and companies relying heavily on VPN. There are considerations about network topology to be weighed, as a hardware VPN is an additional appliance and may require extensive training for an IT department.
Hardware VPN Benefits
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Hardware VPN appliances are built specifically for the purpose of VPN and can provide the most efficient VPN capability for an organization or company. The use of hardware VPN ensures that other network equipment can focus on its intended tasks rather than providing resources for VPN purposes. One example is a router that is expected to forward network traffic at a certain speed; if its resources are allocated partially to VPN, then it may forward network data more slowly.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Vivek Patankar
