7.7 Summary

As the popularity of IP VPNs increases , and they become more commonplace in the network, the security issues surrounding them are going to take on increased importance. A VPN can extend the reach of a network and increase productivity.

Unfortunately, a VPN also increases the security risk to an organization. For a VPN to be properly implemented, the security policy of an organization has to be adjusted to take into account the machines of home users, as well as the method by which the users connect to the VPN. A single tunneling protocol should be chosen and standardized across the organization.

Finally, the placement of the VPN on the network has to be taken into consideration as well as what device will handle the VPN termination.