Businesses with multiple locations very often have the need to share data securely between their sites. They want to share this data securely and quickly; depending on their office locations there are any number of Internet access services (such as Metro Ethernet and T1) that might accomplish this, or they can use specific hardware/software to easily and securely share their data.
In many situations, a managed VPN can help those locations quickly and securely connect to each other, regardless of the Internet access involved. VPN overhead is minimal when using today’s Internet technologies, and can be set up using both a combination of hardware and software. This allows locations to connect to each other, and also allows individual users to connect back to their data if they’re working from home or travelling. SSL VPN services are particularly useful in this scenario.
Using a managed VPN with MegaNet to connect multiple locations together becomes even more cost effective when used along with an Internet connection specific to each location’s exact needs. Smaller locations with only a few employees will find that a DSL line can easily provide enough bandwidth for web surfing and VPN use (in most instances). Locations that need to have guaranteed uptime can use T1 service for reliability and very low latency. Larger locations with many employees and heave traffic will find that Metro Ethernet can provide more than enough bandwidth for surfing, file transfers, VoIP calls, and VPN use.
Having a managed VPN also means that your security needs are always kept up to date. We’ll provide all firmware and security updates as needed to make sure company LANs and servers are always kept protected. We can also add new remote users in a matter of minutes, so if your COO is travelling, they can easily get back into the corporate network to update sensitive documents from the road.
Using a managed VPN does introduce more hardware and overhead to a company’s WAN (Wide Area Network), and in some instances businesses prefer that their network have as few points of failure as possible. In those cases, a truly private WAN can be designed specifically for that client’s needs using a combination of T1 and Metro Ethernet connections. Traffic destined for another office location will be kept completely away from the public Internet, giving the company secure inter-office connectivity without additional hardware.
Traditionally T1 lines were the service of choice for those companies that needed reliable, secure connectivity for their offices. While T1 can still fit that bill for many companies, the widespread adoption of Metro Ethernet is now allowing companies to get that high level of reliability with much more bandwidth (10M minimum vs. T1’s 1.5m) and at a budget-friendly cost point as well.
When designing a multi-site network, it’s also important to consider the traffic flow between sites to ensure that there won’t be any bottlenecks anywhere among the sites. Our engineers have been designing private and public networks since 1996, and our experience can be put to use in helping develop your new WAN. A business with multiple locations in the NorthEast, particularly in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York can take advantage of our network to provide inter-site traffic at a very competitive price.
If your business is looking to expand, or wants to look into better performance, please let us know. We can take a look at your needs and potential future growth to determine the best options to connect your sites securely while increasing your network performance.
