index_8
Auerbach Publications
© 2001 CRC Press LLC
08/01
with high speeds. Both allow global access to the Internet, but there is
no feasible or cost-effective way to terminate the connection to the com-
pany headquarters. Since broadband access was intimately associated
with the Internet and direct-dial solutions were ineffective and expen-
sive, the only foreseeable solution was to leverage the Internet to pro-
vide private communications. This ultimately allowed organizations to
utilize their existing investment in Internet connectivity to multiplex re-
mote connections. The final hurdle was to afford security to the commu-
nication in the form of confidentiality, information integrity, access
control, authentication, auditing, and, in some cases, non-repudiation.
The global adoption of the Internet, its availability, and the increased
speeds available have exceeded the limitless access enjoyed with dial-up.
With dial-up, the telephone system was used for establishing communi-
cations — and telephones are everywhere. The serial communication it-
self was carried over a dedicated circuit that would be difficult to
intercept for the everyday hacker and therefore relatively secure. Now
that the Internet is everywhere it can be used to duplicate the availability
that exists with the telephone network while taking advantage of the in-
creased speeds. Granted, if a modem is used to connect to the Internet,
the speed is not realized and the phone system is being used to connect,
but locally; the Internet is still being used for the common connection
medium. Even with dial-up remote access, this was a huge leap in ser-
vice because many corporate-provided remote access solutions could be
difficult to connect to from overseas. If not restricted by policy, cost be-
came an issue because phone equipment and systems were not of the
quality they are today, and long-distance transmissions would hinder the
connection. In contrast, there are tens of thousands of ISPs worldwide
that can provide access to the Internet, not including the very large ISPs
that provide phone numbers globally. Finally, in addition to the seeming-
ly endless supply of access points, there are companies that act as a cen-
tral point for billing and management for hundreds of ISPs worldwide.
From the point of view of the user, there is one large ISP everywhere on
the globe.
The final hurdle was to provide the communication protection from
in-transit influence or exposure as had occurred with old remote access
over the phone network. VPN technology was immediately used to fill
this gap. With the advent of expanded communication capabilities and
the availability of the Internet, the ever-expanding corporate existence
could be easily supported and protected during transit.
CONNECTED ALL THE TIME
In the past, a remote user could dial into a modem bank at headquarters
and access services remotely with little concern for eavesdropping, trans-
mission interception, or impersonation. From the perspective of the host-