What is VPN ?

A VPN , or Virtual Private Network , allows you to create a secure connection to another network over the Internet. VPN enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. Privacy is increased with a VPN because the user’s initial IP address is replaced with one from the VPN provider ,This method allows users to attain a new IP address from any gateway city the VPN service provides. For example, you may live in London but after connecting to the  VPN , you can appear to live in Berlin , Chicago, or any number of gateway cities.

When you browse the web while connected to a VPN, your computer contacts the website through the encrypted VPN connection.The VPN forwards the request for you and forwards the response from the website back through the secure connection.VPNs use advanced encryption protocols and secure tunneling techniques to encapsulate all online data transfers.

VPN protocols

There are a number of VPN protocols in use , The most common protocols are :

PPTP – Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol

PPTP is a protocol  that allows corporations to extend their own corporate network through private “tunnels” over the public Internet. PPTP is one of the most widely used VPN protocols because of it’s straightforward configuration and maintenance and also because it is included with the Windows operating system.

L2TP – Layer Two Tunneling Protocol

L2TP is an extension of PPTP used by an Internet service provider (ISP) to enable the operation of  VPN over the Internet. L2TP is often used in tandem with IPSec (which acts as a security layer) to secure the transfer of L2TP data packets over the Internet.

OpenVPN

OpenVPN is an open-source software application that implements virtual private network (VPN) techniques for creating secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections in routed or bridged configurations and remote access facilities .OpenVPN is Open Source software which means that everyone can freely use it and modify it as needed. OpenVPN can be used for various connectivity needs but its especially popular for anonymous and private access to Internet.

SSTP – Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol

SSTP is a type of VPN tunnel that utilizes an SSL 3.0 channel to send PPP or L2TP traffic. SSL allows for transmission and data encryption, as well as traffic integrity checking. SSTP provides a technology to encapsulate PPP traffic over the SSL channel of the HTTPS protocol.

Cisco Anyconnect VPN

Cisco anyconnect provides the remote access connectivity portion of AnyConnect Secure Mobility.The connection is secure because both the user and device must be authenticated and validated prior to being provided access to the network.When a user opens a VPN session using Cisco AnyConnect, the AnyConnect client connects to the adaptive security appliance using SSL. The client authenticates with the adaptive security appliance and is assigned an internal IP address on the network.

 Kerio VPN

Kerio Control VPN Client enables an encrypted connection from individual systems (clients) to a remote private network via the Internet. The connection enables these clients to access the private network as if they were physically connected.Three versions of Kerio Control VPN Client are available:

• Kerio VPN Client for Windows

• Kerio VPN Client for Mac OS X

• Kerio VPN Client for Linux

Benefits of using VPN

Hide Your Browsing Activity From Your Local Network and ISP 

If you’re using a public Wi-Fi connection, your browsing activity  is visible to everyone neraby, if they know how to look. You can connect to a VPN if you want to hide your browsing activity and improve your security.

Access blocked websites

Many websites in some countries like china are blocked .If you want to access these websites you can use VPN and open blocked websites.You can even access some geo restrected websites like netflix, Pandora, and Hulu which can only be accessed  within some specific countries like USA or UK without VPN , you can open these websites by connecting to the USA or UK VPN.