[Read Me First]: Building or Buying VPNs (Digital Short Cut)

Kunjal Trivedi

ISBN-10: 1-58720-134-8

ISBN-13: 978-1-58720-134-9

One of the most popular approaches to establishing a secure computing and network environment is the virtual private network (VPN), which enables organizations to use Internet transport securely to connect remote offices and remote users to the main corporate site, thus eliminating expensive dedicated WAN links and modem banks. Furthermore, with the advent of cost-effective, high-bandwidth technologies such as DSL, organizations can use VPNs to reduce their connectivity costs while simultaneously increasing remote connection bandwidth.

[Read Me First]: Building or Buying VPNs helps managers and network security engineers understand and evaluate the costs and benefits associated with this fast-growing technology. This Digital Short Cut helps you to evaluate technology choices, such as whether to build or buy VPN services and how to efficiently manage and lower costs of VPN solutions. From the networking professional to the CEO, this Digital Short Cut provides important information on the business strategies behind the technology.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: The VPN Technology Promise: Secure Access from Anywhere to Anything

Chapter 2: Making the Business Case for Building or Buying a VPN

Chapter 3: VPN Technology Primer and Comparisons of VPN Technology Options

Chapter 4: Cisco Case Study: Deploying VPN Services for WAN Connectivity and Disaster Recovery

Chapter 5: Case Study: Managed VPN Services for Teleworkers Using IPsec Technology

Appendix A: Decision Maker Checklist: VPN Planning, Design, Implementation, and Operation Stages

Appendix B: Decision Maker Checklist: VPN Vendor Selection

About the author:

Kunjal Trivedi, CCIE No. 3460, initially joined Cisco in 1999 as a

consulting engineer but soon moved into security consulting. He then

worked in product management covering Cisco IOS infrastructure security.

Currently, he is helping Cisco shape the marketing vision and strategy

for managed security services.

A widely respected networking security expert, Kunjal has published

articles and presents infrastructure security, IP security, and managed

security topics at Cisco Networkers events and at conferences such

as the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Conference on Operational

Technologies.

Kunjal has a bachelor of engineering degree with honors in electrical

and electronics engineering from the University of Wales, College of

Cardiff, and a master of science degree in artificial intelligence from

Cranfield Institute of Technology, UK. He holds CISSP and CCIE

designations in routing and switching and security. Recently, Kunjal

was awarded Chartered Engineer status by the Institute of Engineering

and Technology in the United Kingdom. He can be reached at

kunjal@cisco.com.