Extranet VPN
Almost every company has a select group of suppliers, vendors and other business partners they do business with. Business interactions between these organisations include communication, collaboration and, in many cases, commercial transactions.
In today’s rapidly changing and highly competitive global economy, speed and cost can determine a company’s success or failure. As the traditional business exchange methods often prove to be slow, paper-based, timeintensive, and expensive, companies are looking to improve the efficiency
and effectiveness of their business-to-business interactions. That’s where Extranets come into the picture.
An Extranet is a private network connecting the networks of two or more businesses, enabling secure communication, collaboration, and commerce.Different technologies can be used to establish an Extranet, the most relevant being a Virtual Private Network, or VPN.
extranet-vpn
Extranet VPNs extend selected resources and applications from a central company network to users outside the company, such as suppliers, customers and partners. These connections and interactions can happen in a secure way and can be limited to particular systems and designated
people.
An Extranet can enable employees of the companies involved, to research products, place and fulfil orders, and track each others supply and delivery processes. By involving customers and suppliers, an Extranet VPN smoothes the transition to electronic commerce. It can enable productivity boosting applications, and streamline business processes such as ordering, shipment and billing.
Extranet-based business-to-business communication usually happens over the Internet or via a shared Service Provider IP network.
Business-to-business traffic sent across an Extranet VPN is highlysecure, reliable and manageable.
Let’s have a look at a practical case of Extranet applications between two companies.
E-Procurement is an automated, Internet-based way for a company to purchase the goods and services it needs to conduct business.
Such procurement goods and services may include product components, standard raw materials, special customised supplies, or supplies needed for maintenance, repair, or general operation. E-procurement allows organisations to conduct the purchasing process over their Extranet,
without the use of paper.
E-procurement applications usually require one or more servers, either within your company network, or outside of it, for instance for access from your suppliers. Using VPN technology, secure tunnels can be created over the Internet or over a Service Provider IP network, so that the appropriate servers and applications on either side can be accessed in a secure and
reliable way.
Why is it better to interact with your business partners using Extranets than through paper-based communication, phone calls, faxes and ad-hoc emails?
Firstly, an Extranet streamlines your communication with your partners and customers, and increases your operational efficiency.
As VPN technology provides a secure and reliable way to communicate over
the Internet, communication costs are low. Furthermore, costs are reduced as there is less need for frequent meetings, and an overall reduction in paper and phone communication.
An Extranet VPN is very flexible and scalable. It can easily be adapted to the changing nature of your interactions with your business partners.Finally, as systems, servers and applications can interact with each other, ahigh degree of automated communication and decision-making is possible.
10 Responses to “Extranet VPN”
How can I transfer my VPN ( virtual private network ) settings from one computer to another?
You must copy the security policy from the first computer to a dvd, flash memory, or external hard drive. After that you transfer(copy) the security policy from the removable media into the already installed VPN client application.
How can I past a firewall to access a virtual privete network (vpn)?
Below is a list with ports and there associated services. Try to see which ports are open.
20,21 FTP (File transfer)
22 SSH (Remote login secure)
25 SMTP (Internet mail)
53 DNS (Host naming)
80 HTTP (Web)
88 Kerberos (computer authentication protocol)
110 POP3 (Client access)
119 NNTP (Usenet newsgroups)
123 NTP (Network time)
137-139 NetBIOS (DOS/Windows naming)
143 IMAP (Client access)
161,162 SNMP (Network management)
163,164 CMIP (Network management)
443 HTTPS (Web secure)
514 Syslog (Event logging)
563 NNTPS (Usenet newsgroups secure)
993/tcp IMAP4 over SSL, Internet Message Access Protocol
995/tcp POP3 over SSL, Post Office Protocol
989,990 FTPS (File transfer secure)
1723 Virtual private network (VPN)
Ask your IT department to set up on a different port that is unblocked.
How can I setup a Virtual Private Network between two computers ?
You will need a VPN gateway at both ends, and a static public IP address at both ends.
If you have a dynamic IP address it is not possible because you will need to reconfigure the VPN gateway every time the IP address changes.
1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
2. Click the Windows Setup tab.
3. Click Communications, click Details, click to select the Virtual Private Networking check box, and then click OK.
4. Click OK, and then click Yes to restart your computer.
It is possible that computer on a network hub to use a vpn connection at the same time as it uses its regular net ?
Yes. You will have a private network. The difference it is that VPN uses public connections while a private network uses separate lines.
interesting post
a very good article about Extranet VPN