Security Comes First for SonicWALL Gretchen Hyman
[March 29, 2002] With the VPN hardware market expected to hit nearly $3 billion in revenues by 2005, SonicWALL, Inc. has been forging new alliances and developing new products.

Digital Authentication Players to Merge Erin Joyce
[March 26, 2002] The acquisition comes as the use of digital signatures to legally bind deals done online starts to spread from theory to application.

Qwest's VPN Deals Thor Olavsrud
[February 28, 2002] Despite serious financial setbacks, don't rule out the telephone company's ability to strike deals with the country's biggest corporations, as evidenced by more than $100 million in VPN deals.

VPN RFP Lab Eval: Final Thoughts Lisa Phifer
[January 4, 2002] We present a side-by-side comparison of the results of our lab tests of VPN solutions from three vendors: NetScreen, RapidStream, and SonicWALL, and we ask that you vote to choose the best below:

NetScreen Lab Eval Lisa Phifer
[December 21, 2001] Final installment of our lab test evaluating equipment from NetScreen Technologies. [Part 2] [Part 3]

RapidStream Lab Eval Lisa Phifer
[November 21, 2001] The final installment from the second set of results describing our lab experience with RapidStream VPN products. Our technical support experience, customer feedback, more. [Part 2] [ Part 3]

SonicWALL Lab Eval Lisa Phifer
[November 1, 2001] The final part from the first set of results describing our lab experience with SonicWALL VNP products. Details about our technical support experiences, customer feedback, more.  [ Part 2] [ Part 3]

News From Fall VPNcon Lisa Phifer
[October 23, 2001] October—fall foliage, crisp mornings, apple cider, candy corn, jack-o-lanterns—and VPNs? It's true. VPN news increases during the fall conference season, culminating at Fall VPNcon.

Cisco Scores More Security with a VPN Solution Provider Clint Boulton
[July 30, 2001] Amid upbeat research reports on the market for Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) Cisco buys Allegro. Cisco's biggest competitor in the VPN market is best known for its mobile phones.

IP—VPNs Part 3: Challenges Tim Hills and Margaret Hopkins
[July 26, 2001] Analysys reports that although IP-based Virtual Private Networks (IP—VPNs) have a broad appeal, the enterprise market will go to the largest providers, while there will be serious competition for the small business market.

IP—VPNs Part 2: The Technology Tim Hills and Margaret Hopkins
[July 18, 2001] There are several types of virtual private networks (VPNs) currently being deployed. Of those, the IP-based VPN (IP—VPN) offers the greatest QoS assurances, but vendors are struggling to differentiate their service offerings.

Multi-Vendor VPNs: The Quest for Interoperability Lisa Phifer
[June 20, 2001] Should your ISP stick with a single vendor solution to deploy VPN services or do multi-vendor systems deliver a better ROI? Learn how to build a VPN offering around your ISP's short- and long-term goals.

EarthLink Offers Static IP Internetnews.com Staff
[June 20, 2001] As ISPs strive to generate more revenue from existing subscribers, EarthLink leads the way by offering premium services such as a static IP and home networking for additional monthly fees.

RFP Series: Our Take On VPN Vendors for Broadband SMBs Lisa Phifer
[June 13, 2001] We've showed you the original RFP sent to vendors and their responses. Now it's time to get down to the brass tacks and with our expert take on IPsec hardware solutions for ISP deployment to broadband SMBs.

RFP Series-VPN for Broadband SMBs: SonicWALL Lisa Phifer
[June 6, 2001] Final RFP in our VPN appliance review evaluating IPsec hardware devices suitable for ISP deployment to broadband-enabled SMBs. This week, SonicWALL surpasses our VPN barriers.

RFP Series-VPN for Broadband SMBs: Rebel.com Lisa Phifer
[May 30, 2001] ISP-Planet VPN appliance reviews continue, evaluating IPsec hardware devices suitable for ISP deployment to broadband-enabled businesses with 10-200 employees. This week, Rebel.com takes a stand.

RFP Series: VPN for Broadband SMBs: RapidStream Lisa Phifer
[May 23, 2001] ISP-Planet's VPN appliance review continues. This week, RapidStream presents its case for our ISP to consider its IPsec hardware devices and broadband solutions for small businesses.

RFP Series: VPN for Broadband SMBs: NetScreen Lisa Phifer
[May 16, 2001] Our VPN appliance reviews continue, evaluating IPsec hardware devices suitable for ISP deployment to broadband-enabled businesses. This week, NetScreen Technologies presents its case.

ISP-Planet Series-Request For Proposal:
Managed VPN Appliances for Broadband SMBs Lisa Phifer
[May 3, 2001] Introduction to our new series of VPN appliance reviews evaluating 6 turnkey IPsec hardware devices suitable for ISP deployment to broadband-enabled small businesses. It's what you need to know, now.

Defying Double Dippers: Funk Concurrency Server Lisa Phifer
[April 12, 2001] Does your ISPs Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting server system stink? If you've already solidified access to your AAA server—why not consolidate concurrency control there as well?

InternetConnect: Joining IP and ATM with MPLS Lisa Phifer
[January 10, 2001] MPLS speeds up Virtual Private Networks by ensuring that next-hop decisions are made before data is sent, not made while the data is in transit. It could cut bandwidth prices by a factor of ten versus Frame Relay.

2000

The Remote Access Conundrum Part 2: Tunneling at Layer Two Lisa Phifer
[December 22, 2000] AT&T's approach to managed VPN services — multi-protocol support and simple client software — can teach us a lot about structuring such a business. The main take-away: One size does not fit all.

eTunnels VPN-on-Demand Lisa Phifer
[December 11, 2000] Speeding up deployment at the core of your ISPs network is a challenge. Review eTunnels VPN-On-Demand—designed to speed past bumps in the road and streamline high volume service deployment.

The Remote Access Conundrum Part 1: Extended Authentication Lisa Phifer
[November 30, 2000] Can ISPs offer the security of IPsec-based remote access VPNs without the expense of massive Public Key authentication systems? There's no fully standardized solution, but there are ways. . . .

Infrastructure To Go Lisa Phifer
[October 23, 2000 ] Well-funded, powerfully partnered, and staffed by legions of experts, Loudcloud is redefining the way online operations are put together. Just pick your platform; they do the rest.

eTunnels Launches VPN-On-Demand   Barry Elad
[September 15, 2000] Soon ISPs will be able to offer managed virtual private network services without customer premise equipment—as a matter of fact, without any equipment at all!

An Early Look At Network-Based VPN Deployment   Lisa Phifer
[September 5, 2000]  The latest Virtual Private Networks are truly "virtual" (software plus provider equipment). Eliminating customer premises equipment lowers costs significantly at every stage, not just installation. We look at new equipment, new software — and a whole new market.

Banning VPNs   Best of ISP-Lists
[August 22, 2000] Members of the ISP-DSL list discuss why and whether you would prevent customers from using Virtual Private Networks.

Realm-Specific IP for VPNs and Beyond    Lisa Phifer
[June 23, 2000] Although still in draft stage, RSIP holds great promise for bridging public and private address spaces. Better yet, it sidesteps many of the pitfalls associated with applying NAT to IPsec traffic.

IP Security and NAT: Oil and Water?    Lisa Phifer
[June 15, 2000] IPsec and NAT can be employed together in some configurations, but not in others. In today's column, we'll explore the issues and limitations associated with combining IPsec and NAT, and take a brief look at recent advances in this area.

VPN Product Briefs Lisa Phifer
[May 24, 2000 ] A new standard for product interoperability, a global VPN, "security as a service" partnerships, and more.

We Need a Public Key Infrastructure    Lisa Phifer
[May 2, 2000]  Many of today's virtual private networks (VPNs) are limited by their simple security systems. We discuss some of the changes that will be necessary in order to build massive, secure VPNs.

Windows 2000's VPN-Related Security Issues   Lisa Phifer
[March 27, 2000 ]  The new OS from Redmond has lots of new security features, but — surprise! — there are significant compatibility issues with existing security gateways. We scrutinize the technology and offer a list of pitfalls to watch out for.

Stretching 'VPN' to Fit Web-Based Intranets?   Lisa Phifer  
[February 11, 2000 ]  Should providers market Web-based intranet services as 'virtual private networks'? How well does this trendy technology label fit these emerging service offerings?

VPNs Go Wireless   Gerry Blackwell
[February 2, 2000] One Idaho ISP demonstrates that providers already offering wireless connectivity can add virtual private networking capability easily and profitably.

1999

Network-Based VPN Platforms    Lisa Phifer
[December 2, 1999]  Here's a sneak preview of the carrier-class VPN boxes that will let ISPs and other managed VPN providers eliminate customer premise equipment. This stuff is BIG!

RoI for Remote Access VPNs    Lisa Phifer
[November 2, 1999]  Everyone 'knows' there's $$ to be made in outsourced VPN services. But how much? And at what level of investment? Here are some hard numbers.

Protocols for Remote Access VPNs    Lisa Phifer
[October 6, 1999]  Before you can offer VPN service to your business customers, you'll have to make some basic decisions about the kind of VPN your ISP will support.

VPN Platforms for ISPs    Lisa Phifer
[September 1, 1999] The number of VPN hardware devices is exploding. Settling on a service platform means optimizing many variables. Here's a concise guide to help you sort it all out.

Choosing Customer Premise Equipment for VPNs    Lisa Phifer
[July 28, 1999] Picking the right CPE for a particular VPN service customer isn't a trivial problem. Lisa Phifer sorts out the tangle of solutions and highlights the hot-button issues.

What do VPN Customers Want?    Lisa Phifer
[June 30, 1999]  The market for outsourced VPNs is growing, changing, segmenting. If you're considering VPN offerings, this can help point you in the right direction.

Meeting the VPN Challenge    Lisa Phifer
[May 31, 1999]  Thousands of corporations are looking to outsource VPN services and savvy ISPs are planning to provide them. But deploying dial VPNs still poses substantial technical and practical challenges.