VPN

Short for Virtual Private Network, a network that is constructed by using public wires to connect network nodes. A VPN may also be refered to as an "extranet". VPNs use dedicated, secure tunnels to ease the transmission of data between the local POP and the corporate network. Typically, the networks involved are IP networks, the Internet being the most common example. The tunnels are set up between a network access point and a tunnel terminating device on the destination network. These systems use encryption and other security mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users can access the network and that the data cannot be intercepted.