VPN
(Virtual Private Network) -- Usually refers to a
network in which some of the parts are connected using the public
Internet, but the data sent across the Internet is encrypted, so the entire network is "virtually" private.
A typical example would be a company network where there are two offices in different cities. Using the Internet the two offices mereg their networks into one network, but encrypt traffic that uses the Internet link.
See Also: Internet, Network
A private network within a public network,usually on the internet.Privacy for the virtual network is achieved through encryption and provides a less expensive option than using dedicated lines.VPN (Virtual Private Network )
Stands for "Virtual Private Network." (Not a competitor of UPN). This is a network term that isn't used very much (probably because VPNs are not very common), but at least you can impress your friends by talking about them. A VPN refers to a network partially connected to the Internet, but uses encryption to scramble all the data sent through the Internet so the entire network is "virtually" private. For example, a large company that has offices in multiple locations could send data to the different locations via the Internet, but encrypt everything that is sent, thus creating a VPN. It's sort of like having a secure Intranet over the Internet. Pretty cool.
