Managed VPNs
Of course, using these VPN appliances is all very well if you have the technical know-how to set them up and keep them running, or you have a good relationship with a consultant who can do this for you.
But as we've noted, it isn't easy. A very popular option, which all the major telcos and many other service providers are currently pushing very heavily, is to outsource the whole deal using a managed service.
Managed VPN services are also being used to replace vastly more expensive dedicated leased lines.
"Customers come to us when they want someone they can work with over time as a technology partner who will enable them to move from one innovation to the next without having to skill up on new technologies as they change," says Richard Knott, Australasian head of global networking provider Equant. "They'd rather focus on their business."
Managed VPNs can provide many advantages, including productivity gains, reduced hassle for tech staff, improved connection quality and uptime, the ability to more easily add new services, and cost savings.
Managed Service Provider Bulletproof Networks' director of sales and marketing Lorenzo Modesto believes that allowing workers to connect remotely can be a big productivity gain. "The gains in productivity born out of avoiding travel time and the added flexibility of working either from home or a remote location for travelling reps are invaluable."
The combination of a broadband connection and a VPN service "allows any size business to have the sort of Wide Area Network connectivity that large corporates have enjoyed for years. The technology is finally paying off in terms of increased productivity," he says.
A managed service provider can ensure that VPN devices are correctly configured and up to date with patches, and can monitor them 24 hours a day.
"If issues arise with the VPN service, we usually know about it before the client does due to the monitoring and we're on the case to diagnose and fix it," says Modesto.
"A non-managed VPN service would mean that if there are any issues then the customer has to stop what they are doing to call a consultant, wait for them to respond, book a time to come out and fix it and generally suffer greater down-time. Our customers usually can't afford that in terms of lost productivity or expenses."
I gotta have more
Once a managed VPN is in place, it greatly speeds up the process of adding new services between offices, says Knott. "There's a strong interest in having a technology partner who will integrate new technologies into the service offering."
"The fundamental IP VPN technology is not in flux. We launched it two years ago and it's a very stable platform. What is changing is what you can do with it," he says.
"You might one day be talking about data storage or disaster recovery. The next month you might want to have an SAP application. As the technology changes--such as with the introduction of IP telephony--there are new appliances and applications, but they hang off the same infrastructure."
"If you have a managed IP VPN network, once it's set up you don't have to reconfigure the network part of it, just add new IP addresses," he says.
"Our flagship is IP VPN using an MPLS (multi-protocol label switching) product going all the way to the edge. That enables us to have quality and class of service so you can prioritise different applications. Then as new technologies come along, such as a video over IP class of service, or IP telephony, we can put that in for the customers without them having to invest in new hardware. They want to buy a service level and a commitment from the provider."
"Saving money is a key driver behind the growth of managed services, according to Bruce Hampel, chief operating officer of telecommunications service provider Panaseer (www.panaseer.com.au). "For some people, it directly reduces their internal costs, or sometimes they achieve a new business outcome they weren't able to previously."
Knott doesn't think a managed service will save money in the short term, but it can realise significant long-term savings. "If you imagine a customer wanting to do it on their own, they'd have to buy the equipment, learn about the technology and how it interfaced with their infrastructure, they'd have to train their staff, and develop procedures. There's a big organisational investment and time investment in doing it yourself.
"For a customer to build their own network, it's a risk, especially if they want to be at the bleeding edge of advances. If you can pass those costs on to a technology partner as part of their managed services, then it's a significant cost saving."
