OpenReach Offers VPN Trade-Up Program

May 29, 2002 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Virtual private network overlay service provider OpenReach Inc. (OpenReach.com) announced on Monday that it has introduced a new trade-up program designed to let enterprises replace their complex legacy VPNs with OpenReach’s own VPN service.

The announcement of the trade-up program comes shortly after OpenReach’s recent announcement of its new approach to inter-business communications, and IPSec-based extranet solution, the OpenReach Extranet.

OpenReach says the trade-up program, called "First Aid for VPN Burn Victims," is aimed at organizations that have deployed hardware-based VPNs, but have found the cost and time required to maintain those systems draining on corporate IT resources. By "trading up" their VPN hardware to OpenReach services, says the company, enterprises can gain control over their networks without the burden associated with do-it-yourself VPNs.

According to OpenReach, one of the features that most attracts companies to VPN technology is the promise of cost savings, using inexpensive Internet connections to create secure global networks. But many legacy VPN implementations introduce new complexities, says OpenReach, requiring IT personnel to become experts in encryption and tunneling protocols, and involving the use of proprietary hardware that can become obsolete.

The trade-up program, which runs through September 30, 2002, offers enterprises free replacement hardware with capabilities equal or superior to those of the existing equipment, free OpenReach installation service, plus a free month of OpenReach Gold Gateway Service.

"I've heard many CIOs complain about how their IT teams have no time for new projects because everyone is overwhelmed maintaining existing gear," says OpenReach chairman and founder Mark Tuomenoksa. "Legacy VPNs, in particular, are a major pain point because most of them are obsolete but are too difficult and expensive to upgrade. OpenReach's new trade-up program gives enterprises a no-risk, fast and easy way to fix the VPN problem permanently."

Announced at the end of last month, the OpenReach Extranet service is based on the company’s patent-pending Interlock technology. The service allows each partner in the extranet to control its network access and security policies. OpenReach says the service is the first IPSec VPN to enable any-to-any network connectivity regardless or partner infrastructure, location or service provider.

The OpenReach Extranet, says the company, abandons the conventional "hub-and-spoke" model, allowing partners to set up and tear down connections without coordinating through a central extranet hub. Access control lists allow the companies to enforce security policies unique to each connected partner. Automatic address reconciliation dynamically resolves private and public address conflicts between partner networks.

All of this, says OpenReach, is accomplished using a single VPN gateway on each participating premises, reducing the cost to deploy and operate.

The toughest problem faced in building extranets, says OpenReach, is bridging networks with overlapping and conflicting addresses, often forcing enterprises to renumber their networks, install computers dedicated to the extranet application, or abandon the efforts altogether. OpenReach Extranet addresses the problem by automatically recognizing and reconciling conflicting LANs without requiring renumbering, reprogramming or dedicated computer terminals. Operating transparently, the resolution process reduces the complexity of deploying VPNs.

By creating a solution for successfully deploying IPSec extranets, says OpenReach, the OpenReach Extranet service could help to redefine how diverse businesses communicate.