Based in Santa Clara, California, and founded in 1996 in an effort to capitalize on deregulation in communications and the growth of the Internet, Covad Communications has since grown into a leading Internet Service Provider, delivering high speed Internet access using DSL technology. The company offers a range of DSL, IP and dial-up services geared toward small business and home users.

Covad’s turnkey, site-to-site private networking solution, TeleDefend VPN, is geared specifically toward small- and medium-sized businesses. Simple, easy to use, and requiring no hardware installation, Covad’s VPN solution can be put to use even by businesses with no in-house technical expertise. And when used in conjunction with Covad.net broadband service, it provides seamless access to the Internet and the private network.

Built on custom NetScreen hardware, the TeleDefend VPN solution uses IPSec tunneling technology and Triple DES encryption. The VPN solution can operate at speeds of 10Mbps, and a built-in firewall uses the latest technology to prevent unauthorized users from hacking in to a company’s main or remote LANs.

Installation, says the company, can be accomplished in as little as a week from ordering. And Covad’s Security Operation Center monitors TeleDefend VPN sites round the clock, alerting customers of problems and confirming that they are being addressed.

Covad can be reached by email at vpn-covad@covad.com, by telephone at 1-800-GO-COVAD (1-800-462-6823), or through its Web site (covad.com/vpninfo).