WorldCom is a company that is difficult to profile quickly; their list of innovations is as long as most people's arms. They were the first on-line customer service in 1979, by 1983 they had an e-commerce application, and by 1988 they were offering commercial Internet access service.

The company has been offering a dedicated multi-point VPN service since 1994, which now has grown into a worldwide industry. WorldCom currently offers four different types of VPN services, each for a different type of company.

WorldCom's Select Access VPN is for large companies that want complete control over their network. Based on Cisco technology, it offers international access, comprehensive security, and allows the user to monitor and control its VPN in-house rather than having WorldCom do it for them.

The Remote Access VPN is for smaller companies that have several users who need to access their network remotely. In this case, WorldCom uses Nortel's Extranet Contivity Switch to support a number of different standard tunneling protocols. This offering also features a selection of security options including multiple types of encryption and authentication, worldwide access, and 24 X 7 monitoring.

A Customer Directed VPN is for small companies who don't have a large IT department, and prefer to have WorldCom monitor and manage the network. In this case, WorldCom has teamed up with SmartPipes (an IP software services company) to simplify the management of a VPN, making it possible for the customer to control the VPN, while WorldCom manages and maintains it.

Finally, for companies with offices spread all over the country, or even internationally, there is the Total Access VPN. This is WorldCom's most comprehensive plan, combining co-location services with a fully featured VPN. This offering is based on a Lucent router, providing a single-box solution. The Total Access VPN requires a Microsoft Windows platform, preferably an NT kernel.

With business offices worldwide, the best way to contact WorldCom is to go to their website, which has an address book for WorldCom offices around the world.

To order or request additional information on WorldCom products and services for your business, please call 1-800-WORLDCOM (1-800-967-5326) or visit the web site.