A mobile virtual private network (mobile VPN or mVPN) is a VPN which is capable of persisting during sessions across changes in physical connectivity, point of network attachment, and IP address.Phifer, Lisa
"Mobile VPN: Closing the Gap"
''SearchMobileComputing.com'', July 16, 2006. Accessed July 25, 2009 The "mobile" in the name refers to the fact that the VPN can change points of network attachment, not necessarily that the mVPN client is a mobile phone or that it is running on a wireless network.Introduction to MVPN
/ref> Mobile VPNs are used in environments where workers need to keep application sessions open at all times, throughout the working day, as they connect via various wireless networks, encounter gaps in coverage, or suspend-and-resume their devices to preserve battery life. A conventional VPN cannot survive such events because the network tunnel is disrupted, causing applications to disconnect, time out, fail, or even the computing device itself to crash.Cheng, Roger
"Lost Connections"
''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', December 11, 2007. Accessed July 25, 2009 Mobile VPNs are commonly used in

public safety Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensu ...

home care Homecare (home care, in-home care, care at home), also known as domiciliary care, personal care, community care, or social care, is health care or supportive care provided in the individual home where the patient or client is living, generally focu ...

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

settings,

field service management Field service management (FSM) refers to the management of a company's resources employed at or en route to the property of clients, rather than on company property. Examples include locating vehicles, managing worker activity, scheduling and d ...

utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...

and other industries. Increasingly, they are being adopted by mobile professionals and

white-collar worker A white-collar worker is a person who performs professional service, desk, managerial, or administrative work. White-collar work may be performed in an office or similar setting. White-collar workers include job paths related to government, co ...

Comparison with other VPN types

A VPN maintains an authenticated, encrypted tunnel for securely passing data traffic over public networks (typically, the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

.) Other VPN types are IPsec VPNs, which are useful for point-to-point connections when the network endpoints are known and remain fixed; or SSL VPNs, which provide for access through a

Web browser A web browser, often shortened to browser, is an application for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's scr ...

and are commonly used by

remote work Remote work (also called telecommuting, telework, work from or at home, WFH as an initialism, hybrid work, and other terms) is the practice of work (human activity), working at or from one's home or Third place, another space rather than from ...

ers. Makers of mobile VPNs draw a distinction between remote access and mobile environments. A remote-access user typically establishes a connection from a fixed endpoint, launches applications that connect to corporate resources as needed, and then logs off. In a mobile environment, the endpoint changes constantly (for instance, as users roam between different

cellular network A cellular network or mobile network is a telecommunications network where the link to and from end nodes is wireless network, wireless and the network is distributed over land areas called ''cells'', each served by at least one fixed-locatio ...

s or

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...

access points). A mobile VPN maintains a virtual connection to the application at all times as the endpoint changes, handling the necessary network logins in a manner transparent to the user.

Functions

The following are functions common to mobile VPNs.

Management

Some mobile VPNs offer additional "mobile-aware" management and security functions, giving

information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

departments visibility and control over devices that may not be on the corporate premises or that connect through networks outside IT's direct control.

Industries and applications

Mobile VPNs have found uses in a variety of industries, where they give mobile workers access to software applications.

In telecommunications

telecommunication Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

, a mobile VPN is a solution that provides data user mobility and ensures secure network access with predictable performance. Data user mobility is defined as uninterrupted connectivity or the ability to stay connected and communicate to a possibly remote data network while changing the network access medium or points of attachment. In 2001,

Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ("Huawei" sometimes stylized as "HUAWEI"; ; zh, c=华为, p= ) is a Chinese multinational corporationtechnology company in Longgang, Shenzhen, Longgang, Shenzhen, Guangdong. Its main product lines include teleco ...

launched a product named "MVPN". In this case "MVPN" had a different meaning from the way that later industry sources would use the term. The Huawei product was focused on delivering a seamless corporate phone system to users whether they were on desktop phones or mobile devices. Although the web page is no longer available, the company advertised that their MVPN had the following advantages over a standard phone system: * Direct connectivity – the corporate network becomes part of

mobile operator A mobile network operator (MNO), also known as a mobile network provider, mobile network carrier, mobile , wireless service provider, wireless carrier, wireless operator, wireless telco, or cellular company, is a telecommunications provider of se ...

's network through direct connection * Private numbering plan – the communication is tailored to company organization * Corporate Business Group – all offices and employees are part of one common group, that includes all mobile and desk phones * Short dialing – a short

number A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The most basic examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...

to access each employee, no meter on his mobile or desk phone * Smart Divert – easy divert within company group * Groups and subgroups – Several sub-groups could be defined within the group with different changing as well as with separate numbering plan * Calls control – certain destinations could be allowed or barred both on mobile and desk phones.

Vendors

* Bittium * Columbitech *

Connectify Connectify () is an American software company that develops networking software for consumers, professionals and companies. Connectify Hotspot is a virtual software router, router and Wi-Fi repeater software for Microsoft Windows. Speedify is a ...

Ericsson (), commonly known as Ericsson (), is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Ericsson has been a major contributor to the development of the telecommunications industry and is one ...

* NeoAccel * NetMotion Wireless * Radio IP Software * Smith Micro Software *Tmharay

References

External links

VPN Consortium

"An Introduction to IPsec VPNs on Mobile Phones"
by Ramon Arja, '' MSDN Magazine'', September 2009
The Different VPN Networks And Their Funcationality

by Tom Johnaton, ''

Network World International Data Group (IDG, Inc.) is an American market intelligence and demand generation company focused on the technology industry. IDG, Inc.'s mission is centered around supporting the technology industry through research, data, market ...

'' (24 November 2006) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mobile Virtual Private Network GSM standard Internet privacy Mobile technology Network architecture Virtual private networks