Windows VPN...Secure?

[Digitalcandy]

I've got a smallish network with no routers on the LAN. I want to setup Windows VPN to allow some of the laptop users access to resources while they are out of the office.

Is the Windows VPN solution secure and used commonly, or do most people buy 3rd party software with hardware keys (RSA) to do this?

 

[Seaspray0]

Remote uses can connect to your network through any means you wish to provide. They can dial into your server through a dedicated phone line at your office if that's how you want to go (best security since there is no contact with the internet and easy to set up). They can access your network through the internet, but only if your LAN has a connection to the internet and you have it configured to allow it (such as configuring the ports on the firewall, and configuring RRAS for the VPN). You can also use hardware, but this is typically used on larger corporations that need to communicate between branches and a main office. The internet connection for your company would need to be on a static IP address that you purchase from an ISP.

If you do set up a VPN, I would suggest an L2TP tunnel over PPTP as it is more secure (you can pick a better encryption protocol).

A+/MCP/MCSE/MCDBA